If you have ever wondered whether you could afford to be cryopreserved after you die, you are not alone. Cost is usually the first practical question people ask once the idea moves from science fiction to "could I actually do this?" The short answer is that cryonics in the United States ranges from roughly $28,000 to $220,000 or more, depending on the provider, what is preserved, and how much help is needed at the time of death. Most people who sign up pay for it with life insurance rather than cash.
Below is a plain breakdown using the providers' own published numbers, checked in October 2026. Prices change, so always confirm directly with the organization before making plans.
The two best-known US providers
Alcor Life Extension Foundation (Arizona)
Alcor is the larger and more expensive of the two main US organizations. Its pricing page lists:
- Whole-body preservation: $220,000 out of pocket.
- Neuropreservation (head/brain only): $80,000 out of pocket.
- Annual membership dues based on your age when you join. Alcor's 2025 schedule sets dues at your age multiplied by $15 per year, so someone joining at 40 would pay about $600 a year.
- Surcharges in certain cases, such as $10,000 for cases outside the US and Canada and $20,000 if services are needed within the first 180 days of membership.
Alcor's quoted price includes what it calls Comprehensive Member Standby (a team that attends a dying member and starts cooling and transport), the preservation procedure itself, and a portion set aside in a long-term patient care fund. Alcor's pricing and dues page lists the current minimums; ask Alcor directly for how the money is split between those uses.
Cryonics Institute (Michigan)
The Cryonics Institute (CI) is a member-owned nonprofit known for lower prices. Its membership page lists:
- Lifetime member: $1,250 one-time membership, then $28,000 for whole-body cryopreservation.
- Annual member: $200 initiation plus $120 a year, then $35,000 for cryopreservation.
- Non-member (arranged after death): $45,000, pending acceptance.
The big difference is what is included. CI's price covers the cryoprotectant perfusion and long-term storage in liquid nitrogen. It does not include local funeral director help or shipping (CI says this can range from nothing in Michigan to about $3,000 on the US west coast, and more overseas), and it does not include standby. CI members who want a standby team can contract separately with Suspended Animation, whose published plans include insured standby at $30,000, a field cryoprotectant service at $18,000, and stabilization and transport at $30,000. Add those together and a "fully equipped" CI arrangement can approach the cost of a basic Alcor neuro plan.
Why the gap between $28,000 and $220,000?
Three things drive most of the difference:
- Whole body versus brain only. Storing a whole body takes more liquid nitrogen, more space and more cryoprotectant. Neuropreservation exists largely because it is cheaper.
- Standby and transport. The time between death and cooling matters a great deal, because tissue begins to break down within minutes once blood stops flowing. A team waiting at the bedside, with medications and cooling equipment, is expensive. Without one, the person may wait hours or days before preservation begins.
- Long-term care funds. Providers set aside money to pay for decades, possibly centuries, of storage. How much they reserve is a judgment call about the future, and more conservative reserves mean higher prices.
How most people actually pay: life insurance
Very few people write a six-figure check. The common approach is a life insurance policy that names the cryonics organization as the beneficiary (Alcor asks that ownership also be transferred to it, with a buy-back agreement). When the member dies, the insurer pays the organization directly.
Alcor says on its pricing page that premiums can be "as low as" $25 to $45 a month for neuro and $50 to $75 a month for whole body. Those are marketing figures, and real premiums depend on your age, health, and the type of policy. Someone in their twenties in good health will pay far less than someone in their sixties. People with serious health conditions may struggle to get coverage at all, which is one reason providers also accept prepayment or trusts.
A few practical points about insurance funding:
- Lock it in early if you are serious. Premiums rise with age and health problems.
- Term life can lapse. Many cryonicists prefer whole life or universal life so the policy does not expire before they do.
- Watch for price increases. Providers can raise their minimums. Alcor's documents say it can change minimum funding with 90 days' notice, so a policy that was enough when you joined might fall short later.
Costs people forget
- Membership dues for life. These add up over decades.
- Last-minute sign-up fees. Both providers charge more if arrangements are made when death is already near.
- Legal and paperwork costs. Some people pay an attorney to make sure their will, insurance and family instructions all agree.
- Family conflict. Not a dollar figure, but real. If relatives object, disputes can delay or prevent preservation. Clear written wishes help.
What the money does, and does not, buy
This part matters more than the price tag. Paying for cryonics buys a procedure and storage, not a result. No human, and no whole mammal, has ever been revived after being cryopreserved. Nobody knows whether the damage caused by the dying process, by cryoprotectants and by cooling can ever be repaired. Many scientists are deeply skeptical; others think the chance is small but not zero. We cover the evidence in Will science ever bring people back after death?
There is also organizational risk. Storage has to continue, and be paid for, for a very long time. In the early history of cryonics, some patients were lost when a small operation in California ran out of money in the 1970s. Today's providers use trusts and reserves to reduce that risk, but no organization can promise to last forever.
Questions to ask any provider
- What exactly is included in the quoted price, and what costs extra?
- Is standby included? How far away is the nearest team?
- How is long-term care funded, and can I see financial reports?
- What happens to patients if the organization closes?
- How much notice will I get if minimums go up?
If you are not ready to sign up
Many people are curious about cryonics but are not ready, or able, to spend tens of thousands of dollars. Some are not sure they would even want to be revived. Writing down your answer is a free first step either way, and it helps your family whatever you decide. Our guide on how to leave instructions for future revival walks through how to do that, and cryonics vs. recording your wishes explains how the two fit together.