How Much Does Private Medical Insurance Cost in the UK?

"How much does private medical insurance cost?" is one of the most common questions people ask — and one of the hardest to answer with a single number. PMI is individually priced, which means your premium is built around your age, your health, where you live, and exactly what you want the policy to cover. Two people the same age can pay very different amounts.

That said, ranges are useful for setting expectations. Prices stretch from modest monthly figures for a younger person on a basic plan to several hundred pounds a month for a family wanting comprehensive cover with all the extras.

This guide explains what you are likely to pay, why the figure lands where it does, and the levers you can pull to keep the cost down. Every figure below is illustrative and intended as a rough guide only — none of them is a quote.

Indicative PMI costs

As a rough guide, here is where premiums tend to sit. Treat these as illustrative starting points rather than firm prices, because the only way to know your real cost is individual underwriting.

For a single adult, a younger person on a reasonable plan might pay from around £35 a month, while someone older could be looking at £65 a month or more for similar cover. Age is the single biggest driver, so the gap between a person in their thirties and one in their sixties is substantial.

For a couple, a combined premium might indicatively sit around £140 a month, again depending heavily on the ages and health of both people and the level of cover chosen.

For a family of four, comprehensive cover often lands somewhere in the region of £130 to £200 a month or more, with the figure rising as you add features or choose a wider hospital network. To repeat the important caveat: these are illustrative figures, not a quote.

If you want to understand the product itself rather than just the price, our private medical insurance page sets out what PMI covers and how it works. And for a deeper look at the numbers, including how different cover levels change the maths, see our full PMI cost breakdown.

What affects the cost of PMI

Several factors combine to produce your premium, and understanding them helps explain why quotes vary so widely.

Age. This is the dominant factor. The older you are, the more likely you are to need treatment, so premiums climb steadily with age and tend to step up noticeably at older ages.

Level of cover and hospital list. A basic plan covering in-patient and day-patient treatment costs less than a comprehensive plan that also includes out-patient consultations, diagnostics, and therapies. The list of hospitals you can use matters too — a wide list including central London private hospitals costs more than a guided or restricted list.

Excess. This is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim yourself. A higher voluntary excess lowers your premium because you are taking on more of the initial cost; a zero excess pushes the premium up.

Underwriting type. Most policies use either moratorium underwriting (where pre-existing conditions from recent years are excluded automatically without a medical questionnaire) or full medical underwriting (where you disclose your history up front for clarity). The choice affects both your premium and exactly what is covered.

Add-ons. Optional extras such as dental and optical cover, enhanced mental health support, or higher out-patient limits each add to the cost. They can be valuable, but only if you will actually use them.

Location. Where you live influences the premium, because the cost of private treatment varies around the country — typically higher in and around London than elsewhere.

Ways to keep PMI affordable

If the indicative figures above feel steep, the good news is that PMI is highly adjustable. A few choices can meaningfully reduce the monthly cost.

Choose a higher voluntary excess. Agreeing to pay, say, the first £250 or £500 of any claim yourself can bring the premium down noticeably, particularly if you do not expect to claim often.

Opt for a restricted or guided hospital list. Limiting yourself to a curated network of hospitals — rather than every private hospital in the country — is one of the most effective ways to cut the premium while keeping good-quality access.

Add a six-week NHS wait option. With this feature, if the NHS can treat you within six weeks the policy directs you there; if the wait is longer, you go private. Because you are only using private treatment where the NHS is slow, the premium is lower.

Drop unused add-ons. Dental, optical, and other extras are easy to accumulate. Stripping back to the cover you will genuinely use trims the cost without weakening the core protection.

Review at renewal. Premiums tend to rise each year, so it is worth checking the market rather than letting the policy roll over automatically. An adviser can compare alternatives and flag where a better-value option exists.

Is private medical insurance worth the cost?

Whether PMI justifies its price is a genuinely personal judgement. On one side, it buys speed and choice: faster access to diagnosis and treatment, a say in which consultant and hospital you use, and the reassurance of avoiding long waiting lists. On the other side sits the NHS, which provides comprehensive care free at the point of use, meaning PMI is a discretionary purchase rather than a necessity.

For some people the peace of mind and quicker treatment are well worth the monthly outlay; for others the cost is hard to justify when the NHS already covers them. There is no universally right answer — it depends on how much you value speed and choice, and what your budget allows. We explore this balance more fully in our guide to whether private medical insurance is worth it, which is a useful next read if you are weighing it up.

Getting an accurate quote

Because PMI is individually underwritten, the only way to know what you would actually pay is to get a quote based on your own age, health, location, and cover preferences. The illustrative figures in this guide are a rough guide for setting expectations — they are not a price you can rely on.

A qualified adviser can compare the market for you, balancing cover and cost across multiple insurers and tailoring the policy to your budget, rather than leaving you to navigate the options alone. Cover Your Family is not FCA regulated and does not give advice. We connect you, free of charge and with no obligation, to a separate, FCA-regulated adviser who is not tied to any single insurer. If you would like an accurate, personalised quote, enquire today and we will arrange for an adviser to help.