Contents (10 sections)
- Private health insurance Germany cost: the published benchmarks
- What decides your private premium
- Private health insurance cost per month for employees: your share
- Public vs private cost in 2027: what an employee pays
- What private health insurance costs freelancers and the self-employed
- Private health insurance cost with a family
- How private premiums develop over the years
- Hidden costs most price comparisons leave out
- How to get a real price – without online health questions
- Next steps
- Stiftung Warentest found full-cover private tariffs for 35-year-olds costing €649 to €1,137 a month; only 384 of 1,245 tariff combinations met its minimum standard (Finanztest 3/2025).
- Employees pay only about half: the employer contributes half of the premium, up to €613.22 a month in 2026 and about €672.56 in 2027 (scenario).
- Public insurance costs an employee above the contribution ceiling up to €729.94 a month in 2027 (childless, draft values) – private is often cheaper at first for young, single high earners.
- With a spouse without income and children, public insurance is usually cheaper, because family members are insured free of charge; in private insurance every person pays.
- Private premiums depend on entry age, tariff, deductible and health questions – and rise over time: on 1 January 2026 about 60% of privately insured people had an increase, by about 13% on average (PKV association).
Private health insurance in Germany costs about €649 to €1,137 a month for full cover at entry age 35, according to Stiftung Warentest (Finanztest 3/2025). Employees pay only about half, because the employer contributes up to €613.22 a month (2026). For comparison, public insurance costs an employee above the contribution ceiling up to €729.94 a month in 2027 (childless; draft values, as of October 2026).
Private health insurance Germany cost: the published benchmarks
There is no official price list for private health insurance (private Krankenversicherung, PKV). Each insurer calculates its own tariffs (the major companies are listed in private health insurance companies in Germany), and your price is only fixed after the health questions in the application. What you can rely on are a few published benchmarks – each with its own limits.
| Benchmark | Who | Premium per month |
|---|---|---|
| Full-cover tariffs tested by Stiftung Warentest (at least public level, deductible max. €660 a year) | Employee or self-employed, entry age 35 | €649–€1,137 |
| Average premium of all privately insured adults without state allowance (existing customers) | All ages | €559 (2024) |
| Insurer's own example: ottonova “Business Class 100”, incl. sick pay and long-term care | Employee, 35 | €692.44 (employer pays €346.22) |
| Insurer's own example: ottonova “Business Class 100” | Self-employed, 35 | €701.42 |
| Insurer's own example: Allianz “MeinGesundheitsschutz Plus 90” (10% deductible, max. €500 a year) | Age 24 / age 34 | €717.26 / €834.26 |
| Insurer's own example: Allianz, same tariff | Child aged 0–15 | €276.79 |
Read the table with care. The Stiftung Warentest range is the most useful anchor, because it compares full-cover tariffs for the same age: only 384 of 1,245 tariff combinations met its criteria. The PKV association's average of €559 covers existing customers of all ages and tariffs – many joined young and have built up reserves, so it says little about what a newcomer pays today. The insurer examples show single tariffs on one date and can change.
Be careful with “from €X” prices.Low entry prices online often refer to young ages, high deductibles or reduced benefits. Compare a full-cover tariff with long-term care insurance included – and remember that the final price only comes after underwriting.
What decides your private premium
Private premiums are calculated like a life insurance (§ 146 VAG): the insurer prices your risk at the start and builds up ageing reserves (Alterungsrückstellungen) for later years. Your income plays no role. Five factors decide most of the price:
Entry age
The older you are when you join, the higher the premium – because fewer years remain to build up reserves. There is no neutral published table by age; ask for quotes at your age.
Tariff and benefits
Hospital room, chief physician treatment, dental cover, psychotherapy, cover abroad – each benefit has its price. Cheap tariffs can pay less than public insurance.
Deductible
A deductible (Selbstbehalt) lowers the premium, but you pay the first bills each year yourself. The employer contributes nothing to it.
Underwriting
The health questions in the application can lead to a risk surcharge or an exclusion. How this works is explained in private health insurance and pre-existing conditions.
Two add-ons are part of a fair price comparison. Long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung) is compulsory and comes on top of the health tariff. Sick pay insurance (Krankentagegeld) replaces your income during longer illness; employees usually need it once their employer's continued pay ends, freelancers often earlier. If one quote includes these and another doesn't, the cheaper one may simply cover less.
