This is the hub page for treatment cost questions — the honest short answer is “it depends enormously,” and this page explains what it depends on, with our interactive tool giving you a personalized estimate.
Use the tool for actual numbers
interactive treatment cost estimator — select your treatment type and insurance status for a realistic range. This page explains the bigger picture around those numbers.
The biggest factors driving cost
- Type of treatment — medication alone (buprenorphine, methadone, naltrexone) costs far less than residential treatment
- Insurance status — private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, and no insurance all lead to very different real costs [links to dedicated articles on each]
- Where you live — costs vary regionally, though reliable state-by-state figures are hard to source consistently
- Whether you use free/sliding-scale options — Federally Qualified Health Centers and state-funded programs can bring costs close to $0 regardless of the “sticker price” for private treatment [link to free and sliding-scale options article]
The most important message on this page
Cost should never be the reason you don’t start looking into treatment — free and low-cost options exist at every level of care, and the first call that matters is often to SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357, which can point you to state-funded and sliding-scale options directly, regardless of your ability to pay.
Related pages
[no-insurance article] · Medicaid coverage article · Medicare coverage article · mental health parity article · free and sliding-scale options article
Medically reviewed by [pending]. Sources: NIDA, SingleCare and Eleanor Health cost survey data (2026), SAMHSA.