What divorce actually costs
Key numbers
- Average total attorney fees: about $11,300 per spouse. The median was about $7,000, so half of people paid less than that (Martindale-Nolo Research 2019 survey, via DivorceNet).
- With no disputes over the major issues, average fees were $4,000. With at least one contested issue, $10,400. A trial on three or more issues averaged $21,500 (Martindale-Nolo, 2019).
- Full mediation commonly runs $3,000 to $8,000 in total, shared between two people. A litigated divorce commonly runs $15,000 to $30,000 per spouse (DivorcePlus, 2026).
- A divorce with nothing contested finished in just under 8 months. One contested issue: about 12 months. A case that went to trial: about 18 months (Martindale-Nolo data, via DivorcePlus).
The honest answer to "how much does a divorce cost" is that the process itself is rarely the expensive part. The expensive part is what gets decided inside it: who keeps the house, what happens to the retirement accounts, whether there is support. Still, the process bill is real, it lands early, and it is the one number you can influence this week.
Two things drive it. Which route you take, and how many things the two of you genuinely disagree about. That is the whole model below.
Not sure yet? Pick the one you think is most likely. You can change it and watch the range move.
The four cost lanes
Every divorce runs down one of four lanes. The gap between the cheapest and the most expensive is not small: it is roughly the price of a used car against the price of a year of college.
| Lane | Nothing contested | One issue contested | All three contested | Billed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | $500 to $3,000 | $600 to $4,100 | $800 to $6,100 | total, for the two of you |
| Mediation | $3,000 to $8,000 | $3,600 to $10,800 | $4,800 to $16,400 | total, usually split between the two of you |
| Collaborative divorce | $7,500 to $15,000 | $9,000 to $20,300 | $12,000 to $30,700 | per spouse |
| Lawyers and court | $15,000 to $30,000 | $18,000 to $40,500 | $24,000 to $61,500 | per spouse |
Lane 1: do it yourself, $500 to $3,000
You fill in your state's forms, file them, and pay the filing fee. In the 2019 reader survey, people who handled their own divorce paid $1,170 in total costs on average, and the median was only $300 (Martindale-Nolo). Our band runs a little wider because most women should buy a few hours of review before signing anything that moves a retirement account.
This lane only works when you already agree on everything and you both have a complete picture of the money. It is not a way to win an argument cheaply. See how to get divorced when there is no money for fee waivers and free help.
Lane 2: mediation, $3,000 to $8,000
One neutral person runs the conversation until the two of you sign an agreement, which is then filed. Full mediation commonly runs $3,000 to $8,000 in total, and that total is usually split (DivorcePlus, 2026). Many women then pay their own attorney for a review before signing, which costs a fraction of full representation. The full comparison is here: mediation against litigation, honestly.
Lane 3: collaborative divorce, $7,500 to $15,000 per spouse
You each have your own lawyer, and everyone signs an agreement to settle out of court, often with one shared financial neutral. Commonly reported figures start around $7,500 per spouse and run to $25,000 or more (Divorce.law, 2026). Our band uses the lower half of that, because the upper half describes cases with business valuations in them.
Lane 4: lawyers and court, $15,000 to $30,000 per spouse
Each side has a lawyer and a judge decides whatever you cannot settle. A litigated divorce commonly runs $15,000 to $30,000 per spouse (DivorcePlus, 2026), and the survey averages behind that show exactly why: $4,000 with no disputes, $10,400 with at least one contested issue, $11,600 for a trial on one or two issues, $21,500 for a trial on three or more (Martindale-Nolo, 2019). The top of our band, $61,500, is the shape of a case that fights about everything and goes the distance. It is not the typical case, and most cases settle first.
The bill is really an hourly meter
Attorneys bill by the hour, in tenths, and the clock includes calls, emails and reading. The 2019 survey put the average rate at $270 an hour, the same source reports a national average of $312 in 2023 (DivorceNet), and a 2025 figure puts family law attorneys at about $343 (DivorcePlus). Read that as a floor, not a quote, and remember it is charged against a deposit you pay up front: what a retainer is and how to make the hours count.
Court filing fees are separate, and they are the small number
None of the ranges above include what the court itself charges to open the case. That fee is set by your state, not by anyone you hire, and it is the one cost you can look up exactly rather than estimate. If paying it is the problem, every state has a process for asking the court to waive it.
Divorce filing fees by state, and what to do when you cannot pay it.
Three households, three routes
Same question, three different situations. All dollar figures come from the estimator above, not from us.
Carol, $60,000 household: agreed on everything
Carol and her husband agree on the house, the small 401(k) and no support. They fill in the forms themselves and ask a lawyer to read the agreement for two hours. Estimated cost $500 to $3,000, or about 1% to 5% of a year's household income, in 3 to 8 months.
Dana, $110,000 household: two things unresolved
Dana and her husband agree about the children but not about the house or about support. They mediate. Estimated cost $4,200 to $13,600 in total, shared, which is about 4% to 12% of a year's household income, in 6 to 13 months. If they settle the support question first, the range drops to $3,600 to $10,800.
Priya, $200,000 household: fighting about all three
Priya's husband will not disclose a brokerage account, so mediation is the wrong room. Two lawyers, three contested issues. Estimated cost $24,000 to $61,500 per spouse, in 12 to 21 months. If the disclosure fight resolves and the case moves to a collaborative track with two issues left, the range becomes $10,500 to $25,500 per spouse. The difference between those two numbers is a year of household income.
What the process cost is not
It is not the real financial event. Women's household income falls about 41% after a divorce at 50 or older, against 23% for men (US GAO, 2012). Saving $4,000 on the process while agreeing to a settlement that costs you $80,000 in retirement value is a bad trade, and it is a common one. Run your own numbers before you agree to anything:
- Ex-Spouse Social Security Estimator, for what the ex-spouse Social Security rules could mean for you.
- Marital Share Estimator, for the marital portion of a 401(k) or pension.
- House vs. 401(k) Comparison, for the house against retirement money, after tax.
- Retirement Runway Calculator, for how long the money lasts.
Keep reading
- Mediation against litigation: cost, months, control, and when mediation fails
- The divorce lawyer retainer, explained
- How to get divorced with no money
- Divorce filing fees by state
- Who you actually need: attorney, mediator, CDFA or coach
- Divorce money statistics for women (2026)
Sources: Martindale-Nolo Research 2019 divorce survey, via DivorceNet · DivorcePlus, Divorce Statistics 2026 · DivorcePlus, How Long Does a Divorce Take · Divorce.law, collaborative divorce costs (2026) · US GAO, GAO-12-699 (2012). All fetched and read in September 2026. Every dollar range on this page is a commonly reported figure, not a quote, and nothing here is legal advice.