How much does a medical alert system cost?

At the low end, a medical alert system will cost about $70 for the base station and pendant. This is for a system that you program to dial friends and family in case of an emergency.

At the high end, you can pay $300 for the equipment, $200 for a setup fee, and $60 or more per month for monitoring charges.

But please don’t buy on price alone.

Some of the cheapest systems may not be right for your situation. For example, the speakerphone in the base station may not have enough range for the size of your house.

Some of the most expensive programs are unnecessarily costly, and depend on aggressive sales tactics to manipulate seniors into signing extended contracts that they can’t cancel.

If you choose a monitored solution, there are plenty of reputable ones that don’t require a contract.