CPAP Cost Calculator
Estimate what CPAP might cost you over 5 years, with your plan and paying cash, side by side. Prices are dated estimates, not quotes.
What This Tool Does
This calculator estimates five years of CPAP costs two ways for the same setup: through your plan (Medicare or a private plan) and paying cash. It covers the machine, the heated humidifier, mask parts, tubing, filters, the water chamber and electricity. Pick your coverage, mask style and machine, and it loads the makers' replacement guidance, Medicare's approved amounts and October 2026 list prices as a starting point. Both estimates use the same replacement schedule. Every number can be changed to match your plan and the supplies you actually buy.
How the Plan Estimate Works
With Original Medicare, a supplier rents a CPAP machine for 13 months, and then you own it. You pay the Part B deductible first ($283 in 2026), then 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the rental and your supplies. The approved rental amount drops to 75% from month 4. The calculator applies the deductible each year, puts the heated humidifier in the first year, and counts any supplies you replace faster than Medicare covers at the cash price.
The default prices on the plan side are Medicare's own amounts for most non-rural areas. Rural areas pay more. A private plan, including a Medicare Advantage plan, sets its own prices, so for one the calculator shows the plan column at Medicare's prices as a stand-in and does not say which way comes out lower until you enter your plan's rental and supply prices and confirm them. Its deductible starts at $1,886, the 2025 average for single coverage, and its rental is paid at one flat monthly amount. Ask your plan or supplier for your own numbers.
The cash side counts the machine price once, then the same supplies on the same schedule at list prices. Under the two totals, once both use real prices, the calculator says which comes out lower and how much deductible would have to be left this year for cash to come out lower.
Medicare's Supply Limits
Medicare's rule for CPAP (CMS LCD L33718) sets the most it usually pays for each part. These are coverage limits, not a schedule you must follow. Private plans set their own limits. The calculator counts any part replaced faster than this at the cash price.
- Nasal pillowsup to 2 a monthA7033
- Nasal mask cushionup to 2 a monthA7032
- Full-face mask cushionup to 1 a monthA7031
- Nasal mask or nasal pillows maskup to 1 every 3 monthsA7034
- Full-face maskup to 1 every 3 monthsA7030
- Headgearup to 1 every 6 monthsA7035
- Chinstrapup to 1 every 6 monthsA7036
- Standard tubingup to 1 every 3 monthsA7037
- Heated tubingup to 1 every 3 monthsA4604
- Disposable filterup to 2 a monthA7038
- Reusable (non-disposable) filterup to 1 every 6 monthsA7039
- Humidifier water chamberup to 1 every 6 monthsA7046
Medicare treats a CPAP machine as lasting 5 years, so it usually replaces one only after that.
The Replacement Schedule
Both estimates use the same replacement schedule. By default it is the makers' own guidance. Mask parts follow ResMed Australia patient guidance, 2021, ResMed's only published interval for mask parts (its US mask user guides say to replace a part when worn). Filters, tubing and the water tub follow the ResMed AirSense 10 and 11 user guides and the Philips DreamStation user manual. Parts no maker names use Medicare's limit.
US suppliers usually ship on Medicare's limits, so if you get supplies on auto-resupply, pick "As often as Medicare covers". That replaces most parts much more often and raises both estimates. Either way, change any row to match what you actually do, and replace a part sooner if it wears out.
Costs Not Included
Electricity is included. The calculator counts a machine at about 11 W running dry, 28 W with the heated humidifier, and 45 W with a heated tube, at the U.S. average of about 18¢ per kWh unless you change it. Running dry uses about two-fifths of the power of running with the humidifier.
Not included: distilled water for the humidifier, cleaning supplies, a travel case or battery, sleep doctor visits, and an out-of-pocket maximum on your plan. Budget for these separately.
Where the Numbers Come From
- Supply limits and the 5-year machine lifetime, CMS LCD L33718.
- Medicare's approved amounts for the rental, humidifier and supplies, CMS DMEPOS fee schedule, October 2026, the middle value across the continental states' non-rural amounts.
- The 2026 Part B deductible, CMS 2026 Medicare Parts A and B fact sheet. Your share after the deductible and the rental length, Medicare.gov CPAP coverage.
- Private-plan deductible, KFF's 2025 survey of employer health plans.
- Default replacement schedule, the three maker documents linked under The Replacement Schedule above.
- Electricity rate, EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook, 2026 U.S. residential average.
- Cash prices, list prices on ResMed's US online store and one large US online CPAP retailer, October 2026. Prices change; check current prices before you buy.
These are estimates only. They are not insurance, billing or financial advice, and coverage and prices vary by plan and supplier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a CPAP machine cost?
ResMed's US online store listed the AirSense 11 with its humidifier at $1,054 in October 2026, and other sellers' prices vary. Through Medicare, a supplier rents the machine for 13 months and you own it after that. You pay 20% of Medicare's approved amount after the Part B deductible, which is $283 in 2026. The calculator above estimates both ways side by side. Your plan and supplier set what you actually pay.
Does insurance cover CPAP therapy?
Medicare Part B covers a CPAP machine and its supplies for obstructive sleep apnea, and may start with a 12-week trial. After the Part B deductible you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for the rental and supplies. Private plans, including Medicare Advantage plans, vary in their deductible, coinsurance, prices, rental rules and supplier networks, so ask your plan or supplier what yours covers.
What is the Medicare CPAP supply replacement schedule?
Under CMS rule L33718, Medicare usually covers nasal pillows up to 2 a month, nasal mask cushions up to 2 a month, a full-face cushion up to 1 a month, a nasal or pillows mask up to 1 every 3 months, a full-face mask up to 1 every 3 months, tubing or heated tubing up to 1 every 3 months, disposable filters up to 2 a month, and headgear, a chinstrap, a reusable filter and the water chamber up to 1 every 6 months each. These are the most Medicare usually pays for, not a schedule you must follow. Medicare treats a CPAP machine as lasting 5 years, so it usually replaces one only after that.
Is buying a CPAP with cash cheaper than using insurance?
It depends on your plan's own prices for the rental and supplies, how much of your deductible is left, and your coinsurance. With Original Medicare, the calculator uses Medicare's own approved amounts, $283 deductible and 20% coinsurance, and says which way comes out lower and how much deductible would have to be left for cash to win. For a private or Medicare Advantage plan it only compares once you enter your plan's own prices, because using Medicare's prices in their place would decide the answer for you.
How much do CPAP supplies cost per year?
It depends mostly on your mask style and how often you replace parts. Pick your mask style in the calculator to load the makers' replacement guidance and October 2026 list prices, then change any row to match how often you actually replace it. Replacing as often as Medicare covers costs much more. Electricity adds a small amount on top.
Related Reading
- CPAP Therapy Cost: 5-Year Guide (2026)The companion article, with how each part of the estimate works.
- CPAP Supply Replacement Schedule (2026 Guide)When each part wears out, and Medicare's limits beside the makers' guidance.
- Medicare CPAP Compliance: The 4-Hour RuleWhat Medicare needs to see before it keeps paying.