Average Life Insurance Costs - Rates by Age, Term, and Policy Size
A 20-year term life insurance coverage can cost more than $147 per month on average. Find out where you may obtain coverage at a lower price.
Life insurance companies base their premiums mostly on your age and health state, but they also consider your work, weight, smoking status, and even your family's health history.
Life insurance quotations, unlike other types of insurance, are not impacted by your location. We've aggregated quotes for a number of policy types and client profiles at Value Penguin to establish the average cost of life insurance.
Average Term Life Insurance Premiums Based On Age
We began our analysis by displaying the change in average life insurance prices for various age groups. Age will be used by life insurance firms to determine life insurance rates. Rates will continue to rise as you become older owing to a reduction in your overall life expectancy.
The term life insurance prices shown here are for a 20-year term life insurance policy with a $500,000 death benefit.
Our data show that the rise in monthly premiums as you age is substantially less when you are young vs when you are older. For example, the typical life insurance quotation increases by 4% between the ages of 25 and 30, while it climbs by 86%, or $275, between the ages of 60 and 65.
Age |
Monthly life insurance cost (nonsmoker) |
Monthly life insurance cost (smoker) |
25 | $31 | $86 |
30 | $33 | $92 |
35 | $38 | $117 |
40 | $50 | $179 |
45 | $78 | $277 |
50 | $118 | $426 |
55 | $190 | $663 |
60 | $318 | $1,007 |
65 | $593 | $1,528 |
As you can see, premium disparities are considerably more pronounced if you smoke. When compared to non-smokers, smokers spend 218 percent more in premiums for life insurance contracts.
The Average Cost Of Life Insurance Varies By Gender.
Aside from your age, life insurance premiums will differ depending on your gender. Men, on average, pay 23% more for term life insurance than women.
This is related to the fact that men have a lower life expectancy than women. Life insurers take this into consideration, and hence charge a man more rates than a woman of the same age.
Age |
Policy face value |
Male premium |
Female premium |
30 | $250k | $21 | $18 |
$500k | $33 | $28 | |
$1m | $58 | $49 | |
40 | $250k | $30 | $25 |
$500k | $50 | $41 | |
$1m | $93 | $76 | |
$250k | $67 | $52 | |
50 | $500k | $118 | $92 |
$1m | $226 | $173 |
Rates For Term Life Insurance Based On Policy Size
The face value of your life insurance policy, which is the monetary amount that would be paid to your beneficiaries if you died, is critical to your financial planning. As a result, based on your assets and future costs, you should carefully examine and determine the suitable face value.
You may appropriately provide for your loved ones by selecting an exact face value for your life insurance policy.
Rates For Term Life Insurance Based On Policy Length
The tables below show quotes for 10- and 20-year term life insurance contracts. As you can see, the shorter the term duration, the lower the annual life insurance premiums will be.
The premiums have been divided down per rating class. A rating classification is the health rating assigned to you by the life insurance company after you have undergone a medical test. The rating you obtain will have a direct impact on the premium you pay for your life insurance policy.
These parameters are set by each individual life insurance carrier and only slightly differ throughout the industry. We have included a full overview of the various classes on this page.
Rates For 10-Year Term Life Insurance
People on a limited budget may select 10-year coverage since they provide some of the lowest rates available. A 10-year coverage might also be beneficial for someone who does not require long-term insurance.
Policy face value |
Preferred plus |
Preferred |
Standard |
$100k | $16 | $19 | $22 |
$250k | $23 | $28 | $37 |
$500k | $35 | $44 | $61 |
$1M | $59 | $76 | $110 |
Rates For 20-Year Term Life Insurance
The most popular term life insurance option on the market, the 20-year term policy, offers more coverage than the shorter 10-year term policy, but at a higher yearly cost.
These plans are often advised for young families that frequently have big obligations and costs, such as mortgages and student loans, that would become highly stressful if the family's breadwinner died unexpectedly.
The 20-year period is usually long enough for the family to significantly pay off these obligations and lessen the possibility of someone else having to foot the bill if something goes wrong.
Policy face value |
Preferred plus |
Preferred |
Standard |
$100k | $17 | $19 | $23 |
$250k | $25 | $30 | $38 |
$500k | $40 | $49 | $65 |
$1M | $69 | $86 | $117 |
Generational Perspectives On The Cost Of Life Insurance
According to a poll performed by Value Penguin, more than a third (35%) of the total respondents do not currently have a life insurance policy.
When asked what the major reason for this decision was, more than 40% of them said it was too expensive to get life insurance. Furthermore, more than half (53 percent) of baby boomers (adults between the ages of 54 and 72) believe policy premiums are prohibitively expensive and, as a result, do not currently carry life insurance.
Investing in a policy when you are young may be cost-effective, yet boomers are facing the consequences, such as increased costs, of delaying getting life insurance until later in life.
When asked, "When should you get a life insurance policy?" Over 37% of all respondents said, "While you are young and well."
What are your thoughts on when prospective policyholders should get life insurance?
Life event |
Gen. Z |
Millennial |
Gen. X |
Baby boomer |
Silent gen. |
After the birth of first child | 0.2 | 0.16 | 0.2 | 0.11 | 0.16 |
Once you are married | 0.18 | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.17 | 0 |
While you are young and healthy | 0.27 | 0.35 | 0.36 | 0.42 | 0.47 |
After buying your first home | 0.08 | 0.1 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.11 |
When you reach retirement age | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.05 |
When you get your first full-time job or promotion | 0.08 | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.06 | 0.11 |
Never | 0.1 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.08 | 0.11 |
Questions and Answers
Is It Worthwhile To Purchase Life Insurance?
Most people's answers to this question are influenced by their familial situation. Life insurance is especially vital for people who are the major or sole breadwinners in their families. If something were to happen to you, your family would struggle to replace your supporting income if you did not have enough coverage.
What Is The Cost Of Life Insurance For A Family Of Four?
We discovered that the average cost of life insurance is around $126 per month, based on a term life insurance policy with a death value of $500,000. This figure should only be seen as a starting point; your personal prices for life insurance may vary based on your age, the insurer you pick, and the quantity of coverage that you choose is appropriate for your family.
When Should I Buy Life Insurance?
Because the cost of life insurance climbs with age, the best cost-effective plan is to get it as soon as you realize you need it. Most individuals reach that point when they marry or have a kid, but coverage might become important in any scenario where you know someone else will be financially reliant on you.