Written by · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

How much does $100,000 life insurance cost in NZ?

Nobody publishes a full NZ price list for $100,000 of life cover. QuoteHub's Premium Index starts at $250,000, where the Index's monthly cost table shows a healthy non-smoking man at 40 a range of $25 to $70 and a woman $20 to $60. A smaller amount would be expected to cost less, but the Index cannot say by how much.

In short

What the data can and cannot tell you

The Index records indicative monthly cost from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026: stepped premiums, occupation class 1, standard rates with no loadings or exclusions (methodology). Six insurers are in the panel. It priced life cover at three amounts, and $100,000 was not one of them. The Index does price a $100,000 trauma benefit, but trauma pays on listed serious illnesses and is a different product; do not read that figure as life cover.

What the data does show, between $250,000 and $1,000,000, is that every insurer priced the larger amount higher for the same person. In 173 matched comparisons of $250,000 against $500,000 across the underwritten insurers, the $500,000 price was between about 1.3 and 1.8 times the $250,000 price. It was never double. That is our analysis of the Index, not a published figure from any insurer, and it covers amounts at and above $250,000. It is a reason not to scale a quote by simple division, and a reason to ask for a real quote at $100,000.

Reference ranges at $250,000, by age

Compared: AIA, Asteron Life, Chubb Life, Fidelity Life, Partners Life and Momentum Life (Quick Life), on indicative monthly cost for $250,000 of stepped life cover for a non-smoker, as at 8 September 2026, from the insurers' published rate cards. Not every NZ insurer is included. This is one adviser's reading, not a score.

Age Man, $250,000 (monthly) Woman, $250,000 (monthly)
30 $20 to $60 $15 to $45
40 $25 to $70 $20 to $60
50 $50 to $110 $45 to $100
60 $170 to $325 $130 to $250

Each cell is one rounded range across the insurers that priced the row, rounded outward, so it is never narrower than the true spread (The QuoteHub Premium Index, September 2026). The ranges are wide for two reasons: insurers price age differently, and the panel includes Momentum's Quick Life, which is guaranteed acceptance rather than underwritten. A healthy person can usually get more cover for less with fully underwritten cover through an adviser. Treat these numbers as a reference point that a $100,000 quote would be expected to sit at or below, not as a price for it, and expect the cost to rise steeply after 50. See the cost of waiting and the $250,000 cost page.

One published figure at $100,000

Booster's Super Simple Life Insurance shows indicative monthly costs of about $5, $10 and $20 for $50,000, $100,000 and $200,000, for a 30-year-old non-smoker (Booster, read 20 October 2026). The product is open only to existing Booster members aged 18 to 50 (KiwiSaver members, per Booster), uses an online risk assessment, and fixes premiums until age 40. Booster calls the figures indicative, they apply to one profile, and they are not in the Index. They show that $100,000 at 30 can be far below the $250,000 reference range, which is consistent with what you would expect from a smaller amount.

Direct or underwritten at $100,000

The choice is between cover you can start without health questions and cover an insurer assesses. Compared: the products below, on whether they offer $100,000, who can apply and how the person is assessed, as at 20 October 2026, from each provider's own pages and documents. Not every NZ insurer is included.

Product Ages Amounts Assessment The catch
Momentum Life, Quick Life 18 to 65 $50,000 to $300,000 No health questions Pre-existing conditions and suicide excluded for 2 years; stepped premiums to 75
Greenwich Life, QuickCover Life 21 to 60 (cover may run to 65) $50,000 to $200,000 Acceptance guaranteed regardless of medical history Existing conditions not covered for two years; premiums rise with age
Booster, Super Simple Life 18 to 50 $20,000 to $200,000 Online risk assessment Existing Booster members only
NZ Seniors Life (Pinnacle Life) 45 to 79 $10,000 to $200,000 Eight health questions by phone Acceptance is the insurer's decision
Adviser-led underwritten cover (for example Fidelity Life, Chubb Life) Fidelity 16 to 75, Chubb 10 to 70 Wide range Application form or personal statement at this size, more if you disclose a condition Can be declined, loaded or postponed

Sources: Momentum, Greenwich Life, Booster, NZ Seniors, Fidelity and Chubb. Fidelity and Chubb both publish that at sums up to $500,000 an application form or personal statement is the minimum evidence at every age, and an underwriter can ask for more if you disclose something (Chubb guide). The guaranteed acceptance guide explains how the no-questions products work.

How Quick Life handles a $100,000 sum insured

Quick Life is Momentum Life's guaranteed-acceptance life cover, issued by Momentum Life Limited. A few points that matter at $100,000:

Momentum publishes no Quick Life price table, and we publish no Momentum premium. The Quick Life page has the full rules, and the buttons on this page open Momentum's online quote.

Stepped versus level on a $100,000 policy

Every Index figure is stepped. Stepped premiums rise each year with age, while level premiums start higher and stay the same for the term, as Fidelity describes (Fidelity). For a small sum the early gap may be a few dollars, so the question is how long you will keep the policy. Read stepped versus level premiums. The Financial Markets Authority says that cover that is cheaper at first can cost more long-term (FMA).

Who is $100,000 of cover for?

Ask these in order.

  1. Does anyone rely on your income? If a partner or children would struggle for a year or two, $100,000 may be a partial answer, not a full one.
  2. Are there debts? Debts in your name alone are paid from your estate (Administration Act 1969, s 26).
  3. Is the funeral covered? FDANZ's average full cremation funeral is $11,700 and a burial is $14,300 (FDANZ), so $100,000 leaves about $88,000 after a cremation, our arithmetic.
  4. Could you get more cover for the money? If you are healthy, ask an adviser what underwritten cover costs for a higher amount.

See how much life insurance you need, and compare the next amounts up in the $150,000 cost page.

How to compare $100,000 quotes

Our guide to comparing quotes has more.

Who is behind this page

Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This is general information, not advice. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a Momentum policy through our link; see how we are paid. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best financial strength rating is B (Fair), affirmed on 11 February 2026; Momentum's own table groups B in a "Vulnerable" range, and the rating is not a recommendation. See its financial strength page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get $100,000 of life insurance without a medical?

Yes, through guaranteed-acceptance products such as Momentum's Quick Life, which has no health questions, and Fidelity and Chubb publish that an application form or personal statement is the minimum at this size. Quick Life excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide for 2 years.

Why is there no single $100,000 price?

Price depends on age, sex, smoking, health and structure. The Index also does not price below $250,000.

Is $100,000 enough?

It depends on your debts, income and dependants. The checklist above and our cover calculator guide help.

What happens to Quick Life cover at 75?

Premiums are fixed from 75, indexation stops, and $20,000 of the benefit becomes free.

References

Read the full insurance guides

Compare your cover with a licensed NZ adviser · free, no obligation.

Start your free comparison

Compare panel options first. A licensed NZ adviser can then review existing cover or help with an application.

Free, no obligation. Licensed NZ advisers · Craig Smith Business Services Ltd, FAP FSP712931.

Explore related pages: Life Insurance, Income Protection, Health Insurance, Trauma Insurance, Claims Support.