Simulate the estimated monthly cost of term life insurance across ages, term lengths, coverage amounts, and health classes.
Written & fact-checked by the CoverFormula editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-08-27
Looking for how much coverage to buy, not what it costs? Use the Life Insurance Calculator (DIME method) to size your death benefit first, then come back here to simulate the premium.
This tool estimates what a level term life insurance policy would cost per month for a coverage amount and term you choose. It is a pricing simulation, not a quote and not a needs analysis. Term life is the cheapest way to buy a large death benefit because the policy has no cash value and ends when the level term does — this simulator models term life only, not whole life or universal life.
The simulator starts from a base annual rate per $1,000 of coverage that increases with age, using anchor points at ages 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65 and interpolating in between. It then applies multipliers: a term-length factor (a 10-year term is cheaper than a 30-year term because the insurer is on risk for less time), a health-class factor, a tobacco factor, and a sex factor. The result is divided by 12 for the monthly figure. Real underwriting also weighs family medical history, build (height and weight), blood and urine labs, prescription history, driving record, and risky hobbies — none of which a simulator can see.
Monthly premium ≈ (Coverage ÷ 1,000) × baseRate(age) × termFactor × healthFactor × tobaccoFactor × sexFactor ÷ 12
baseRate(age) = annual $ per $1,000 of coverage, interpolated between age anchors
termFactor = 0.72 (10y) · 0.85 (15y) · 1.00 (20y) · 1.45 (30y)
tobaccoFactor = 1.0 non-tobacco · 2.6 tobacco
sexFactor = 1.0 male · 0.85 femaleIt applies a base annual rate per $1,000 of coverage that rises with your age, then multiplies it by factors for the term length, health class, tobacco use, and sex. These factors approximate how life insurers price level term policies, but they are rules of thumb — a real quote depends on your medical exam, family history, driving record, hobbies, and the specific insurer.
Term life pricing tracks mortality risk, which climbs steeply after about age 45 and roughly doubles every seven to eight years thereafter. Buying a longer level term while you are younger locks in a lower rate for the whole term, which is why a 30-year term bought at 35 can cost less per year than a 20-year term bought at 50.
No. This tool simulates cost for a coverage amount you choose. To size the coverage amount itself, use the CoverFormula Life Insurance Calculator, which applies the DIME method (Debt, Income, Mortgage, Education).
Term life is far cheaper for the same death benefit because it has no cash value and covers only a fixed period. Whole life can cost five to fifteen times more per $1,000 of coverage. This simulator models term life only.