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Price report · Knee replacement

Knee replacement abroad or at home: waits and published prices compared

We read what clinics in 8 countries publish for a knee replacement and set it against the official wait and the self-pay price in the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US. Price unit: one primary total knee replacement on one side, with the implant and hospital stay. Partial knees and fees without the implant are shown but not compared.

Updated 26 October 2026 · Every figure links to its source

Countries with a price
5 of 8Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Hungary and Thailand
Lowest abroad
£4,880Thailand, before travel
UK private
£16,910lowest published self-pay price
Price lines read
1212 providers

Short answer

Providers in 5 countries publish a price for a knee replacement that we could check. Converted to pounds, they run from £4,880 to £9,720, before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £16,910.

Countries with a price
5 of 8: Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Hungary and Thailand
Range abroad
about £4,880 to £9,720 before travel
UK private
about £16,910
NHS England
61.1% within 18 weeks (all orthopaedics) (August 2026)
Price is for
one primary total knee replacement on one side, with the implant and hospital stay. Partial knees and fees without the implant are shown but not compared

Key findings

  1. 4 of 8 countries publish a comparable price (1 more only inside bundles). The lowest is Thailand at £4,880; the highest published figure is £9,720, before travel.
  2. From the UK, 4 of 4 countries are cheaper than a private knee replacement at home before travel, and 4 after an example flight and 10 hotel nights. The lowest UK self-pay price we found is £16,910.
  3. Official waits: England, 61.1% within 18 weeks (all orthopaedics) (August 2026), Canada (national), median 146 days; 1 in 10 waited over 361 days (2025) and Ireland (public hospitals), about 35% waiting over 6 months (all orthopaedic surgery) (24 September 2026).
  4. No verified comparable price in South Korea, Japan and China. A gap means we could not find a price the provider publishes itself, not that the treatment is unavailable.

Figure 1Lowest to highest comparable price, by country (GBP, before travel)

Each bar runs from the lowest to the highest published price that matches the unit; the dashed line is the lowest UK self-pay price we found. Converted at the ECB rate. Click a country for every price line.

Figure 2Cheapest total trip from each home country

Cheapest total trip for a knee replacement from the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US
FromMexicoPolandHungaryThailandPay at home
UK£11,320£5,840£6,320£6,430from £16,910
CanadaC$20,190C$11,800C$12,740C$12,120not verified
Ireland€13,510€6,920€7,490€7,570not verified
US$14,400$8,570$9,220$8,920from $29,100
Lowest published price plus an example return flight and 10 hotel nights, in each reader's currency. Green means the trip costs less than the lowest self-pay price at home. Flights and hotels are round examples, not quotes: put in your own.

What a knee replacement is

A total knee replacement resurfaces the worn ends of the thigh and shin bones with metal and plastic parts, usually for arthritis pain. Recovery takes weeks of daily exercises, and some stiffness is common at first. A partial (one-compartment) knee replacement is a smaller operation with a different price, so compare like with like.

Knee replacement prices by country

The range in each country covers only the prices that match the unit above. Click a country for every price line, what it includes, and how to book as a visitor.

Knee replacement published prices by country
CountryProvidersIn GBPIn CADIn EURIn USD
Mexico1£9,720C$18,190€11,610$13,000
Turkey1not comparablenot comparablenot comparablenot comparable
Poland5£4,920–£7,410C$9,200–C$13,870€5,870–€8,850$6,570–$9,910
Hungary2£5,370C$10,040€6,410$7,170
Thailand1£4,880C$9,120€5,820$6,520

No page yet for South Korea, Japan and China: we did not find a published price there that we could verify.

Waiting and paying at home

The latest official waiting figure in each country, and what providers there publish as a self-pay price.

Waiting times and self-pay prices at home for knee replacement
Where you liveOfficial waitPay at home
UK61.1% within 18 weeks (all orthopaedics)England, August 2026£16,910
CanadaMedian 146 days; 1 in 10 waited over 361 daysCanada (national), 2025Not verified
IrelandAbout 35% waiting over 6 months (all orthopaedic surgery)Ireland (public hospitals), 24 September 2026Not verified
USNo national figure$29,1002021 hospital data or a dental school

Of the places we cover, only Canada publishes a national wait for this operation itself. England and Ireland publish waits for orthopaedics as a whole, which includes many other operations, so read those figures as a rough guide.

