Homeowners insurance cost per month, and the escrow effect
The median ZIP code paid $129 a month in 2022; carried with the price index, about $172 a month at September 2026 prices.
Independent site, not an insurer or a broker. ZIP code figures are the Treasury's for 2018 to 2022.
Example, not your result yet· change a figure to see yours
The same premium per month
$172
$2,066 a year is $5.66 a day.
| Per $1,000 of dwelling limit, per year | $6.89 |
| Escrow cushion a servicer may hold, at most | $344 |
| National median ZIP 2022 at September 2026 prices, per month | $172 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where the numbers come from · Treasury FIO data, BLS indexes and the texts cited below · not a quote
Divided by twelve, the median homeowners premium per policy in the Treasury file was $129 a month in 2022. The BLS price index for homeowner's insurance has risen since, so the same coverage would cost about $172 a month at September 2026 prices, an estimate for the median ZIP code, not a quote. By state, the monthly figure runs from $85 in Pennsylvania to $268 in Florida. Most owners with a mortgage do not pay the insurer monthly: the servicer collects one-twelfth of the yearly premium in the escrow payment and pays the bill once a year. When the premium jumps at renewal, the escrow payment moves twice: once for the new premium, and once to repay the shortage the old payment left, which federal rules let the servicer spread over 12 months. A $600 rise can add about $108 a month in the first year.
The monthly figure, state by state
Insurers price homeowners coverage by the year, and many offer monthly installments for a small fee. The table turns the Treasury figures into monthly amounts so they can sit next to a mortgage payment. The middle column carries the 2022 median to September 2026 with the national price index, which is the closest public estimate of today's level; local changes since 2022 can be larger or smaller.
| State | Median ZIP, per month in 2022 | At September 2026 prices | Dearest tenth of ZIP codes, over |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $268 | $356 | $835 |
| Colorado | $212 | $282 | $287 |
| Oklahoma | $210 | $280 | $267 |
| California | $135 | $179 | $237 |
| New York | $102 | $135 | $256 |
| Nevada | $90 | $120 | $129 |
| Utah | $87 | $116 | $115 |
| Pennsylvania | $85 | $113 | $123 |
The last column matters for buyers. In a state with a modest median, the dearest ZIP codes can cost three or four times as much, and those are often the places with water views or larger houses. The lookup on the home page gives the figure for one ZIP code.
How escrow collects the premium
Under Regulation X (12 CFR 1024.17), a servicer may collect each month one-twelfth of the yearly escrow disbursements, insurance and property tax together, plus a cushion of no more than one-sixth of those disbursements over the year. Once a year it runs an escrow analysis: it projects the next twelve months of bills and compares them with what the account will hold. A premium that rose at renewal shows up there.
What a renewal increase does to the escrow payment
Example, not your result yet· change a figure to see yours
Monthly escrow change in the first year, up to
+$108
| Shortage, cushion included, up to | $700 |
| Escrow deposit before | $500 |
| Escrow deposit after the first year | $550 |
Why one increase is felt twice
Take a premium going from $1,800 to $2,400. The new monthly deposit is $50 higher, because $600 divided by twelve is $50. But the insurer was already paid the new premium from an account that had been funded for the old one, so the account is short, and the cushion has to grow too. When the shortage equals one month's escrow payment or more, the servicer may ask for it in installments over at least 12 months. During that first year the payment can rise by up to $108; the year after, it settles back to the new deposit. Paying the shortage in one sum, when the servicer allows it, avoids the double step.
Lowering the monthly amount
The monthly cost follows the yearly premium, so the levers are the same: the deductible, the dwelling limit and the insurer. Raising the all-other-perils deductible from $1,000 to $2,500 lowers the premium on most policies, but the saving must be weighed against the extra you would carry on a claim. The dwelling limit should match the cost to rebuild, as explained on the dwelling coverage page. Bundling with a car policy and paying the year in full usually earn discounts; monthly installments outside escrow often carry a fee.
Per thousand dollars of coverage
A monthly figure is easier to budget, but a rate per $1,000 of dwelling limit is easier to compare between two quotes for houses of different sizes. The calculator above gives it: divide the yearly premium by the dwelling limit and multiply by 1,000. Two quotes for the same house should be compared on the same limit, the same deductibles and the same roof settlement, since a cheaper quote that pays the roof at actual cash value is not the same product, as the roof claim page shows.
Checking a quote against your ZIP code
Enter the quoted premium in the lookup next to your ZIP code. The comparison uses the 2022 figure carried to September 2026 prices. A quote within a few tens of percent of it is ordinary for the area. A quote at twice the ZIP figure is worth a question to the agent: a high dwelling limit, a low deductible, a past claim, a wood shake roof or an older electrical system can each explain part of it. The ZIP figure is an average of every house there, large and small, so it is a benchmark and not a target.
What a lender requires
A mortgage lender requires hazard coverage at least equal to the loan balance or the cost to rebuild, whichever its rules use, and names itself on the policy. If the policy lapses, the servicer can buy force-placed insurance and add it to the escrow payment; it protects the lender's interest and is usually much dearer. The nonrenewal page explains what to do if your insurer will not renew.