I would budget between $1500-$2000 to buy a well-bred Lab. Anything more than $2000 for a pet I would want to understand more about the breeding (for example, particularly expensive frozen breeding to famous long-dead sire or semen imported from famous sire on the other side of the planet, etc.). I paid in the $1500 range for my dogs and they are not just pets. My last puppy was a show prospect.