Add your flight and hotel

Choose where you live and the calculator lines up your wait, your price at home and each country's price plus travel for a knee replacement.

Open the calculator

How to compare knee replacement prices

  • Check whether the price is for a total or a partial knee, and whether the implant is included.
  • Ask for the implant make and model in writing, and how many nights in hospital and physiotherapy sessions are included.
  • Robot-assisted surgery usually costs more. Ask what it adds in your case.
  • Ask when you can fly and how blood clots are prevented during the trip home.

Do not travel for a knee replacement if

  • Anyone whose home surgeon has not confirmed that a knee replacement is the right operation.
  • Serious heart or lung disease, or a recent blood clot, unless the hospital’s anaesthetist has reviewed you in advance.
  • Anyone who cannot keep up daily exercises after surgery or has no help at home.

Before you book

  • Send recent X-rays and a list of your medicines, and ask for a written, itemised quote with the implant named.
  • Arrange physiotherapy at home for after you return before you book.
  • Check your travel insurance covers planned surgery abroad and a delayed flight home. Most standard policies do not.

After you come home

  • Give your GP and physiotherapist the operation note with the implant details.
  • A hot, swollen calf, chest pain or breathlessness after the flight need emergency care straight away.

Bringing results home so your own doctor can use them is covered in how to bring your results home.

Knee replacement abroad: questions

Where is a knee replacement cheapest abroad?

Before flights, the lowest published prices we found are in Thailand (about £4,880), Poland (about £4,920 to £7,410) and Hungary (about £5,370). The cheapest country is not always the cheapest trip: a short flight can matter more than the price difference.

How long is the wait for a knee replacement on the NHS?

In England, 61.1% within 18 weeks (all orthopaedics) in August 2026: Trauma and orthopaedics as a whole, not knee replacement alone: share of people waiting who were within 18 weeks of referral (843,419 waiting; 4 trusts did not submit data). Waits vary by hospital, and an urgent referral is faster.

How much does a private knee replacement cost in the UK?

about £16,910 at the UK providers we checked, before any consultant fees they list separately.

What does the price of a knee replacement usually include?

On this site the price should cover one primary total knee replacement on one side, with the implant and hospital stay. Partial knees and fees without the implant are shown but not compared. Check whether the price is for a total or a partial knee, and whether the implant is included.

How long do I need to stay abroad for a knee replacement?

About 10 to 14 days in many cases: 2 to 4 nights in hospital, then physiotherapy near the clinic until the surgeon says you can fly. Ask for the clinic’s own rule. Ask the clinic for the schedule in writing before you book flights.

Sources

  1. Cennik: zabiegi ortopedyczne. KORT Klinika (Opole). Read 26 October 2026.
  2. Ile kosztuje endoproteza kolana w Polsce w 2026 roku?. Klinika Silesia (Opole). Read 26 October 2026.
  3. Cennik: ortopedia. KCM Clinic (Jelenia Góra). Read 26 October 2026.
  4. Cennik: ortopedia, staw kolanowy. Szpital św. Wojciecha (Poznań). Read 26 October 2026.
  5. Cennik Szpitala im. prof. M. Weissa: operacje ortopedyczne. Mazowieckie Centrum Rehabilitacji “Stocer” (gov.pl). Read 26 October 2026.
  6. Csípőprotézis (árak, incl. térdprotézis). CMed Magánkórház (Székesfehérvár). Read 26 October 2026.
  7. Áraink: ortopédia. Semmelweis Premium (Budapest). Read 26 October 2026.
  8. Knee replacement surgery cost: what determines the price at home and abroad. Acıbadem Healthcare Group (international patients). Read 26 October 2026.
  9. Knee replacement procedure. Mexico Orthopedic Center (Tijuana). Read 26 October 2026.
  10. Total Knee Replacement Package. Ratchaphruek Hospital, Khon Kaen. Read 26 October 2026.
  11. Knee replacement. Nuffield Health. Read 26 October 2026.
  12. Price transparency in hospitals: cash prices for common services (Jiang, Makary, Bai), JAMA Network Open. JAMA Network Open, via PubMed Central, 21 December 2021. Read 26 October 2026.
  13. Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times statistical press notice, August 2026. NHS England, 8 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  14. Wait times for priority procedures in Canada, 2008 to 2025: data tables. Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), 25 June 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  15. Open data: inpatient/day case waiting list by specialty, 2026. National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  16. Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.