Use the 60-month table for fast screening
This table helps you see whether the requested amount is in the right neighborhood before lender-by-lender APR differences become the main question.
Free reference data
Personal Loan Cost Index 2026
What a personal loan actually costs per month, and in total interest, across the main unsecured-loan amount, term, and credit-tier combinations borrowers compare most often before they check live rates.
Last updated August 14, 2026. Free to cite with attribution and a link to this page.
Editorial standards
Research methodology reviewed for current borrower pricing questions
This dataset is built to help borrowers translate published APR ranges into real monthly-payment and total-interest expectations before they open live rate, calculator, or application pages.
Updated August 14, 2026
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By Credit N Lending Editorial Team, Consumer lending editors
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Reviewed by Credit N Lending Policy Review Team, Rate and compliance review
Cost by amount and credit tier (60-month term)
Use this table when the main question is whether the requested amount is in range for your monthly budget before you worry about a lender-specific APR.
| Loan amount | Excellent740+ · 7.99% APR | Good680-739 · 11.99% APR | Fair620-679 · 16.99% APR | Building580-619 · 22.99% APR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $50.68/mo$541 interest | $55.60/mo$836 interest | $62.12/mo$1,227 interest | $70.46/mo$1,728 interest |
| $5,000 | $101.36/mo$1,081 interest | $111.20/mo$1,672 interest | $124.24/mo$2,454 interest | $140.92/mo$3,455 interest |
| $10,000 | $202.72/mo$2,163 interest | $222.39/mo$3,344 interest | $248.47/mo$4,908 interest | $281.85/mo$6,911 interest |
| $15,000 | $304.07/mo$3,244 interest | $333.59/mo$5,015 interest | $372.71/mo$7,362 interest | $422.77/mo$10,366 interest |
| $20,000 | $405.43/mo$4,326 interest | $444.79/mo$6,687 interest | $496.94/mo$9,817 interest | $563.69/mo$13,822 interest |
| $25,000 | $506.79/mo$5,407 interest | $555.98/mo$8,359 interest | $621.18/mo$12,271 interest | $704.62/mo$17,277 interest |
| $35,000 | $709.51/mo$7,570 interest | $778.38/mo$11,703 interest | $869.65/mo$17,179 interest | $986.47/mo$24,188 interest |
| $50,000 | $1,013.58/mo$10,815 interest | $1,111.97/mo$16,718 interest | $1,242.36/mo$24,542 interest | $1,409.24/mo$34,554 interest |
What term length costs you: $15,000 at each tier
Use this table when the requested amount is already fixed and the real decision is how much payment relief is worth the added lifetime interest.
| Term | Excellent · 7.99% | Good · 11.99% | Fair · 16.99% | Building · 22.99% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 months | $678.34/mo$1,280 interest | $706.03/mo$1,945 interest | $741.56/mo$2,797 interest | $785.53/mo$3,853 interest |
| 36 months | $469.98/mo$1,919 interest | $498.14/mo$2,933 interest | $534.72/mo$4,250 interest | $580.57/mo$5,900 interest |
| 48 months | $366.12/mo$2,574 interest | $394.93/mo$3,957 interest | $432.75/mo$5,772 interest | $480.69/mo$8,073 interest |
| 60 months | $304.07/mo$3,244 interest | $333.59/mo$5,015 interest | $372.71/mo$7,362 interest | $422.77/mo$10,366 interest |
| 72 months | $262.93/mo$3,931 interest | $293.17/mo$6,109 interest | $333.61/mo$9,020 interest | $385.76/mo$12,774 interest |
| 84 months | $233.72/mo$4,632 interest | $264.71/mo$7,236 interest | $306.45/mo$10,742 interest | $360.61/mo$15,292 interest |
How to read the tables
Four takeaways borrowers usually miss
The point of the cost index is not just to show numbers. It is to help you interpret where payment pressure, rate sensitivity, and term tradeoffs actually start to matter.
Use the term table for payment tradeoffs
Shorter terms reduce total interest sharply, but longer terms often determine whether the monthly payment fits your budget and DTI.
Watch the fair-credit spread most closely
Borrowers in the fair band usually see the biggest dollar swing between an average quote and a genuinely competitive one.
