How Much Is Flood Insurance? Real NFIP and Private Flood Quotes in California and Texas

In September and October 2026, Menlo recorded 13 NFIP flood quotes for California homes, ranging from $544 to $5,593 a year with a median of $1,626, and 11 private flood quotes from Neptune's residential program, ranging from $435 to $13,342 with a median of $1,044.^[1] The spread is wide because flood insurance is priced for the individual building: FEMA rates each NFIP policy on flood frequency, the types of flooding that can reach it, its distance to water, its elevation and its cost to rebuild, so two houses on the same street can pay very different amounts.^[2]

This guide shows those real quotes, explains why there is no flood rate table by ZIP code, what "FEMA flood insurance" means, and when a private policy beats the NFIP on price. To compare both for your own home, start from our flood insurance page.

What did real flood insurance quotes cost?

These are the annual totals of every flood quote Menlo published for a home in California or Texas between September 30 and October 16, 2026: 36 quotes for 19 quote requests.^[1] NFIP totals include FEMA's surcharges and fees, such as the reserve fund assessment, the HFIAA surcharge and the federal policy fee.^[1] We've left out anything that identifies a customer or an address.

What moved the price in these quotes:

• Limits. Most NFIP quotes were at or near the $250,000 building maximum. Private quotes ranged from $50,000 to $2.5 million of building coverage.^[1]
• Deductible. NFIP quotes carried building deductibles from $1,000 to $10,000; most private quotes had a $1,000 deductible, and the $13,342 quote had $25,000.^[1]
• The building itself. Similar limits still produced very different prices. Two California NFIP quotes with $250,000 building and $50,000 contents coverage and the same deductibles came to $4,674 and $5,593.^[1]

Texas has no range here because we have only seven Texas flood quotes, for five homes, which is too few to call any figure typical. The same rating factors apply there.

Is FEMA flood insurance cheaper than private flood?

Sometimes. For the 11 homes that received both an NFIP quote and a Neptune-program quote, the private quote was lower for 6 and higher for 5.^[1] The two quotes rarely had identical coverage: private quotes often carried more building or contents coverage than the NFIP's limits allow, so a lower private premium could also buy more coverage.

On the NFIP side, most rates can't rise more than 18% a year.^[2] The only way to know which is cheaper for your house is to price both. If your house would cost more than $250,000 to rebuild, you can also keep an NFIP policy and add excess flood insurance above it.

Are there flood insurance rates by ZIP code?

No. FEMA says your flood premium "is unique to your property and is based on several factors," and under Risk Rating 2.0 those factors are flood frequency, flood types (river overflow, storm surge, coastal erosion and heavy rainfall), distance to a water source, and property characteristics such as elevation and the cost to rebuild.^[2][7] An elevation certificate isn't required, but it can lower the price.^[7]

FEMA does publish a ZIP-code summary: a spreadsheet with the number of single-family NFIP policies in each ZIP code and their median risk-based cost, based on policies in force on August 31, 2023.^[3] It's useful for seeing whether your area is expensive or cheap to insure, but a median isn't a quote, and your house can be far above or below it. Your flood zone matters for whether a lender requires insurance; see our guide to flood zones AE and X.

What is FEMA flood insurance?

It's the National Flood Insurance Program. The NFIP is managed by FEMA and sold through a network of more than 47 insurance companies, plus NFIP Direct, whose coverage FEMA underwrites itself.^[4] Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood, so the flood policy is separate.^[4] A home can be insured up to $250,000 on the building and $100,000 on contents.^[5] There is typically a 30-day wait before the policy starts, except when the coverage is required by a lender or tied to a flood map change.^[4]

Menlo quotes the NFIP through NFIP Direct for homes in California and Texas.^[8]

Who writes private flood insurance in California and Texas?

The private insurers we quote differ by state:^[8]

• California: Neptune's residential flood program. Its policies are issued by Palomar or a Lloyd's syndicate, and each quote names its insurer.
• Texas: Neptune's program, Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London through Annex Risk, and Adaptive's residential flood.

Annex Risk's flood policies are issued by Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's of London, rated A+ by AM Best; Annex needs no elevation certificate and has no waiting period, with dwelling limits up to $2.25 million.^[9] Adaptive's flood policy offers up to $1.5 million of primary coverage, loss-of-use coverage up to $100,000, and no waiting period.^[10] These private policies are surplus lines, so they aren't backed by the state guaranty fund. Each quote shows its insurer and whether it's admitted.

For Houston, Sacramento or any other city, the same applies: the insurers rate the building, not the city name, so the way to a real number is a quote for your address. California owners can read more in our California flood insurance guide.

This guide is for educational purposes. Prices are from Menlo's own recorded quotes for September 30 to October 16, 2026, and are not an offer; your price depends on your property and the coverage you choose. Menlo Insurance Services is a licensed insurance broker (California license 6020106, Texas license 3562061) and may earn a commission on a placement. Surplus lines insurers are not backed by the state guaranty fund.

The Bottom Line

Flood insurance is priced for each building, so ranges are wide: $544 to $5,593 a year for California NFIP quotes and $435 to $13,342 for private quotes in our recent records.^[1] Neither the NFIP nor private flood was cheaper every time.^[1] Get both priced for your house before you choose.