How much does health insurance cost per month?
Health insurance costs $120 to $625 a month for one person in 2026. What changes your price is below.
It depends on where you get it. With a job plan, the average worker paid $1,440 a year for single coverage, about $120 a month, per KFF's 2025 survey. Bought on your own, the average 2026 marketplace benchmark plan is $625 a month before tax credits. The extra tax credits ended after 2025, so many people now pay more.
Find out what it will cost you
Pick the job, your state's cost level and the last detail. The estimate updates as you change them.
An estimate built from published 2026 cost guides. It is not a quote. Get a written quote before work starts.
How much does health insurance cost per month by type?
| Job plan, your share, single | $1,440 a year, about $120 a month (KFF 2025). |
|---|---|
| Job plan, full premium, single | $9,325 a year, about $777 a month. |
| Job plan, your share, family | $6,850 a year, about $571 a month. |
| Job plan, full premium, family | $26,993 a year, about $2,249 a month. |
| Marketplace benchmark plan, before help | $625 a month on average (KFF, via HealthMarkets). |
| Marketplace, what people paid after credits | $178 a month on average in 2026, up 58 percent (KFF, July 2026). |
What pushes a quote up
| Where you get it | Job plans are cheapest because employers pay most of it. |
|---|---|
| Income | Tax credits lower marketplace prices under 400 percent of the poverty level. |
| Age | Older people pay more on the marketplace. |
| Plan level | Bronze costs less a month but has a higher deductible. |
| State and ZIP code | Prices differ a lot by area. |
How much does COBRA health insurance cost?
COBRA lets you keep your job plan after you leave, but you pay the full premium yourself, and the plan can add a 2 percent fee. With KFF's 2025 averages, that is about $777 a month for one person and about $2,249 a month for a family. That is why many people compare COBRA with a marketplace plan.
How much does private or individual health insurance cost?
If you buy your own plan, the 2026 average benchmark silver plan is about $625 a month before tax credits. Insurers raised marketplace prices about 26 percent for 2026, KFF estimated. With the extra credits gone, people above 400 percent of the poverty level get no tax credit at all.
What people actually pay
KFF found the average monthly payment after tax credits rose from $113 to $178 in 2026, and many people moved to bronze plans with higher deductibles.
How to judge the quote in your hand
- Compare the monthly price and the deductible together.
- Check the out of pocket maximum.
- Check your doctors are in network.
- Check your drugs are covered.
- Check if you qualify for a tax credit.
Ways to pay less
- Take the job plan if you have one.
- Apply for tax credits on the marketplace.
- Compare bronze and silver with your expected use.
- Check Medicaid if your income is low.
- Shop every open enrollment.
Before you decide
If you lose a job plan, you usually have 60 days to pick a marketplace plan through a special enrollment period. Compare that price with COBRA before you choose.
Also look at the deductible and the out of pocket maximum. A cheap monthly price can cost more in a year with a hospital stay.
Prices on this page are national averages. Your own price depends on your age, ZIP code and income.
About $120 to $625 for one person, depending on where you get it. A 2026 marketplace benchmark plan averages about $625 a month before tax credits. The full premium, about $777 a month single or $2,249 family on average, plus up to 2 percent. The extra ACA tax credits ended after 2025, and insurers raised prices about 26 percent.Common questions
How much does health insurance cost per month?
How much does private health insurance cost?
How much does COBRA health insurance cost?
Why did my premium go up in 2026?
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