How Much Do Hearing Aids Cost? Reported Range, List Prices and Paid Amounts

What sellers listed: eight dated examples

These come from brand pages. They show what a seller asked on the day we read the page, for a short list of brands, so treat them as examples and check the page before you buy.

At the low end, in October 2026, Audien listed the Atom ONE at $98 for a pair with a charging case. In October 2026, Oricle listed the Oricle 2.0 at $149.99 for two aids and a charging case. In November 2026, ELEHEAR showed the Delight at $299 a pair.

One step up, in October 2026, Audien's Ion page read "Ion Series" starting at $489 a pair, for the ION 2. In October 2026, Audien listed the ION Pro 2 at $689 a pair on that page, and it names streaming and app control among the additions.

At the top of this set, in October 2026, Jabra Enhance listed the Select M1 at $1,195 a pair. In October 2026, Jabra Enhance listed the Select M2 at $1,695 a pair. In October 2026, Jabra Enhance listed the Select M3 at $1,995 a pair.

Two prices can also hide different contents: one page counts a charging case in the box, while another card leaves the charger and service unstated. Costco and clinic prices sit outside this set: ask for a written quote. More by brand: Audien, Oricle and Jabra.

One Costco figure sits outside that set: in October 2026, Costco's hearing aid center listed the Sennheiser Sonite Rise AI, two aids and a charger, starting at $1,599.99, and said prices vary by state. The "AI" in that name is the manufacturer's own product wording, as in other model names; the listing does not show what it changes, and this page makes no claim about its effect on hearing. For one maker's models traced through public records instead of a store listing, see Phonak hearing aids.

Hearing aid types and costs: what Medicaid paid by code

A Medicaid claim never names a pair of a given model. It names a billing code, and the code describes a category: digital or not, one ear or both, behind the ear or in the ear. That makes the table above the closest public record we can read of how payment splits by type.

For V5261, digital aids for both ears worn behind the ear, Medicaid paid $1,405.85 per line across 20,790 lines. For V5260, the in-the-ear version, it paid $756.39 across only 522 lines and 14 billers. A code that thin doesn't prove one style is cheaper.

The one-ear code V5257 shows a second trap. It paid $336.62 per line, and a single biller accounts for 73% of those dollars. Treat that figure as one biller's mix more than as a national rate.

Bilateral hearing aids, one for each ear, have codes of their own. The both-ears code V5261 paid $1,405.85 per line, and the one-ear code V5257 paid $336.62 per line across 13,548 lines. The gap between them is not the price of a second aid: 73% of V5257 dollars come from one biller against 37.6% for V5261, and the file does not state how many items a line covers. Dispensing fees split the same way, $284.97 for both ears and $159.39 for one, though the one-ear fee code has only 21 billers and 58.4% of its dollars come from one of them. Compare quotes only for the same number of aids. How many aids suit your hearing is a question for a hearing care professional, and this page takes no position on it.

Two more device codes, V5140 at $1,085.34 and V5130 at $1,349.56, carry labels with no mention of digital. V5298, hearing aid not otherwise classified, paid $1,225.89 across 37,708 lines. It tells you nothing about style, yet it drew more lines than V5261.

The spread inside a single code is wide too. On V5261, billers' own averages ran from $480.65 at the 10th percentile to $2,589.86 at the 90th.

Read every amount as the payer's side of the claim. The source file's own note says it: paid per claim line, not a retail price. Our Medicaid coverage page covers who gets this benefit.

Fitting, batteries and repairs get their own lines

The device is one line among several. On Medicaid claims, a dispensing fee for both ears drew $284.97 per line and one for a single ear drew $159.39. Fitting, orientation and checking drew $37.42, an assessment $48.89 and a conformity evaluation $46.65. After the sale come ear molds at $51.87, batteries at $21.78, repairs at $73.49 and supplies at $73.66.

These rows do not add up to the cost of a set of aids. The file leaves out how many items sit on a line, and it counts lines by provider and month, not by person.

The structure is what helps you. When a seller quotes one number, each row above is a question for the seller:

• Is the fitting included, and how many follow-up visits?
• Does the price cover ear molds or domes, and their replacements?
• Who pays for batteries or a charger?
• What does a repair cost once any warranty ends?
• Is the quote for one aid or for a pair?

A quote that answers all five can be compared with another. For the exam itself, see hearing test cost.

Average cost of hearing aids: the reported range, and why we give no average

The closest thing to a national figure we can trace comes from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Its May 2024 report on over-the-counter hearing aids, relaying a 2023 Hearing Journal article, says prescription hearing aids can range from $1,000 to $6,000 per pair, and over-the-counter aids from around $200 to over $1,000, depending on the device's technology. That is a reported range, not an average, and it dates from 2023-2024.

Our other sources each measure something else. Brand pages show asking prices for named models. Medicaid claims show what one payer paid per line. Hospital files show what a hospital bills. Medicare Advantage filings show plan limits. Blending them into one average would produce a number nobody paid.

The practical route is an itemized written quote from two sellers, using the questions above. If the total is out of reach, look at affordable hearing aids by buying channel, free hearing aids and payment plans. VA care provides recommended aids, repairs and future batteries at no charge while you keep VA eligibility for care. See also FSA and hearing aids.

What hospitals bill under two hearing aid codes

Federal rules (45 CFR 180) make hospitals post their charges. We read the files of 64 large hospitals in large metro areas. Few post a cash amount for these codes, so these are small counts and no national picture.

Billed by the hospital under HCPCS V5261 (9 hospitals): lowest $618.75, median $1,847.50, highest $3,378.56. Billed by the hospital under HCPCS V5257 (8 hospitals): lowest $572.43, median $1,010.38, highest $2,222.45.

One code spans many devices and service bundles, and files can list several tiers under it. So these amounts describe hospital billing, not any particular product, and they can't be set against a brand's list price.

Discounted cash price posted by the hospital under 45 CFR 180 (the charge that applies to an individual who pays cash), hospital charge only, as of the date in the hospital's file. Not a quote and not what you will pay with insurance.

Hearing aid prices and Medicare

Original Medicare leaves the whole bill with you: Medicare.gov lists hearing aids and fitting exams as not covered. See does Medicare cover hearing aids.

Medicare Advantage plans file their own benefits with CMS. For 2026, across 5,599 plan segments, 94.6% list prescription hearing aids as a supplemental benefit and 37.6% list over-the-counter aids. These counts treat each segment alike, whatever its enrollment.

Among the 4,715 segments that file a copay per aid, the median low copay is $199 and the median high copay is $850. Some plans also file a dollar cap: 1,056 segments cap each ear every year, with a median of $750, and 493 cap both ears together every year, with a median of $2,000.

A cap is the plan's limit, and it says nothing about what a device sells for. This is information only: check your own plan's documents, or read more on Medicare Advantage hearing aid coverage.

For older buyers, hearing aids for seniors adds the Medicaid, VA, OTC and tax routes to this Medicare picture.