You might be surprised to know how many of your tax dollars go to pay for public health insurance in this country.

According to a Fraser Institute report released Thursday, an average Canadian family of four will pay nearly $12,000 for public health insurance in 2015.

"It's very hard for people to figure out 'How much am I paying every year?' " study coauthor Bacchus Barua said.

The study tries to answer that question. In the past 10 years, the related costs for

an average Canadian family have gone up 1.6 times faster than the average household income, the study says.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE NUMBERS:

* Two parents, two children, and an average income of almost $120,000, the cost is expected to be $11,735

* Unattached individuals earning around $42,000 will pay $4,222

* Two adults with no children and an income of around $104,000 will pay $11,767

* Two parents with one child and an income of just over $120,000 will pay slightly more than $12,000

* $477 is the average cost of public health insurance this year for the 10% of Canadian families with the lowest incomes

* $5,684 is the average cost of public health insurance this year for the 10% of Canadian families with an average income of almost $60,000

* $37,180 is the average cost of public health insurance this year for Canadian families in the top 10% of income earners

-- Source: Fraser Institute report, The Price of Public Health Insurance