Rehab costs between roughly $47 and $650 per day depending on the type of program. A basic outpatient program can run as low as $47 a day (about $1,400 over 30 days), while private inpatient care averages around $575 a day. That’s a wide range, so the real answer depends on the level of care you need, whether you have insurance, and the facility you choose.
Daily Cost by Type of Program
Rehab isn’t one thing. It spans several levels of care, each with a different price tag and daily time commitment. Here’s how the most common options break down.
General outpatient treatment is the least expensive option, ranging from $1,400 to $10,000 for a full 30-day stretch. That works out to roughly $47 to $333 per day, with the average landing around $190 a day. You live at home and attend sessions several times a week.
Intensive outpatient programs (IOP) require more hours per week, typically nine or more, and cost $500 to $650 per day at a private facility. The average is about $575 a day. You still go home at night, but the structured therapy time is significantly more than standard outpatient.
Partial hospitalization sits between outpatient and inpatient care. You spend most of the day at the facility but sleep at home. Daily costs at private centers typically fall between $350 and $450, averaging $400 a day.
Inpatient (residential) treatment means living at the facility 24/7 with round-the-clock support. Private inpatient rehab costs $500 to $650 per day, with an average of $575. A standard 30-day stay comes to roughly $17,250 at that average rate, though many programs run 60 or 90 days.
Medical detox is often the first step before residential treatment and is typically the most medically intensive phase. It costs $250 to $800 per day, averaging about $525. Most detox programs last three to seven days, so total detox costs commonly range from $750 to $5,600.
Sober living homes are the most affordable residential option at $1,500 to $2,000 per month (about $50 to $67 a day). These aren’t clinical programs. They provide a structured, substance-free living environment while you attend outpatient treatment or return to work.
What Drives the Price Up or Down
The biggest cost factor is whether you’re sleeping at the facility. Room and board, meals, and 24-hour staffing account for a large share of inpatient pricing. A luxury or resort-style center with private rooms, pools, and gourmet meals can charge well beyond $650 a day, sometimes into the thousands.
Location matters too. Programs in major metropolitan areas and states with higher costs of living generally charge more than rural or mid-size city facilities. Program length also multiplies the total: a 90-day inpatient stay at $575 per day adds up to over $51,000 before any insurance kicks in.
The clinical intensity of your treatment plan plays a role as well. Someone with a co-occurring mental health condition who needs dual-diagnosis care, psychiatric evaluations, and more frequent one-on-one therapy will typically face higher daily rates than someone in a standard substance use program.
Costs That Don’t Show Up in the Quoted Price
The daily rate a facility quotes you often doesn’t include everything you’ll be billed for. Common extras include admission or intake charges, pharmacy markups on medications (some centers bill at well above wholesale price), and lab work like drug screening. These charges sometimes appear on your bill as vague line items labeled “miscellaneous” or “service charge.”
After you leave, additional fees can surface: follow-up counseling sessions, help with sober-living placement, or even transportation home. If any portion of your program is delivered by video, some facilities tack on a telehealth technology surcharge. Ask for an itemized cost breakdown before you sign anything, and specifically ask what’s not included in the quoted daily or monthly rate.
Medication-Assisted Treatment Costs
If your treatment involves medications for opioid use disorder, that adds a separate cost layer. Based on Medicare payment rates, a week of methadone treatment (including the medication and clinic visits) runs about $207, or roughly $30 per day. Oral buprenorphine treatment costs about $258 per week, around $37 per day. Injectable forms of buprenorphine and naltrexone are significantly more expensive because the drugs themselves cost more, pushing weekly totals above $1,300.
These figures reflect what Medicare pays. What you actually pay depends on your insurance, and many opioid treatment programs offer their own payment plans. For people paying entirely out of pocket, methadone clinic visits typically fall in the $80 to $200 per week range depending on location.
What Insurance Typically Covers
All plans sold through the ACA Marketplace are required to cover mental health and substance use disorder treatment as essential health benefits. These plans cannot impose yearly or lifetime dollar limits on that coverage. Federal parity rules also require that financial limits on substance use treatment, including deductibles, copays, and out-of-pocket maximums, be no more restrictive than limits on medical or surgical care.
In practical terms, this means most insurance will cover a significant portion of rehab costs, but your actual share depends on your specific plan’s deductible, copay structure, and whether the facility is in-network. An in-network inpatient program might leave you responsible for 10% to 30% of the daily rate after your deductible, while an out-of-network facility could leave you paying half or more. Call your insurance company before choosing a program and ask for a pre-authorization estimate in writing.
Medicaid and Medicare also cover substance use treatment, though the network of participating facilities is more limited. Many state Medicaid programs cover residential rehab for qualifying individuals at little to no cost.
Options if You Can’t Afford the Sticker Price
Many rehab facilities use sliding scale fees, adjusting what you pay based on your household income and family size. Eligibility is typically measured against federal poverty guidelines, with income as the primary factor. If your earnings fall below a certain threshold, you may pay a fraction of the standard daily rate.
State-funded treatment programs offer another route. Every state receives federal block grant funding for substance use services, and these programs prioritize people who are uninsured or underinsured. Wait lists can be long, sometimes weeks, but the cost is minimal or free. SAMHSA’s national helpline (1-800-662-4357) can connect you with state-funded options in your area.
Some private facilities also offer scholarships, payment plans, or financing arrangements that spread costs over 12 to 24 months. Nonprofit treatment centers tend to have the most flexible financial assistance, so they’re worth exploring if the quoted rates at for-profit centers are out of reach.