Every product page shows you the sticker price. Almost none of them show you the number that actually matters: what you'll be paying every year, indefinitely, once subscriptions and monitoring fees stack up. This guide adds it all up honestly, across three budget tiers.
Three budget tiers, fully costed
These are realistic ranges based on the equipment and subscription pricing covered across our other guides — your exact numbers will vary by brand and region, but the shape of the tradeoff holds:
| Tier | What's included | Year 1 cost | Ongoing cost/year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (no subscriptions) | DIY door/window sensors, 1 battery camera, 1 door alarm | $180-350 | $0-20 (batteries) |
| Mid-tier | DIY alarm hub + sensors, 2 cameras with cloud storage, video doorbell | $450-800 | $150-300 (subscriptions) |
| Full coverage | Professionally monitored alarm, 4+ cameras, video doorbell, smart lock, smoke/CO detectors | $900-1,800 | $400-900 (monitoring + subscriptions) |
Hidden costs people forget to budget for
- Extra sensors beyond the base kit. Most alarm "starter kits" cover 2-3 entry points; a typical home needs 5-8. Price out the full set you'll actually need, not just the advertised bundle.
- Battery replacement across multiple devices. Door sensors, cameras, locks, and detectors all draw down batteries on different schedules — budget roughly $20-40/year total once you have 6+ devices.
- Professional installation fees for wired systems, which are sometimes waived as a promotion but billed later if you cancel monitoring within the first year.
- Early termination fees on monitored contracts, which can run $100-300+ if you cancel mid-contract.
- App/device ecosystem lock-in. Switching brands later often means the old hardware becomes useless rather than resellable, since most smart security devices are tied to one app ecosystem.
Offsetting cost with insurance discounts
As covered in our alarm systems guide, many homeowners insurance policies offer a 5-20% discount on the security-related portion of your premium for a monitored system, and sometimes a smaller discount for self-monitored smart systems too. On a $1,000/year policy, even a 10% discount is $100/year back — worth confirming with your insurer before you buy, since it can materially change which tier makes financial sense.
How to cut your ongoing costs
- Audit your subscriptions annually. It's common to end up paying for cloud storage on a camera you no longer check, or an alarm plan tier you don't use — review what you're actually paying for once a year.
- Consolidate under one ecosystem where possible. Some brands offer a single subscription that covers multiple device types (cameras, doorbell, sensors) instead of stacking separate plans.
- Skip monitoring on secondary structures. A garage or shed camera rarely needs its own cloud plan if local SD storage covers the risk adequately.
- Negotiate at renewal. Monitored alarm companies frequently have retention discounts available if you call and mention you're considering canceling — it costs nothing to ask.
Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest way to secure a home?
A no-subscription DIY alarm kit covering doors and windows, paired with one battery-powered camera at the front entry, typically runs $150-300 total with zero ongoing cost. It won't include professional monitoring, but it covers the most common opportunistic break-in scenarios.
How much do monthly subscriptions add up to per year?
Stacking professional alarm monitoring, camera cloud storage, and a video doorbell plan can realistically add $400-900 per year in combined subscriptions. Auditing which subscriptions you actually need, rather than defaulting to every device's paid tier, is the single biggest lever for cutting this down.
Is a home security system worth the cost?
For most homeowners, a modest setup (alarm sensors plus 1-2 cameras) pays for itself in reduced insurance premiums and peace of mind alone, independent of whether it ever prevents an actual break-in. The math gets harder to justify only at the high end, where multiple monitoring subscriptions stack up.