🧮 Cost estimator
What treatment in China costs, what a real quote has to itemise, and the costs most patients only discover after they arrive.
Planning ranges by procedure
| Procedure | China (ref.) | US (ref.) | UK (ref.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic MRI, single region | $55–400 | $1,000–3,000 | $500–1,200 |
| Comprehensive health check-up | $140–2,800 | $3,000–10,000 | $1,500–5,000 |
| Dental implant, per tooth | $420–2,100 | $3,000–6,000 | $2,000–4,000 |
| Cataract surgery, per eye | $700–2,500 | $3,500–7,000 | $2,500–4,500 |
| Knee replacement, one knee | $7,600–11,800 | $35,000–50,000 | $18,000–30,000 |
| Hip replacement, one hip | $7,000–17,000 | $40,000–70,000 | $15,000–25,000 |
| Heart bypass (CABG) | $15,000–25,000 | $70,000–130,000 | ≈$36,000 |
| IVF, one standard cycle | $4,000–9,000 | $12,000–25,000 | $6,000–12,000 |
| CAR-T cell therapy | $40,000–80,000 | $400,000–600,000 | limited availability |
Reference ranges from public sources and international-department listings (2025–2026, USD at ≈7.1 RMB). Not quotes. The treating hospital quotes in writing against your records, and that figure is the only one that binds anyone.
What a real quote has to itemise
If a quote is a single number, it is not a quote. Ask for it broken into these lines, and treat a refusal as an answer in itself.
- Surgeon's fee — and whether the named surgeon is the one who actually operates.
- Anaesthesia, separately from the surgery.
- The implant or device, named by brand and model. This is the largest single variable in orthopaedics and cardiology.
- Hospital bed days — and the daily rate if you stay longer than planned.
- Intensive care, priced per day. Ask what happens to the bill if you need it.
- Laboratory, imaging and pathology during the admission.
- Medication during the stay, and what you take home.
- Interpretation — is it included, and for how many hours a day?
- Follow-up consultations after discharge, and whether they are inside the figure.
What is usually not included
These are the costs that turn a headline saving into a smaller one. None of them is hidden exactly, but none of them is usually in the first number you are given either.
- Flights, for you and anyone travelling with you — and for a companion, that is a second ticket.
- Accommodation for the whole stay, which for joint replacement can be three to four weeks.
- Visa fees, and the cost of obtaining and translating documents.
- Medical records translation and notarisation, if the hospital requires certified copies.
- Complications. A revision, an infection or a longer intensive-care stay is billed on top.
- Time off work for two people, which for many patients is the largest real cost of all.
How to sanity-check any number
- Compare like with like. A hospital's “package price” often stops at discharge; another's includes follow-up. The cheaper headline is frequently the more expensive episode.
- Ask what happens if the plan changes. Surgery is often revised once the surgeon sees the imaging or opens the joint. Ask how the price is adjusted.
- Ask who holds the money. Payment should go to a hospital account, never to an individual. If a coordinator asks for a deposit to a personal account, stop.
- Get it in writing, on hospital letterhead. A WhatsApp message from an agent is not a quotation, and it will not help you if the final bill differs.
Send us the diagnosis and the procedure you are considering, and we will get a written, itemised range from the treating hospital rather than a headline number.
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