Total hip replacement (elective, uncomplicated) — side by side
| Where | Reported cost | Notes & source |
|---|---|---|
| China (indicative, platform-reported) | US$9,000–13,000 | 2026 estimates from a medical-tourism platform's partner international hospitals, including a premium Western implant, surgeon and operating-room fees and a 5–7 day inpatient stay; public-hospital packages with domestic implants run lower Source: PlacidWay platform estimates (indicative) |
| United Kingdom (NHS) | £0 at point of use | Free for UK residents; the trade-off is waiting — the national median wait to start treatment was 13.4 weeks (Aug 2025), and trauma & orthopaedics has the largest waiting list of any specialty at 866,426 pathways, 58.8% within 18 weeks Source: NHS England RTT statistics, Aug 2025 |
| United Kingdom (private) | £16,579 average guide price, plus £200 initial consultation | Hospital-group average covering pre-assessment, treatment and post-discharge care; diagnostics extra, and the final price varies by consultant, prosthesis and any pre-existing conditions Source: Nuffield Health hip replacement guide price |
| United States | US$35,263 national average (2018 claims) | Average total expenditure for a full hip or knee replacement under large-employer insurance; metro averages ranged from $25,044 (Baltimore) to $56,739 (New York City) Source: Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker |
Who this is for
Readers weighing a joint replacement who have seen claims that surgery in China costs a fraction of the US price and want the comparison done honestly. Our video library documents the day-to-day of Chinese hospitals rather than joint surgery specifically, so for this procedure the China row uses clearly-labelled platform estimates for international patients, set against NHS, UK private and US figures with sources.
Read the numbers carefully
- The China row is indicative and platform-reported, not observed first-hand in our library: it reflects international-patient packages at partner hospitals. A local patient at a public hospital with a domestic implant typically pays much less.
- The UK rows are two different routes: the NHS price is zero but the median orthopaedic-relevant wait was 13.4 weeks nationally, with trauma & orthopaedics carrying the largest waiting list; private surgery in 2–4 weeks costs five figures.
- The US average is from 2018 large-employer claims and covers the whole episode, implant to discharge; uninsured cash prices and hospital chargemasters can sit far above it.
- Surgeon volume, implant choice, rehab and follow-up matter at least as much as the headline price — and returning home after surgery abroad complicates all of them. Cost is one axis — see our guides before making any decision.