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Paying for gender transition: Cost ranges

You can spend no money on a gender transition. Just start being yourself.

You can also spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a gender transition.

Most people spend something in between. Your cost is based on what you want to do and what you want to spend.

The earlier steps showed what you can spend each month.

Paying for a gender transition is like buying a car. You can buy an old car for $500. You can buy a new one for $200,000 or more. Most people must save money before they buy a car. Many of them start with no money! They made a plan and stayed with it. You can, too!

Five examples

There are three kinds of gender transition: social, legal and medical. The five adults below show five transition cost ranges:

  • Adult 1: lowest
  • Adult 2: low average
  • Adult 3: average
  • Adult 4: high average
  • Adult 5: highest

Most people will fall between 2 and 4. It depends on what they plan to do.

Do not base your own plans on these guesses!

adult >>12345
SOCIALsomemanyallallall
LEGAL—somemanyallall
MEDICAL——somemanyall

These guesses are in 2019 US dollars and based on first-hand reports and research. Prices vary widely. They show out of pocket costs with no insurance. Insurance is the best way to lower medical costs. One-time costs plus monthly costs over the course of a three-year transition.

1. Very low ($0 to $3,000)

  • Transition steps
    • Social: some
    • Legal: —
    • Medical: —
  • Steps
    • Informal name and/or pronoun change
    • Clothing and accessories change
    • Hair and toiletries change
    • Socializing change
    • Some prosthetics (binder/packer, gaff/breast forms)

2. Cheap end of average range ($1,000 to $6,000)

  • Transition steps
    • Social: many
    • Legal: some
    • Medical: —
  • Steps
    • Clothing and accessories change
    • Hair and toiletries change
    • Socializing change
    • Some prosthetics (binder/packer, gaff/breast forms)
    • Legal name and/or pronoun change
    • New driver’s licence / state ID

3. Middle of average range ($6,000 to $12,000)

  • Transition steps
    • Social: all
    • Legal: many
    • Medical: some
  • Steps
    • Clothing and accessories change
    • Hair and toiletries change
    • Socializing change
    • Some prosthetics (binder/packer, gaff/breast forms)
    • Legal name and/or pronoun change
    • New driver’s licence / state ID
    • New passport and Social Security
    • New birth certificate
    • Therapy
    • Hormones
    • Facial hair removal (trans women)
    • Top surgery (trans men)

4. Expensive end of average range

  • Transition steps
    • Social: all
    • Legal: all
    • Medical: many
  • Steps
    • Clothing and accessories change
    • Hair and toiletries change
    • Socializing change
    • Some prosthetics (binder/packer, gaff/breast forms)
    • Legal name and/or pronoun change
    • New driver’s licence / state ID
    • New passport and Social Security
    • New birth certificate
    • Hormones
    • Facial hair removal (trans women)
    • Body hair removal (trans women)
    • Rhinoplasty (trans women)
    • Top surgery
    • Standard bottom surgery

5. Very high

  • Transition steps
    • Social: all
    • Legal: all
    • Medical: all
  • Steps
    • Clothing and accessories change
    • Hair and toiletries change
    • Socializing change
    • Custom prosthetics (packer, hair system)
    • Legal name and/or pronoun change
    • New driver’s licence / state ID
    • Other legal matters
    • New passport and Social Security
    • New birth certificate
    • Preserve reproductive options
    • Hormones
    • Facial hair removal (trans women)
    • Body hair removal (trans women)
    • Hair loss needs (trans women)
    • Voice surgery (trans women)
    • Facial gender confirmation surgery
    • Top surgery
    • High-end bottom surgery (trans men)

Next: 5 examples