Are Medical Procedures Cheaper in Costa Rica?
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Some friends told me I can save on medical procedures by doing them in Costa Rica. Is this true?
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Hi Bradley,
Medical tourism has become big business in Costa Rica. People around the world are realizing the benefits of the country’s high-quality, low-cost medical services.
The World Health Organization ranks Costa Rica’s healthcare system slightly above that of the U.S. This achievement is the result of a large government investment in the health sector. The influx of foreigners in Costa Rica has also been a big incentive for private hospitals to open and expand their operations.
Tens of thousands of Americans, including many retirees, live in Costa Rica, and more than 700,000 Americans make annual visits. With hundreds of board-certified physicians, surgeons, and dentists practicing in or near the capital city of San José, health travel has gained a strong foothold.
To give you an idea of the savings that can be made by seeking medical procedures in Costa Rica, below is a comparison table of procedures and their cost in the U.S. and Costa Rica according to the Medical Tourism Association.
(Always keep in mind, prices listed are only estimates and can certainly vary based on a number of factors including doctor, facility, and of course complexity of each individual case.)!
Read more about healthcare in Costa Rica on the dedicated page of our website here.
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My husband and I are in Costa Rica right now for extensive dental work at Prisma Dental in San Jose. We figure we are saving 30-50% of what the cost would be in the US. Here is an article I wrote about our experiences: https://magazine.internationalliving.com/internationalliving/library/item/june_2023/4102141/
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I thought I would give an idea of some prices, as I have an appointment for a colonoscopy and it will cost $360. And a mamogram is about $70. I pay around $45 for a general office visit. I have the public Caja insurance and pay out of pocket for other procedures. I just got an insurance from INS (Instituto de Seguro Nacional) for about $16 a month that will also give me some benefits to help reduce those out of pocket costs.
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Just wanted to give a bit more info about costs... I have a colonoscopy schedueld for this weekend and it will cost $360 and a mamogram is about $70. A general office visit costs around $45 and I just bought an additional insurance for about $16 a month from INS (Instituto de Seguro Nacional) which should help reduce some out of pocket costs on some procedures. It is much more affordable to pay out of pocket in Costa Rica.