Expect real offers to move around the midpoint
Verified income, existing debt, requested purpose, state, and fees can shift the final number above or below the estimate shown here.
Methodology
How the cost index is constructed
These notes explain what the research table does and does not represent before a borrower moves into live offers or final underwriting.
- Amounts covered
- $2,500 to $50,000
- Terms covered
- 24 to 84 months
- APR assumptions
- Tier midpoint APRs
- Not included
- Borrower-specific fees and final underwriting
These are the main unsecured personal-loan request sizes surfaced across Credit N Lending borrower guides and marketplace content.
The tables show how term length changes both affordability and total interest, especially on fair-credit tiers.
Each credit band is modeled with one representative APR to keep cross-row comparisons clean and consistent.
Origination fees, verified income, DTI, and lender-level adjustments can move the actual quote away from these planning rows.
Popular Amounts
Open the amount guide that matches your real request size
These guides add borrower-fit context around the amount rows that matter most once you know the payment range is close.
Loan page
$5,000 loan guide
Useful for smaller requests where urgency and approval range matter as much as total interest.
Explore
Loan page
$10,000 loan guide
A strong planning amount for mid-size borrowing decisions where payment fit stays the main filter.
Explore
Loan page
$15,000 loan guide
Helpful when you want to compare the research table against one of the most common personal-loan request sizes.
Explore
Loan page
$25,000 loan guide
Open this guide when term length and total-interest exposure become materially larger parts of the decision.
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Support & Answers
Turn the dataset into a real borrowing decision
Use these pages when the table narrowed the range but you still need current rates, calculators, FAQs, or marketplace guidance before applying.
Rates
Rates & terms
Move from reference-table math into current APR ranges, fee context, and score-band guidance.
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Loan page
Low-interest personal loans
Helpful when the cost-index tables point you toward prime-credit pricing and you want a stronger APR-focused destination next.
Explore
Calculator
Personal loan calculator
Run your own amount, term, and rate assumptions when you want a custom payment estimate beyond the midpoint tables.
Explore
Loan page
Bad-credit debt consolidation loans
Useful when the payment table is being used to judge whether a weaker-credit card payoff plan can still work with one fixed installment loan.
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Compare
Loan comparison hub
Use side-by-side guides when the real decision is whether a personal loan beats cards, HELOCs, or other borrowing options.
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FAQ
Borrower FAQ
Open the FAQ for timing, soft-pull, documentation, and marketplace questions before you apply.
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Borrower Paths
Open the next page that fits the decision
These are the most common next-step pages after the cost index when a borrower wants to move from planning into comparison or application mode.
Personal loan cost index FAQ
- Is this cost index a real loan offer?
- No. It is a planning dataset built from representative APR midpoints by credit tier. Actual offers depend on your verified profile and lender.
- Why are there only four credit tiers in the table?
- The page is designed to make borrower planning fast, so it groups the most common unsecured-loan ranges into four useful pricing bands.
- Do the payment rows include origination fees?
- No. The amortization tables model loan principal, APR, and term only. Lender fees can change the effective total cost.
- What should I do after finding a payment range that fits?
- Open the rates page, run the calculator with your own assumptions, or start the soft-pull application flow to see real matched offers.
- Why does a longer term still look attractive if total interest is higher?
- Because affordability is usually decided by the monthly payment first. Borrowers often need the lower payment even when it raises lifetime interest.
Related Guides
Read the comparisons borrowers usually open after the cost index
These guides explain the structure, payoff, and alternative-product questions that usually follow once a payment range looks workable.
Personal Loans
Personal Loan vs. Credit Card: Full Cost Breakdown (2026)
We modeled $3,000, $10,000 and $25,000 of debt both ways - exact interest, payoff dates, origination fees and the FICO swing.
Debt Consolidation
Debt Consolidation Loan vs. Balance Transfer: 2026 Guide
Which is really cheaper? Real APRs, transfer fees, credit-score impact, the promo-cliff risk, and a 60-second decision playbook.
HELOC
Personal Loan vs. HELOC: Which Is Better in 2026?
Unsecured personal loans versus HELOCs - rates, tax treatment, funding speed, and when to pledge your home versus keep it out of the equation.
See which row you actually land on
One soft-pull form returns real offers from multiple lending partners, so you can replace the tier midpoint above with your own borrower-specific number.
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