From a $150 DIY filing to a $19,500-per-party fight: price your path
Divorce costs track agreement, not paperwork. Nolo's survey puts the median at about $7,000 in attorney fees and the average near $11,300, but the spread is the story: an agreed DIY filing runs $150-500 plus your state's filing fee ($100-450), an online service adds $150-500, mediation runs $3,000-8,000 shared, an attorney-handled uncontested divorce averages $4,100, and contested cases with children commonly hit $15,000-30,000 per couple in Texas and similar states. Every contested issue adds billable hours, and custody evaluations ($1,500-5,000) or QDROs to divide retirement plans ($500-1,500) stack on top. Pick your path below and see the range.
| State | Filing Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| California | $435 | Highest statewide; fee waivers (form FW-001) for low income |
| Florida | $300-410 | Varies by county |
| Texas | $250-350 | Varies by county; often paid by the filer |
| North Carolina | $225-235 | Plus possible service fees |
| Georgia | $200-300 | Wide county variation |
| New York | $210 | Index number; contested adds note-of-issue fees |
| Mississippi | ~$50 | Among the lowest |
Fees run the same contested or uncontested; the savings from agreement come from attorneys, not the clerk. Responding spouses often owe their own answer fee ($50-300). Sources: FindLaw, DivorceWriter fee trackers, 2025.
| Path | Typical Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| DIY filing | $150-500 + filing fee | No kids, no house, full agreement |
| Online service | $150-500 + filing fee | Agreement, want paperwork handled |
| Mediation | $3,000-8,000 shared | Willing to negotiate, roughly balanced power |
| Uncontested + attorney | ~$4,100 avg (Nolo) | Agreement, want it drafted right |
| Contested litigation | ~$11,300 avg; $19,500/party with disputes; $15-30k+ with kids in TX | High conflict, hidden assets, safety issues |
The jump from mediation to contested is roughly a 5x multiplier, and it buys fights, not outcomes: Nolo's data shows most contested cases still settle before trial, after the fees are spent.
Each path's range comes from published survey and firm data, your state's filing fee sits underneath it, and add-ons stack on the contested end of the scale. Children add cost in every path because custody paperwork and, in contested cases, evaluations attach to the file.
Take the defaults: Texas, mediation, no kids. Filing fee $300 (mid-range) plus mediation $3,000-8,000 shared: $3,300 to $8,300, split between two people. Now flip to contested with kids and a custody evaluation: $300 filing + $11,000-19,500 litigation + $3,000-10,000 child-related contested work + $1,500-5,000 evaluation = $15,800 to $34,800, and in contested cases that's often per party. Same courthouse, eight times the bill.
Second example, California uncontested with an attorney and a QDRO: $435 + $3,500-6,000 + $500-1,500 = $4,435 to $7,935 total. The QDRO matters more than people expect; splitting a 401(k) without one can cost you the tax benefits and sometimes the money itself.
Attorney time, and mostly to disagreement. Nolo's survey work shows uncontested cases averaging about $4,100 while contested ones average $11,300 overall and roughly $19,500 per party where disputes go the distance. Hearings, discovery, and custody fights are billed hourly ($250-500 for experienced family lawyers in metros), and every contested issue pulls the others along. The decision that controls your divorce cost isn't which lawyer you hire; it's how much the two of you settle before the meters start.
Mediation plus one independent review hour per spouse is the value sweet spot for most couples: you keep control of the agreement, spend a fraction of litigation, and each get independent eyes on it. Skip pure DIY when there are kids, a home, or retirement accounts; a $300 mistake in a settlement agreement costs more than the lawyer would have. If support numbers are the sticking point, run them first: our alimony calculator and child support calculator price support in minutes, and Texas and California have dedicated pages. For the asset picture, the net worth calculator lines up what gets divided.
Nolo's reader survey found a median of about $7,000 in attorney fees and an average of roughly $11,300 per divorce, but the path decides the bill: DIY filing runs about $150-500 plus the filing fee, an online divorce service $150-500 plus filing, mediation typically $3,000-8,000 shared, an attorney-handled uncontested divorce averages about $4,100, and contested litigation with kids can reach $15,000-30,000 per couple in states like Texas. Filing fees add $100-450 depending on the state.
About $4,100 on average with a lawyer, or a few hundred all-in if you file yourselves. Uncontested means you and your spouse agree on everything: property split, debts, and custody if kids are involved. Most of that $4,100 is the lawyer drafting the settlement agreement and steering paperwork through the court. With no agreement, you're on the contested track where hourly billing takes over.
Disagreement, billed by the hour. Contested custody averages $19,500 per party in attorney fees per the Nolo data, and disputes over one issue, say the house, drag every other issue through discovery. The add-ons stack too: custody evaluations ($1,500-5,000), QDROs to split retirement accounts ($500-1,500), appraisals ($300-600), and expert witnesses. The cheapest divorce is two people who settle early; every contested hearing multiplies the bill.
Usually dramatically cheaper. A mediated divorce typically costs $3,000-8,000 total, shared, versus $19,500 per party contested. The mediator (often $150-500/hour, sessions split between spouses) helps you build the agreement yourself; you then each spend an hour or two of independent attorney review, which most mediators recommend, and file uncontested. Mediation fails when one spouse hides assets or there's a serious power imbalance or abuse.
Each side generally pays its own attorney, and filing fees go to whoever files (the responding spouse often owes their own answer fee, commonly $50-300). Courts can order one spouse to pay the other's fees where incomes are lopsided, and community-property states treat debts incurred during the marriage, including divorce fees, as often shared. Practically: the higher earner frequently funds both sides' litigation, which is itself a reason to settle.
Often, yes. Most courts offer a fee-waiver application (in California, form FW-001) for low-income filers, granted based on public benefits or income and asset thresholds. If you receive SNAP, SSI, or similar assistance, approval is close to automatic. Ask the court clerk for the waiver packet when you file; it can erase the $435 California filing fee or your state's equivalent entirely.