‘The cost and efficiency is still worth it’: Why Americans are flying to South Korea for $312 healthcare that can cost up to four times more at home

“[South Korea is] a mecca of beauty. Health is somewhat adjacent to that, which made me trust it more,” he told the BBC. “The sheer amount of exams they perform made me comfortable in trusting the healthcare workers.”

Chao is part of a rapidly growing wave of medical tourists heading to South Korea. The country welcomed 2.01 million foreign patients in 2025, a 71.7% increase from the previous year, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare. Most came from China and Japan, followed by Taiwan and the United States.

A fraction of the price

Chao told the BBC he was nervous going into the screening, which included bloodwork, a chest X-ray, an ultrasound and an endoscopy.

“The exam from start to finish took around three hours,” he said. “This included being sedated for an endoscopy… I was told I couldn’t eat for about four hours after the exam because they removed polyps from my stomach.”

Still, he described the experience as “smooth and comfortable” and said the clinic was easy for foreign patients to navigate. His final bill came to 456,706 won, or about $320.

A similar screening in the United States can cost between $500 and $1,500, depending on what’s included. An endoscopy alone can leave insured patients paying around $1,000 or more out of pocket, while the average cost is about $2,700 and can climb much higher without insurance.

Heather Barlow also added a health screening to her trip after her doctor recommended she monitor some ongoing concerns.

“A similar health panel in my home country [of Hong Kong] would cost three to four times of what I paid in Korea,” she told the BBC.

The real cost of care

Lower prices are a big part of medical travel’s appeal, but the cheapest quote may not tell the full story.

Dr. Frank Agullo, a board-certified plastic surgeon in El Paso, Texas, said procedures abroad can cost one-third to one-half of what patients pay in the United States. Even after flights and hotels, the savings can be significant — but the quotes are not always apples-to-apples.

“The price quoted overseas and the price quoted here often are not measuring the same thing. One tends to cover the operation,” he told Moneywise. “The other tends to cover the operation, the facility, the anesthesia and the months that follow.”

For many patients, the real draw is not just the lower price but the ability to get everything done quickly. Instead of waiting months for referrals, approvals and separate appointments, patients can often complete a full range of tests at a South Korean screening centre in a matter of hours.