Private health insurance cost per month for employees: your share
As an employee you never pay the full premium. Your employer contributes half of it, up to a legal maximum (§ 257 SGB V, § 61 SGB XI): €613.22 a month in 2026 and about €672.56 in 2027 (own calculation; scenario with a 2.9% average additional contribution and the draft care reform). The employer also contributes for dependants who would be family-insured in public insurance – but only up to the same overall maximum.
| Total private premium | Employer pays | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| €649 (cheapest full cover in the test) | €324.50 | €324.50 |
| €850 | €425 | €425 |
| €1,137 (dearest full cover in the test) | €568.50 | €568.50 |
| €1,500 = health €1,380 + care €120 (e.g. you plus family members) | €617.81 | €882.19 |
What the caps mean in practice: up to a health premium of about €1,116 and a care premium of about €230 a month in 2027, your employer pays exactly half. Above that, every extra euro is yours. The details – including what happens with a deductible or part-time work – are on our page about the employer contribution to private health insurance.
Public vs private cost in 2027: what an employee pays
In public insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung, GKV) you pay a percentage of your salary up to the contribution ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze, BBG) of €6,375 a month in 2027 (draft). Employees pay half of the general rate of 14.6%, half of their fund's additional contribution (Zusatzbeitrag) and their care contribution. Anyone who may go private as an employee earns above the ceiling – and therefore pays the maximum.
| Gross salary per year | 2027 childless | 2027 with 1 child | 2026 childless |
|---|---|---|---|
| €42,000 | €400.75 | €369.25 | €390.25 |
| €60,000 | €572.50 | €527.50 | €557.50 |
| €70,000 | €667.92 | €615.42 | €648.09 |
| €76,500 and more | €729.94 | €672.56 | €648.09 |
What an employee pays per month in 2027 – own share in €
Single, no children, salary above €84,150 · public: scenario with 2.9% additional contribution · private: Stiftung Warentest full-cover range for age 35, employer pays half
Own calculation, as of 10 October 2026: contribution ceiling €6,375 a month (Federal Cabinet decision of 7 October 2026, Bundesrat approval pending), long-term care per draft reform (childless 4.5%). Private: Finanztest 3/2025 (€649–1,137 total premium). Guide values, not an offer.
For a single employee aged 35 above the income threshold, the private side therefore often looks cheaper: €325–569 own share for full cover against €729.94 in public insurance. But this is a snapshot for one age and one year. Whether you may switch at all depends on the income threshold of €77,400 (2026) and €84,150 (2027, draft) – check it with the income threshold checker.
What private health insurance costs freelancers and the self-employed
Freelancers pay the full premium themselves – in public and in private insurance. In public insurance the contribution is based on all your income up to the ceiling, but at least on a minimum assessment of €1,376.67 a month in 2027 (§ 240 SGB V; €1,318.33 in 2026).
| Per month | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Public, minimum contribution (low income) | €286.08 | €302.87 |
| Public, profit of €70,000 a year | – | €1,283.33 |
| Public, maximum contribution (at the ceiling) | €1,261.31 | €1,402.50 |
| Private full cover, entry age 35 (no employer share) | €649–€1,137 | |
The gap can look large. But private sick pay is a separate add-on, and many newcomers from outside the EU have no route into public insurance anyway, because they lack prior insurance periods. Read health insurance for freelancers in Germany before you compare.
Private health insurance cost with a family
This is where the comparison often turns. In public insurance a spouse without own income (up to €565 a month in 2026) and children living in Germany are family-insured (Familienversicherung) free of charge (§ 10 SGB V). In private insurance every person pays a premium; children's tariffs typically cost €120 to €250 a month each (broker analysis, 4 September 2026).
| Profile (salary €90,000) | Public: your share | Private: total | Private: your share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee, 35, single, childless | €729.94 | €649–1,137 | €324.50–568.50 |
| Employee, 35, spouse without income, 2 children | €656.63 | €1,538–2,774 | €920.19–2,156.19 |
For the family of four, public insurance is cheaper from the first month – and stays the main option as long as the spouse has no own income. From 2028 public insurance adds a surcharge of 2.5 percentage points for family-insured spouses, unless, for example, a child under 12 lives in the household. More examples, newborn rules and mixed couples: private health insurance with a family.
How private premiums develop over the years
A price comparison for one year says little about a decision that often lasts decades. Both systems get more expensive:
- Long-term averages: from 2006 to 2026, contributions per insured person rose by 3.4% a year in private and 3.9% a year in public insurance (WIP, the PKV association's research institute – an interested source). Averages hide jumps in single tariffs.
- 2026: about 60% of privately insured people had a premium increase on 1 January 2026, by about 13% on average (PKV association).
