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How much does a million-dollar life insurance policy cost?

A million-dollar life insurance policy with a 20-year term can cost as little as $34 per month.

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Headshot of Antonio Ruiz-Camacho

By

Katherine MurbachEditor & Licensed Life Insurance AgentKatherine Murbach is a licensed life insurance agent and a former life insurance and annuities editor and sales associate at Policygenius. Previously, she wrote about life and disability insurance for 1752 Financial, and advised over 1,500 clients on their life insurance policies as a sales associate.&Antonio Ruiz-CamachoAssociate Content DirectorAntonio is a former associate content director who helped lead our life insurance and annuities editorial team at Policygenius. Previously, he was a senior director of content at Bankrate and CreditCards.com, as well as a principal writer covering personal finance at CNET.

Edited by

Jennifer GimbelJennifer GimbelSenior Managing Editor & Home Insurance ExpertJennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
|

Reviewed by

Maria FilindrasMaria FilindrasFinancial AdvisorMaria Filindras is a financial advisor, a licensed Life & Health insurance agent in California, and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius.

Updated|2 min read

Expert reviewedExpert reviewedThis article has been reviewed by a member of ourFinancial Review Council to ensure all sources, statistics, and claims meet the highest standard for accurate and unbiased advice.Learn more about oureditorial review process.

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A million-dollar life insurance policy can be more affordable than you’d think, but it depends on the type of policy you’re looking for, as well as your age, gender, and health. A 30-year-old could pay anywhere from $25 to $72 per month depending on the term you choose and your gender:

  • 10-year term: $25 per month for women; $32 per month for men

  • 20-year term: $37 per month for women; $49 per month for men

  • 30-year term: $57 per month for women; $72 per month for men

Average cost of a $1 million life insurance policy with a 10-year term

One of the cheapest ways to buy a million dollars’ worth of life insurance coverage is to look at a 10-year term life policy. A 30-year-old woman could pay less than $25 per month for a million dollars in coverage, while a 30-year-old man could pay less than $32 per month for the same policy.

Age

Gender

$1 million, 10-year term

20

Female

$23.91

Male

$33.76

30

Female

$24.85

Male

$31.59

40

Female

$37.81

Male

$46.80

50

Female

$89.17

Male

$111.38

60

Female

$190.74

Male

$259.24

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Methodology: Average monthly rates are calculated for male and female non-smokers in a Preferred health classification obtaining 10-year $1 million life insurance policies. Life insurance averages are based on a composite of policies offered by Policygenius from Legal & General America, Brighthouse Financial, Corebridge Financial, Foresters Financial, Lincoln Financial, Mutual of Omaha, Pacific Life, Protective, Prudential, Symetra, and Transamerica and the Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index, which uses real-time data from leading life insurance companies. Rates may vary by insurer, term, coverage amount, health class, and state. Not all policies available in all states. Rate illustration valid as of 10/01/2024.

 Learn more about term life insurance rates

Average cost of a $1 million life insurance policy with a 20-year term

If you know you need your coverage to last longer than just 10 years, you could consider a 20-year term for a million-dollar policy. The longer your term length, the higher your premiums will be — although many 20-year term life policies are still affordable. A 30-year-old woman could pay less than $37 per month for a million-dollar, 20-year term life policy, while a 30-year-old man could pay less than $49 per month.

Age

Gender

$1 million, 20-year term

20

Female

$33.63

Male

$47.51

30

Female

$36.90

Male

$48.89

40

Female

$60.65

Male

$75.24

50

Female

$139.50

Male

$188.29

60 

Female

$354.51

Male

$499.98

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Methodology: Average monthly rates are calculated for male and female non-smokers in a Preferred health classification obtaining 20-year $1 million life insurance policies. Life insurance averages are based on a composite of policies offered by Policygenius from Legal & General America, Brighthouse Financial, Corebridge Financial, Foresters Financial, Lincoln Financial, Mutual of Omaha, Pacific Life, Protective, Prudential, Symetra, and Transamerica and the Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index, which uses real-time data from leading life insurance companies. Rates may vary by insurer, term, coverage amount, health class, and state. Not all policies available in all states. Rate illustration valid as of 10/01/2024

Average cost of a $1 million life insurance policy with a 30-year term

If you’re early in your career, have a 30-year mortgage, or otherwise want your coverage to last for several decades, you could consider a million-dollar, 30-year term life policy. A 30-year-old female could pay about $57 per month, while a 30-year-old male could pay about $72 per month for million-dollar coverage lasting 30 years.

