How much is the Iran war costing us?

It’s really hard to estimate the total cost of war in the middle of one. Over the first six days of the Iran war, an estimated $11.3 billion was charged to the public purse. But long-term costs take years to manifest. Even daily costs are fuzzy. Take munitions: the Department of Defense hasn’t budgeted for  many of the bombs it's dropping. One more time. The bombs – the bombs! – are not totally priced in.<br /><br />On today’s show, estimating the cost of the Iran war right now. And how healthcare, disability benefits, environmental costs and interest payments could add to its future price tag.<br /><br /><strong>Come see Planet Money live on stage in April! Twelve cities. Details and tix here: </strong><a href="https://tix.to/pm-book-tour" target="_blank"><strong>https://tix.to/pm-book-tour</strong></a><strong>. </strong><br /><br /><strong>Related episodes: </strong><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/03/17/nx-s1-5749289/a-trucker-a-farmer-and-an-entrepreneur-walk-into-a-global-supply-shock" target="_blank">A trucker, a farmer, and an entrepreneur walk into a global supply shock</a><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/03/13/nx-s1-5746095/a-lot-of-gas-trapped-oil-reserves-tapped-and-live-nation-gets-a-tiny-cap" target="_blank">A lot of gas trapped, oil reserves tapped, and Live Nation gets a (tiny) cap</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/03/10/nx-s1-5742757/will-trumps-shipping-insurance-plan-work" target="_blank">Will Trump’s shipping insurance plan work?</a><br /><em>For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank"><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>.</em> <em>Fact-checking by </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez" target="_blank"><em>Sierra Juarez</em></a><em>. Music by </em><a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><em>Drop Electric</em></a><em>. Find us: </em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>TikTok</em></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank"><em>Instagram</em></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money" target="_blank"><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>.</em><br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>