How much is a flu shot?
With insurance or Medicare, a flu shot usually costs you nothing: the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services states that Medicare Part B covers it with nothing to pay when the provider accepts assignment, and HealthCare.gov lists flu among the immunizations generally covered at no cost in network. Without insurance, you pay for the vaccine and for giving it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists a private sector price of $20.878 to $21.08 a dose for the standard brands for 2026 to 2027, and $86.23 to $107.60 for the high-dose and adjuvanted brands for people 65 and older. Boston Medical Center publishes a cash price of $16.20 for the standard vaccine and $35.55 for giving it, on two separate lines.
This is one of the tests, shots and procedures priced on this site from published federal and hospital figures; the rest are in the medical costs guides.
$20.878 – $21.08
private sector price per dose, standard flu vaccine brands, 2026 to 2027 season
$86.23 – $107.60
private sector price per dose, high-dose and adjuvanted brands for age 65 and older
$16.20 cash, plus $35.55 cash to give it
standard flu vaccine (CPT 90656) and its administration line, at one hospital, file dated 13 March 2026
Cost breakdown
Each table below comes from one source, named underneath it, with the date that source last revised the figures. Everything is a United States figure in USD.
Flu vaccine prices per dose by brand, 2026 to 2027 season, from the CDC price list dated 1 October 2026
| Brand, as the list prints it | Ages | CDC price per dose | Private sector price per dose | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fluzone TIV | 6 months and older | $14.707 | $20.878 | Sanofi |
| Fluarix TIV | 6 months and older | $13.916 | $21.08 | GlaxoSmithKline |
| FluLaval TIV | 6 months and older | $13.916 | $21.08 | GlaxoSmithKline |
| FluMist TIV, nasal spray | 2 to 49 years | $18.60 | $26.20 | AstraZeneca |
| Flucelvax TIV | 6 months and older | $24.806 | $58.519 | Seqirus USA |
| Flublok TIV | 9 years and older | $54.85 | $86.23 | Sanofi |
| Fluzone High-Dose TIV | 65 years and older | $54.85 | $86.23 | Sanofi |
| Fluad TIV | 65 years and older | $51.63 | $107.60 | Seqirus USA |
Flu vaccine and administration lines at Boston Medical Center, from its file last updated 13 March 2026
| CPT | Description, as the file prints it | Gross charge | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90656 | HC Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 0.5 Ml Dosage Im Usage | $36.00 | $16.20 |
| 90656 | FLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE | $49.56, $50.06 or $70.13 | $22.302, $22.527 or $31.559 |
| 90656 | FLU VACC TS2025-26 (36 MOS UP)(PF)45 MCG (15 MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE | $74.71 | $33.62 |
| 90660 | HC Influenza Virus Vaccine Line Intranasal | $65.00 | $29.25 |
| 90661 | FLU VACCINE 2025-26(6 MOS UP)C.DER.(PF) 45 MCG(15 MCGX3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE | $117.98 | $53.091 |
| 90673 | HC Influenza Virus Vaccine Trivalen Riv3 Prsr Fr Im | $127.00 | $57.15 |
| 90662 | HC Flu Vaccine, Increase Antigen Presv Free | $129.00 | $58.05 |
| 90653 | HC Iiv Adjuvanted Vaccine for Intramuscular Use | $140.00 | $63.00 |
| 90653 | FLU VACC 2025-26(65YR UP)-MF59C(PF) 45 MCG(15 MCGX3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE | $270.24 | $121.608 |
| 90471 | HC Admin Influenza Virus Vac | $79.00 | $35.55 |
| 90471 | Admin Influenza Virus Vac (internal code PX-G0008) | $66.00 | $29.70 |
A bar for each row of the table above, 8 of them, drawn to the same scale so the spread is visible at a glance. The figure beside each bar is the one the table prints.
What changes the price
- Whether you have insurance
- This decides almost everything. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services states that you pay nothing under Medicare Part B when the provider accepts assignment, and HealthCare.gov says adult immunizations are generally covered at no cost in network, even before the deductible, while noting that no cost is not guaranteed in all cases.
- Which vaccine
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists $20.878 a dose for Fluzone and $107.60 for Fluad, the adjuvanted vaccine for people 65 and older. Boston Medical Center publishes $36.00 for its standard vaccine line and $140.00 for its adjuvanted one.
- The fee for giving it
- Boston Medical Center bills the injection on its own line, at $79.00 gross and $35.55 cash, separately from the vaccine. A quote that names only the vaccine is half a quote.
- Where you get it
- Hospitals publish their prices in a federal file. Pharmacies and walk-in clinics set their own and are not required to publish them in the same way, so ask for the total before the shot.
How to pay less
- Use your plan's network
- The no-cost rule HealthCare.gov describes applies to in-network providers. Check that the pharmacy or clinic is in your plan's network before you go.
- On Medicare, check assignment
- Medicare.gov says you pay nothing when the provider accepts assignment. Ask the pharmacy or office whether it does before the shot.
- Without insurance, ask for the cash total
- Ask for one figure that covers the vaccine and giving it. Boston Medical Center publishes cash prices well under its gross charges, so the cash price is worth asking for by name.
- Ask the local health department
- Public health programs buy vaccine at the CDC contract price, which is the lower column in the first table. Your county health department can tell you whether it runs low-cost or free flu clinics this season.
Questions
How much is a flu shot without insurance?
You pay for the vaccine and for giving it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists a private sector price of $20.878 to $21.08 a dose for the standard brands for 2026 to 2027. Boston Medical Center publishes a cash price of $16.20 for its standard vaccine line and $35.55 for the administration line.
Is a flu shot free with insurance?
Usually. HealthCare.gov lists flu among the adult immunizations generally covered at no cost when given by an in-network provider, even before you meet your deductible. It also says coverage may vary and that no cost is not guaranteed in every case.
Does Medicare pay for a flu shot?
Yes. Medicare.gov states that Part B covers the seasonal flu vaccine, usually once each flu season, and that you pay nothing if the provider who gives it accepts assignment.
Why does the high-dose flu shot cost more?
It is a different product. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Fluzone High-Dose at $86.23 a dose in the private sector against $20.878 for standard Fluzone, and Boston Medical Center publishes $129.00 for its high-dose line against $36.00 for its standard one.
How much is the nasal spray flu vaccine?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists FluMist, for ages 2 to 49, at $26.20 a dose in the private sector. Boston Medical Center publishes $65.00 for its intranasal line, with a cash price of $29.25.
For tests and procedures priced the same way, see every guide in medical costs.
Where these figures come from
Every figure here is in US dollars and comes from the body named beside it. The vaccine prices are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's adult flu vaccine price list, whose prices were last reviewed or updated on 1 October 2026 and which covers contracts for the 2026 to 2027 season. The hospital figures are from Boston Medical Center's machine-readable standard charges file under 45 CFR 180.50, last updated 13 March 2026, attested by Christopher Abate. The file was downloaded again on 5 October 2026 and was byte-identical to the copy read on 25 September 2026. That file predates this season's vaccines, so its pharmacy lines name the 2025-26 doses. The hospital figures come from one hospital, and nothing here is averaged. Pharmacy and clinic prices are not shown because none of those sellers publishes a filing of this kind.