International Health Insurance Cost: 2026 Prices by Age, Level and Deductible

Written by Steffan Grund · Insurance specialist (Versicherungsfachmann BWV) · Updated October 27, 2026Facts checked: October 27, 2026

From €40/month

How much does international health insurance cost by age?

In Zone 1, Care Expat World costs from €40 a month in the youngest band up to €1,650 at 70+, and between €140 and €800 a month for ages 50–64.

Cheapest and most expensive combination per age band, Zone 1 (worldwide except the USA, China and Singapore), prices as of 2026-10-27.

65–69 and 70+ apply to customers who joined earlier; new applicants must start before the year they turn 65.

What does every level and deductible cost?

Each level has its own price for each deductible and each age band; the three tables below show all 99 Zone 1 prices from the insurer’s premium table.

Basic

Comfort

Premium

How much does the price jump at each age band?

From age 40 onwards, every new age band costs more than the one before, and the table shows each step in euros and per cent. Comfort with a €1,200 deductible. The new band applies from 1 January of the year you reach the age.

After 50, the steepest steps come at 55, 60, 65 and 70. That is one reason to start cover in your early 50s rather than at 64: acceptance is easier, and you are covered for any illness that appears in between. Our guide to international health insurance age limits explains the entry-age rule.

What do 10 years of cover cost at today’s prices?

At today’s prices, ten years of cover cost between €20,400 (Basic, €3,600 deductible, joining at 50) and €123,000 (Premium, no deductible, joining at 60) for the options below. Five years in each of two age bands, at 2026 prices (future yearly reviews not included).

How much does a €3,600 deductible save per year?

Compared with no deductible, the €3,600 option saves between €1,200 and €3,180 in premiums a year for the ages shown, depending on age and level. Yearly premium saving compared with no deductible. In a year with large bills you pay up to €3,600 yourself, so the high deductible wins whenever the saving is larger than what you would actually spend.

How much does cover cost for a couple?

A couple pays two individual premiums, each based on that partner’s own age band, with no separate couple price (more in our international family health insurance guide). Each partner pays for their own age band. Comfort with a €1,200 deductible, both partners in the same band:

What drives the price?

Age drives the price most, followed by level, deductible, zone and your health assessment.

How can you pay less? 7 ways

You pay less by joining earlier, choosing Zone 1, taking a higher deductible and paying only for the level you will actually use.

1. Apply in your early 50s, before the steep bands.
2. Choose Zone 1 if you do not live in the USA, China or Singapore.
3. Take the highest deductible you could afford in a bad year.
4. Skip Premium unless you need more than 15 therapy sessions a year, inpatient psychotherapy or 80% dentures.
5. Avoid a gap in cover; a gap triggers a 31-day waiting period.
6. Pay by SEPA direct debit or bank transfer to avoid the 4% online-payment fee.
7. Review your level each year; changes take effect on 1 January.

New to the topic? Start with our guide to expat health insurance, or check the visa insurance rules for Thailand.

What does a worst-case year cost?

In a worst-case year you pay twelve premiums plus your full deductible; the table shows that total for Comfort at ages 50–64, before co-payments, benefit caps and uncovered treatment.

Read the table from right to left: the €3,600 deductible has the lowest premiums but the highest possible own share. If the worst-case figures are close, the higher deductible is usually the better deal, because you only pay the full amount in a year with large bills. If you have regular medicines or treatment, the lower deductible gives you a more predictable budget. Try your own combination in the calculator.

Is the cheapest level the best value?

Not always: Basic is the cheapest, but Comfort adds dental, check-ups, vaccinations, physiotherapy, glasses and maternity, which can be worth more than the extra premium if you use them.

What the extra buys in Comfort, per the insurer’s benefit table: dental treatment and preventive care, professional cleaning up to €150 a year, dentures and crowns at 60% up to €8,000 a year (after 10 months), check-ups up to €600 every two calendar years, vaccinations up to €250 a year, glasses up to €300 every two calendar years, physiotherapy and osteopathy, up to 15 outpatient psychotherapy sessions a year, and cancer treatment up to €100,000 instead of €50,000. If you expect dental work or want regular check-ups in your 50s and 60s, compare those amounts with the yearly extra before you choose Basic. The full list is on the benefits page.

What else should you budget for besides the premium?

