Reviewed by Joe Chalk, Executive Client Advisor at CoverLife · Last reviewed
PROTECTION GUIDES
How much does life insurance cost?
Real example prices from our panel of insurers, by age and cover amount, for smokers and non-smokers.
The short answer
For a healthy non-smoker, £100,000 of level life cover over 25 years cost £4.12 a month at 20, £7.68 at 40 and £59.69 at 60, in quotes we obtained from our panel between 26 August 2026 and 1 September 2026.
Age and smoking make the biggest difference. At 50, the same cover cost a smoker £43.74 a month, against £17.29 for a non-smoker.
Example monthly prices
Each figure is a real quote: the lowest guaranteed monthly premium we obtained from our panel for that age and amount of cover. All are for level life cover, single life, with guaranteed premiums, over a 25-year term, for someone 5'9" and 11 stone in good health, quoted between 26 August 2026 and 1 September 2026.
| Age | £50,000 cover | £100,000 cover | £150,000 cover | £200,000 cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | £3.35 | £4.12 | £4.46 | £5.00 |
| 30 | £3.96 | £4.67 | £5.19 | £6.45 |
| 40 | £5.07 | £7.68 | £10.98 | £13.87 |
| 50 | £9.64 | £17.29 | £24.93 | £31.89 |
| 60 | £27.60 | £59.69 | £85.10 | £111.34 |
| Age | £50,000 cover | £100,000 cover | £150,000 cover | £200,000 cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | £3.94 | £4.56 | £5.01 | £5.43 |
| 30 | £4.90 | £6.02 | £8.53 | £10.69 |
| 40 | £9.61 | £16.18 | £23.39 | £30.01 |
| 50 | £24.01 | £43.74 | £72.18 | £89.56 |
| 60 | £75.17 | £133.56 | £185.97 | £238.21 |
Worth knowing
What the prices show
Age is the biggest factor
For a non-smoker, £100,000 of cover cost £4.67 a month at 30 and £17.29 at 50. With guaranteed premiums the price is fixed for the whole term at the age you start, so waiting costs money even if nothing else changes.
Smoking roughly doubles the cost from middle age
At 20 the gap is small: £4.56 against £4.12 for £100,000. By 40 a smoker paid £16.18 against £7.68, and by 50 £43.74 against £17.29. Insurers usually count vaping and nicotine replacement as smoking.
More cover costs less than you might expect, especially when young
Insurers set minimum premiums, so at 20 quadrupling the cover from £50,000 to £200,000 added only £1.65 a month. It is worth checking the price of a higher amount before choosing a lower one. Our life cover calculator helps you work out the amount you need.
What else changes your price
- •Your health and medical history, including conditions, medication and recent tests
- •Your height and weight: the examples assume a healthy build
- •Your occupation and any hazardous hobbies
- •The length of the term, and whether cover is level or decreasing
- •Adding critical illness cover, which increases the premium
- •Guaranteed or reviewable premiums: reviewable can start lower but may rise later
- •Whether it is a single policy or joint cover
A health condition does not necessarily mean a higher price. Our guide to life insurance with pre-existing conditions explains how insurers look at common conditions.
Who may pay more or less than these examples
Likely to pay less
- •Anyone choosing decreasing cover for a repayment mortgage
- •A shorter term than 25 years
- •Starting the policy at a younger age
Likely to pay more
- •Adding critical illness cover
- •A medical condition, higher BMI or hazardous occupation, depending on the insurer
- •Smokers and vapers, as the tables show
Getting your own price
Tell us your age, health, smoking status and the cover you need, and we will compare benefits and terms alongside price across our panel. If you are not sure how much cover you need, start with the how much life insurance calculator.
Get your own price
These examples show the range. Your price depends on your own age, health and the cover you need, and we compare it across our panel of insurers for you. There is no fee for our advice.
How CoverLife can help
CoverLife Insurance gives personalised protection advice, with a dedicated adviser for your application and ongoing support. We have access to a panel of 15 protection insurers, with availability varying by product and circumstances, and we compare benefits and terms alongside price. We also help with policy reviews and with applications involving medical conditions, unusual occupations or hazardous hobbies.
We charge no advice or arrangement fee; we receive commission from the insurer. CoverLife Insurance is a trading name of CoverTrade Risk Management Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 1020148. More about CoverLife
Related guides
The questions people usually ask next.
- How much life insurance do I need?Work out the amount of cover first, with our calculator.
- Life insurance for mortgage protectionDecreasing cover for a repayment mortgage usually costs less than the level cover shown here.
- Life insurance for smokers and vapersHow insurers define smoking, and what changes if you quit.
- Should you use a broker or buy direct?What comparing across a panel adds beyond the headline price.
Common questions
How much is £100,000 of life insurance a month?+
In example quotes we obtained from our panel between 26 August 2026 and 1 September 2026, £100,000 of level life cover over 25 years for a healthy non-smoker cost £4.12 a month at 20, £7.68 at 40 and £59.69 at 60. Your own price depends on your age, health, lifestyle and the cover you choose.
How much more do smokers pay for life insurance?+
It grows with age. In our examples a 20-year-old smoker paid £4.56 a month for £100,000 of cover against £4.12 for a non-smoker. At 50 it was £43.74 against £17.29, around two and a half times as much. Insurers usually treat vaping and nicotine replacement as smoking too.
Why does £50,000 of cover cost almost the same as £100,000 when you are young?+
Insurers set minimum premiums, so at younger ages the price barely moves with the amount of cover. At 20, £50,000 cost £3.35 a month and £200,000 cost £5.00 in our examples. That is why it is worth checking what a little more cover would cost before settling on a lower amount.
Is life insurance cheaper if I buy it younger?+
Yes. The premium is set by your age when the policy starts, and with guaranteed premiums it does not rise as you get older. In our examples, £100,000 of cover for a non-smoker cost £4.67 a month at 30 and £17.29 at 50, for the same 25-year term.
Do these prices include critical illness cover?+
No. The examples are for life cover only, which pays out if you die during the term. Adding critical illness cover increases the premium, because the policy can also pay out on a qualifying diagnosis.