What private health insurance costs in Germany

This guide is for expats and English speakers who are considering private health insurance in Germany and want to understand what it actually costs before requesting a quote. It covers employed people earning above the income threshold, the self-employed and those exploring the options for their family.

It is less relevant if you are in a low or mid-income job where public insurance is compulsory, or if you are a student looking specifically for student tariffs (though the cost section below does mention the student context).

Four factors determine your private health insurance cost in Germany. Understanding them explains why two people of the same age can receive very different quotes.

There is no reliable flat price for private health insurance. Your actual quote depends on your age at entry, your answers to the health questionnaire, the coverage level, your chosen deductible and the specific insurer.

As a rule, the same coverage costs less the younger and healthier you are when you join, and more for a higher coverage level or a lower deductible. Many insurers also offer dedicated student tariffs. To compare offers fairly, ask for quotes for the same coverage level with the same deductible.

One important note on what is included: most private health premiums come with a separate long-term care insurance component (Pflegepflichtversicherung). This is mandatory in Germany and covers nursing home or home care costs if you can no longer care for yourself. It is usually listed as a distinct line item and is taken out with the same insurer as your health cover.

If you are employed in Germany, your employer contributes to your health insurance costs regardless of whether you are in the public or private system. For private insurance, the rule is straightforward: your employer pays half your premium, up to a legal cap.

In 2026 that cap is €508.59 per month for health insurance and €104.63 per month for long-term care. The maximum combined employer contribution is therefore €613.22 per month.

A simple example: if your monthly private health premium is €600, your employer pays €300 (half), because that figure sits below the €508.59 cap. If your premium is €1,100, your employer still pays only €508.59, because half would exceed the cap.

To be eligible as an employee, your regular gross annual income must exceed €77,400 in 2026; if you already work in Germany, it must also be expected to exceed the following year's threshold. From 2027 the threshold rises to €84,150, though this still requires Bundesrat approval. For a full breakdown of who can get private health insurance, see our dedicated guide.

Tip: ask your HR department to show the employer contribution as a separate line on your payslip. This makes it easy to track what you actually pay net each month.

Premiums in private health insurance do not stay flat. Two forces push them upward over time: general medical inflation (treatments, medication and hospital costs all get more expensive) and your own increasing use of healthcare as you age. The system does, however, include built-in tools to soften the impact.

Age reserves are the main buffer. Part of every premium you pay is set aside in a savings pot. When you reach an age where your healthcare costs exceed your premium, the insurer draws on those reserves rather than raising your contribution sharply.

There is also a statutory surcharge of 10% that most policyholders pay between ages 21 and 60. This is set out in §149 of the German Insurance Supervision Act (VAG) and specifically funds premium relief for policyholders over 65.

One point worth planning around: returning to public insurance becomes very difficult once you are over 55. Under §6 (3a) SGB V, people aged 55 or over who were not publicly insured in the previous five years generally cannot re-enter the public system, even if their income drops below the threshold. The decision to go private should be treated as a long-term commitment.

Private insurance prices each person individually. Your non-working spouse and each child each need their own policy with their own premium. In public insurance, eligible family members without their own income are covered under your policy at no additional cost.

Children's premiums are generally lower than adult premiums, but the total for a family of four adds up quickly. The employer contribution cap applies per employee, so it does not scale up for family members. Your employer pays half of the combined premiums for you and for family members who would be co-insured for free in public insurance, but never more than €508.59 per month in total.

If you are weighing up the cost of covering your whole family, our dedicated page on private health insurance for families breaks down the options in detail.