Besides the premium, budget for your deductible, co-payments and amounts above benefit caps, treatment the plan does not cover, and small payment fees.

How much should you set aside each year?

Set aside your twelve monthly premiums plus the full deductible as a fixed yearly health budget, and add a margin for co-payments, trips home, exchange rates and yearly price reviews.

1. Premiums: take your monthly price from the tables above and multiply by twelve.
2. Deductible: add the full amount you chose (none, €1,200 or €3,600). In a good year you keep it; in a bad year it is already there.
3. Co-payments: if you expect dental work, add your share: 40% of denture costs on Comfort, 20% on Premium.
4. Trips home: Americans and Britons add a travel policy for visits to the USA or the UK, because those visits are not covered.
5. Currency: premiums are charged in euros. If your pension is paid in dollars or pounds, keep a buffer for exchange-rate moves.
6. Next January: check whether you move into a new age band next year, and expect that the yearly review can change prices too.

Writing this down once, before you move, turns health care from an open risk into a known line in your retirement budget. It also shows quickly whether a higher deductible or a lower level would make the plan easier to carry for the next twenty or thirty years.

What does cover cost after 65 if you joined earlier?

If you joined before the year you turn 65, you keep your cover and move into the 65–69 band and later the 70+ band, at the prices below (Zone 1, 2026 table).

These bands matter for your long-term budget: the plan has no end date, so the 70+ price is the one you may pay for the longest. Yearly reviews can change all of these prices. You can lower your cost later by moving to a lower level or a higher deductible on 1 January, without a new health check.

How do premium increases work?

Your premium can rise in two ways, both from 1 January: when you move into a new age band, and when the insurer’s yearly review changes the price table.

• Age band: age counts as calendar year minus year of birth. Someone born in 1967 is in the 55–59 band in 2026 and moves into 60–64 on 1 January 2027, the year they turn 60, whatever their birthday. On Comfort with a €1,200 deductible that means €505 becomes €655 a month at today’s prices.
• Yearly review: the insurer compares its costs once a year and can adjust premiums from the start of the next calendar year.
• Your right to leave: after an increase you may end your membership within one month of receiving the notice.
• Your lever: changing level or deductible takes effect on 1 January; a lower level or a higher deductible needs no health check; a higher level or a lower deductible needs a new video interview.

How do Zone 2 and Zone 3 change the price?

Zone 2 (adding China and Singapore) and Zone 3 (adding the USA) cost more than Zone 1: on Comfort with a €1,200 deductible, Zone 3 costs €1,005 a month more than Zone 1 at 60–64.

Comfort with a €1,200 deductible, per month in euros, premium table read 2026-10-27; the last column is our arithmetic. All 297 prices (every zone, level, deductible and age band) are in our price index.

Choose the zone by where you live and where you want regular cover, not by where you might travel: trips into a higher zone are already covered for medical emergencies for up to 42 days per trip (never in your declared home country, so a US citizen has no cover in the USA). You can change zone on the 1st of any month, so a later move to Singapore or the USA does not lock you out; treatment already planned before the switch is not covered in the new zone.

Does nationality or country of residence change the price?

No: inside a zone, the price depends only on age band, level and deductible, plus any personal surcharge from the health interview.

That makes the Zone 1 tables on this page valid for an American in Portugal, a Briton in Thailand or a Canadian in Mexico alike. What nationality does change is cover, not price: the declared home country is not part of the zone, and it is covered for visits only if it is an EU or Schengen state. Americans and Britons should add travel cover for long trips home (see international health insurance with home-country cover). See how this fits your destination in our guides to Portugal, Panama, the Philippines, Greece and France, or compare the plan in our Care Expat World guide.

Already 65 or older in the year cover would start? This plan is closed to you; we are preparing a comparison of plans without an entry-age limit.

Where do these prices come from?

Every premium on this page comes from the insurer’s official Care Expat World premium table for Zone 1, read on 2026-10-27; sums and percentages are our own arithmetic. Read how we check our facts.

• Care Concept / Barmenia: Care Expat World premium table (English PDF), read 2026-10-27
• Care Concept / Barmenia: Care Expat World policy terms (VB-KV 2026_05, German, binding) and consumer information (fees, payment, premium reviews)
• Care Concept: English product page and benefit table

Prices are monthly, in euros, for Zone 1 and before any personal surcharge. Future yearly reviews are not included in any multi-year figure.