How much joint life insurance costs for a couple depends on both your ages, your health, whether either of you smokes, how much cover you want and for how long, so there is no single monthly price that fits every couple. One policy for two people means one premium, and it can work out cheaper than two separate policies, though not for every pair.

For a price built on your own details rather than on averages, the short form here is a way to request a free call-back for the pair of you; the FCA-authorised broker who rings can talk through joint and single prices for your ages and health.

How much is joint life insurance per month for a couple?

Two kinds of published figure come close to an answer: an advertised starting price and an insurer's average. Vitality's joint life insurance page (archived 23 August 2026) describes its product as "Life insurance cover for you and another person under a single plan - from just £5 a month." That is Vitality's advertised starting price. The page gives no ages, amount of cover or term alongside it, so read it as where Vitality's joint prices begin, not as what a particular couple would be offered.

Legal & General publishes an average instead. Its page on the average cost of life insurance (29 July 2026) says: "The average cost of Life Insurance per month is £26.33, according to L&G figures from 2025." That is the 2025 average monthly premium for L&G's own Life Insurance policies. It is not broken down into joint and single cover, so it is background, not a joint price and not what you would pay. The same page points out that paying the average does not mean having the right protection, since two people paying the same could have different levels of cover.

A monthly price for a couple only means something once it is tied to who is covered and what for: two dates of birth, smoker status for each, health answers, the sum assured, the length of the term and the type of cover. When you compare figures, compare like with like: the same amount, the same term and the same type of cover.

Is a joint policy cheaper for a married couple?

It can be, though not for every couple. Legal & General's single-versus-joint guide (11 March 2026) says a joint policy can be cheaper than two single policies set up for the same cover over the same period, and LV= puts the saving down to paying one set of premiums, normally split between you, instead of two.

What can undo it is the gap between the two of you. Lloyds Bank, whose protection advisers advise on Scottish Widows policies, says that if one of you is in poor health, or much older than the other, it may increase the overall price of a joint policy; where there is little difference in your age and health, joint may be the cheaper route. In other words, one person's age or health can lift the cost for both.

A lower monthly premium is also only part of the trade-off, since a joint first-death policy pays once and then ends. Joint vs individual life insurance weighs the two set-ups, including where the survivor is left, and what a joint life insurance policy is explains how one works. If you would like joint and single prices for the two of you side by side, the broker can quote both when they ring you back.

What factors affect life insurance costs for couples?

Every factor that affects a single premium applies to each of you, and the policy has one price for both. Legal & General's guide to how premiums are calculated (15 May 2026) starts from the idea that the price reflects how likely a valid claim is, and the points below come from it unless another firm is named:

  • Age. Provided you are in good health, premiums will normally be cheaper when you are younger. If your ages differ, how a joint price reflects that is something to ask each insurer.
  • Health. Any condition that makes a payout more likely during the policy will ultimately increase premiums. For a couple, one person's answers can change the price for both. Other pages cover life insurance with medical conditions and family medical history.
  • Smoking. Smokers may pay higher premiums, and vaping is treated the same as other smoking. If one of you smokes and the other does not, ask how that is handled in a joint quote. See how much more life insurance costs for smokers and whether vaping counts as smoking.
  • Amount of cover. As a general rule, the higher the amount of cover, the higher the premium.
  • Length of term. The longer you are covered, the more likely a claim is at some stage, so premiums are likely to be higher.
  • Lifestyle, occupation and where you live. LV= lists lifestyle habits and where you live among its factors, and an occupation an insurer sees as high risk may mean higher premiums.
  • The insurer. Each provider may calculate costs differently, so the same couple can get different prices from different insurers.

None of that changes because the policy is joint: lifestyle choices, pre-existing health conditions and age still affect the premium, as Lloyds Bank's joint life guide puts it.

Does the type of cover change the price?

Yes. Level cover keeps the same sum for the whole term, while decreasing cover, often taken alongside a repayment mortgage, falls as the loan is paid off. Legal & General's average-cost page says its Decreasing Life Insurance usually costs less than its Life Insurance, and Lloyds Bank describes decreasing cover as potentially cheaper than level cover overall. A couple covering a repayment mortgage can look at joint decreasing term life insurance, and the pricing pattern is in how much decreasing term cover costs.

Adding critical illness cover costs extra: L&G says it can be added "for an extra cost", and LV= describes critical illness cover that can be added for both of you. What joint critical illness cover pays and how it is priced for a pair are in joint life insurance with critical illness cover, and individual pricing in critical illness insurance cost.

Whether the price can change later also matters. Some providers, L&G among them, offer fixed premiums that stay the same for the life of the policy unless you change it, while other insurers may offer reviewable premiums, where the cost can increase later. L&G takes premiums monthly or annually. Check which kind of premium any quote is for before comparing two of them.

Joint life insurance calculators and quotes

An online calculator can help with part of the question. Legal & General's own calculator is described as a way to work out how much cover you need, with a quote then giving an estimate of the price. A calculator that gives a figure without taking both of your health answers is only a rough guide, and the price you are offered is the one that counts. How much cover to choose is explained in how much life cover do I need.

For how single premiums move with age, see how much life insurance costs; other set-ups are compared in types of life insurance policy. When you want an actual figure, put both your details into the enquiry: the FCA-authorised broker who rings back charges you nothing and can explain how the insurers they work with would treat your ages and health.

Frequently asked questions

How much does life insurance cost for a married couple?

There is no standard price, because it is set by both your ages, your health, smoking, the amount of cover and the length of the term. Whether you choose one joint policy or two single ones also changes the total.

What is the average cost of life insurance for a couple?

L&G's £26.33 a month is the 2025 average for its own Life Insurance policies, not a figure for couples. A number for your own circumstances needs a quote for the two of you.

Does it cost more if one of us smokes?

Smoking may increase premiums, according to L&G. How a joint policy treats one smoker and one non-smoker is something the broker can explain for free on a call-back.

Will the price of a joint policy go up?

It depends on the insurer. L&G offers fixed premiums, while other insurers may offer reviewable premiums that can rise later, so ask which a quote is.

Is there a joint life insurance calculator?

Calculators help you estimate the amount of cover; the monthly price comes from a quote that uses both your details. A broker, reached through the form, can run the numbers for the pair and explain them for free.

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