How much does private health insurance cost in Germany?

How much does private health insurance cost at your age?

At the Medium level of cover, a healthy employee joining at 30 pays about €268 a month in 2026 after the employer's share, and one joining at 50 about €404, because a private premium is set by the age at which you join. At every entry age in the table, both the employee's share and the full premium stay below the public maximum.

Our calculator shows all three levels for your age, and for a partner and children too.

What do employees pay compared with the self-employed?

Employees pay half of their private premium, because the employer pays the other half, up to €508.59 for health cover and €104.63 for long-term care a month in 2026.[1] The self-employed pay the full premium themselves.

Employees can choose private cover once their salary is above the income threshold of €77,400 a year in 2026; the self-employed can choose it at any income. Public health insurance costs such an employee the maximum, €648 a month in 2026, against about €293 in private cover at 35 and the Medium level. A self-employed member pays up to €1,226 in public cover without children and without public sick pay, against a full private premium of about €586.

The self-employed can lower the premium further with a deductible, for example €600 to €1,200 a year, and add daily sickness allowance to replace their income when they are ill. Health insurance for freelancers shows what changes when no employer pays half. What health insurance costs in Germany compares both systems for singles, couples and families.

What is included in a private health insurance premium?

The adult premiums in our tables include health cover, compulsory long-term care insurance (Pflegepflichtversicherung) and a statutory 10% surcharge on the health part. The surcharge builds savings for old age and is charged up to the end of the calendar year in which you turn 60.[2]

Not included in the figures:

• A deductible, the yearly amount you pay yourself before the insurer pays. Our figures assume none.
• Daily sickness allowance (Krankentagegeld), which replaces your income when you are ill. Employees add it to start after the six weeks in which the employer continues to pay salary, and the self-employed as early as day 8.

What do the three levels of cover cost?

At entry age 35, the three levels of cover cost an employee about €252, €293 and €333 a month in 2026 after the employer's share. A self-employed person pays the full premium of about €503, €586 or €667. Entry is core private cover with a shared hospital room; Medium adds hospital comfort, with a two-bed room and treatment by the senior consultant; Max adds a single room and sets the fewest limits.

What does private health insurance cost for children and a family?

A child costs about €187, €258 or €293 a month in 2026 at the Entry, Medium or Max level, before the employer's share and with no long-term care premium. Each family member pays their own premium, and a spouse without income pays an adult premium based on their own entry age.

Your employer also pays half of the premiums for your children and for a spouse or registered partner with little or no income, as long as they would be family-insured in public cover, up to a total of €508.59 a month for health cover and €104.63 for long-term care in 2026.[1] Whether private or public cover costs your household less is set out in health insurance for families in Germany, and we calculate both for your household before you decide.

What does an expat health insurance plan cost?

Expat plans start from €80 a month on the terms of January 2027, the full premium before any employer's share, and compulsory long-term care insurance comes on top. An expat plan is private health insurance for people who live in Germany on a temporary residence permit and are not in public health insurance. It covers you for up to five years, and with the right plan you can then move on to lifelong private cover without new health questions.

A travel policy is usually enough for the entry visa, but not once you live here. We work out with you whether an expat plan or full private cover suits you better, and health insurance for expats in Germany explains which route fits when you arrive.

What makes a private premium higher or lower?

Your entry age, the level of cover, the deductible and your health set your private premium; your income does not. In public health insurance, contributions rise with your income up to the maximum.

• Entry age: from about €245 a month at 25 to €456 at 55 for an employee at the Medium level.
• Level of cover: Entry, Medium and Max differ mainly in hospital comfort, dental cover and how few limits the tariff sets.
• Deductible: a higher yearly deductible lowers the premium. For employees we advise none, or up to €600 a year.
• Health: a pre-existing condition can lead to a risk surcharge. We ask the insurers anonymously before you apply, so you see your terms first; a free call starts it.

How do private premiums develop over the years?

Both systems get more expensive over time. The public maximum rises every year: for a self-employed member it went from €618.75 a month in 2010 to €1,226 in 2026, both without children and without public sick pay. A private premium does not rise because you get older. It is adjusted tariff by tariff, when claims costs move more than 10% away from the insurer's calculation, or a lower margin set in the terms, and an independent trustee has to approve each change.[3] Why your premium goes up, and what you can do explains the steps and your options, including a tariff switch with your insurer. Our insurer pages show how each insurer's premiums have developed, and the premium changes for 2027 list the adjustments announced so far by tariff.

Part of every premium builds savings for old age, and from the year after you turn 60 the 10% surcharge falls away. If you draw a German state pension, the pension fund adds a subsidy to the health part of your premium, and a premium-relief plan you pay into while working can lower your premium in retirement by €250 to €500 a month.

How do you get your own figure?

Our calculator shows the full premium and what you pay after the employer's share, for you, a partner and your children at each level in 2026. Your exact premium depends on your health. In a free 30-minute call on Zoom, in English, we compare the tariffs that fit you across the whole market and check your health anonymously with the insurers before you apply.