- Old age: a legal surcharge of 10% of the premium – paid from the year after you turn 21 until the year you turn 60 – is saved to dampen later increases (§ 149 VAG). Your employer's contribution ends when you retire; public insurance contributions follow your pension income instead.
- Your income: private premiums don't fall when your income does. Public contributions do.
The public vs private cost calculator projects both systems over ten years with these averages – and lets you change them.
Hidden costs most price comparisons leave out
- Deductible: a deductible of €500 a year is €500 you pay before the insurer pays – without employer contribution.
- Paying bills first: in private insurance you usually receive the doctor's bill, pay it and claim it back. Plan for some cash flow.
- No-claims bonus: some tariffs refund part of the premium if you claim nothing (Beitragsrückerstattung). It is not certain and should not be counted as a discount.
- Sick pay: compare like with like – a private quote without sick pay against a public contribution with sick pay is not a fair comparison.
- Leaving Germany: your ageing reserves stay behind, and outside the EU/EEA the policy usually ends. A dormant policy costs extra – see leaving Germany with private health insurance.
How to get a real price – without online health questions
A reliable price needs three steps. First, check whether you may choose private insurance at all and from when. Second, compare full-cover tariffs, not entry prices – including care insurance and, if you need it, sick pay. Third, the insurer prices your health in the application; if you have health issues, an anonymous pre-check through a broker comes before any formal application. Our honest overview of the disadvantages of private health insurance helps you weigh the price against the long-term commitment.
The quickest start is the 60-second decider: it asks no health questions, takes your salary band, family and planned stay into account and tells you honestly whether private insurance is worth a closer look. Prefer to read in German? GKV oder PKV im ehrlichen Vergleich (source in German).
Next steps
- Your own numbers, including family and ten years: public vs private cost calculator.
- All arguments side by side: public vs private health insurance in Germany.
- What your employer pays: employer contribution 2026/2027.
- German terms explained: glossary.
Frequently asked questions
How much is private health insurance in Germany per month?
For full cover at entry age 35, Stiftung Warentest found premiums of €649 to €1,137 a month (Finanztest 3/2025). Employees pay about half, because the employer contributes up to €613.22 a month (2026). Your real price depends on your entry age, the tariff, the deductible and the insurer's health questions.
Is private health insurance cheaper than public in Germany?
For a single 35-year-old employee above the threshold, often yes at first: about €325–569 own share for full cover against up to €729.94 in public insurance (2027, childless, scenario). With a non-earning spouse and children, public insurance is usually cheaper. Over decades the answer depends on price increases and your income.
Does private health insurance get more expensive with age in Germany?
The premium is set by your entry age – the older you are when you join, the higher it is. After that, premiums rise with medical costs: from 2006 to 2026 contributions per insured person grew by about 3.4% a year in private and 3.9% in public insurance on average (WIP/PKV association). Single tariffs can rise much faster in one year.
How much does private health insurance cost for a family?
Every person needs a policy. Children's tariffs typically cost €120 to €250 a month each (broker analysis, September 2026), and a spouse pays an adult premium. In public insurance a spouse without income and children are insured free of charge – which is why families on one income usually stay public.
Why can't I get an exact private health insurance price online?
Because the insurer only sets your price after the health questions in the application. A risk surcharge or an exclusion can change it. Calculators and published examples show ranges; a binding price comes from the insurer's offer after underwriting.
Sources
- Stiftung Warentest: private health insurance compared (Finanztest 3/2025) – 19 February 2025
- § 257 SGB V – employer contribution to private health insurance
- Federal Government: contribution ceilings 2027 (Cabinet decision) – 7 October 2026, Bundesrat pending
- PKV association: premiums in old age (average premium 2024) – data 2024
- PKV association: why premiums rise
- ottonova Expat Guide: costs of private health insurance – insurer's own example, reviewed 15 June 2026
- Allianz: Private Krankenversicherung für Ausländer – insurer's own example, retrieved 10 October 2026
- § 149 VAG – legal surcharge for old age
- § 240 SGB V – contributions of voluntary members (self-employed)
This article provides general information on health insurance in Germany (as of 12 October 2026). It does not replace individual advice. Which solution suits you depends on your personal situation, e.g. age, health, income, family and length of stay. Despite careful review we cannot guarantee completeness and accuracy; laws and tariffs change. It is not immigration advice: whether your insurance is sufficient for a visa or residence permit is decided by the German mission abroad or your immigration office. Publisher: German-PKV.de. German-PKV.de is not an insurance broker and does not provide insurance, legal or tax advice; individual advice is provided exclusively by specialised cooperation partners licensed under § 34d GewO.