Age

Gender

$1 million, 30-year term

20

Female

$49.32

Male

$66.57

30

Female

$57.04

Male

$71.88

40

Female

$97.32

Male

$122.41

50

Female

$232.24

Male

$315.50

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Methodology: Average monthly rates are calculated for male and female non-smokers in a Preferred health classification obtaining 30-year $1 million life insurance policies. Life insurance averages are based on a composite of policies offered by Policygenius from Legal & General America, Brighthouse Financial, Corebridge Financial, Foresters Financial, Lincoln Financial, Mutual of Omaha, Pacific Life, Protective, Prudential, Symetra, and Transamerica and the Policygenius Life Insurance Price Index, which uses real-time data from leading life insurance companies. Rates may vary by insurer, term, coverage amount, health class, and state. Not all policies available in all states. Rate illustration valid as of 10/01/2024.

Ready to shop for a $1 million life insurance policy?

How much does a million-dollar permanent life insurance policy cost?

If you’re looking for life insurance coverage that won’t expire, here’s how much you can expect to pay for two different types of permanent life insurance with $1 million dollars in coverage.

Guaranteed universal life insurance (GUL) is one of the cheapest types of permanent coverage. GUL comes with fixed premiums and a fixed death benefit, but minimal cash value accumulation, so this type of policy isn’t used as a savings vehicle. 

Whole life insurance also comes with fixed premiums and a cash value account, which gains interest at a set low rate over time. The cash value can be used as a forced savings tool. You can also withdraw from your cash value tax-free.

For instance, a 30 year old woman would pay $309 per month for a million-dollar GUL policy, compared to $801 per month for whole life. A 30-year-old man would pay $353 and $920, respectively.

Compare rates for a million-dollar GUL vs. whole life insurance policy

Age

Gender

$1 million GUL

$1 million whole life

20

Female

$213

$545

Male

$252

$639

30

Female

$309

$801

Male

$353

$920

40

Female

$512

$1,161

Male

$554

$1,372

50

Female

$809

$1,826

Male

$874

$2,117

60

Female

$1,332

$3,065

Male

$1,463

$3,556

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Methodology: Sample monthly rates are calculated for non-smokers in a Preferred Plus health classification, obtaining a $1 million guaranteed universal life insurance policy paid up at age 121 offered by Policygenius through Pacific Life, a $1 million whole life insurance policy paid up at age 100 offered by Policygenius through MassMutual. Rates may vary by insurer, coverage amount, health class, and state. Not all policies available in all states. Rate illustration valid as of 10/01/2024.

What factors influence the cost of a $1 million life insurance policy?

Life insurance companies determine how much you’ll pay for your policy based on your application and health history. Below are a few of the main factors they consider:

  • Your age. The younger you are, the less you’ll have to pay for life insurance because we all become riskier to insure as we age. The average cost of life insurance increases by 4.5% to 9% every year you delay buying a policy.

  • Your gender. On average, women pay 24% less for life insurance than men. Men have a shorter life expectancy than women, so insurers consider them riskier to insure. [1]

  • Your health. Generally, the fewer health conditions you have, the lower the chances that you die while the policy is active. This means that the healthier you are, the lower your rates will be.

  • Lifestyle activities. Lifestyle activities that increase your risk of dying can raise your rates — whether that’s smoking or skydiving.

Ready to shop for a $1 million life insurance policy?

References

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Policygenius uses external sources, including government data, industry studies, and reputable news organizations to supplement proprietary marketplace data and internal expertise. Learn more about how we use and vet external sources as part of oureditorial standards.

  1. Kaiser Family Foundation

    . "

    Number of Deaths per 100,000 Population by Gender

    ." Accessed October 15, 2024.

Authors

Katherine Murbach is a licensed life insurance agent and a former life insurance and annuities editor and sales associate at Policygenius. Previously, she wrote about life and disability insurance for 1752 Financial, and advised over 1,500 clients on their life insurance policies as a sales associate.

Antonio is a former associate content director who helped lead our life insurance and annuities editorial team at Policygenius. Previously, he was a senior director of content at Bankrate and CreditCards.com, as well as a principal writer covering personal finance at CNET.

Editor

Jennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.

Expert reviewer

Maria Filindras is a financial advisor, a licensed Life & Health insurance agent in California, and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius.

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