Aug 1, 2026
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Add us on GoogleWith “looksmaxxing” taking over social media, travelling abroad for cosmetic procedures has moved into the mainstream. But Americans are no longer crossing borders only to change how they look. They’re now increasingly seeking out routine medical care, comprehensive health screenings and treatments that may be more expensive or difficult to access at home.
When Liping Chao booked a flight from Los Angeles to Seoul in the spring of 2026, researching medical clinics became part of his travel planning.
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“[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.”
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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.
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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.
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“For most of the patients I see, the deciding factor was not the discount,”Agullo said. “It was being offered an appointment in two weeks instead of five months.”
What to consider before travelling for medical care
Before booking medical care abroad, patients should think beyond the appointment itself.
“Patients do not usually get into trouble on the operating table abroad,” Agullo said. “They get into trouble three weeks later, at home, when the surgeon who knows what was done is on the other side of a border and nobody local has the operative report.”
The CDC advises travelers to speak with a healthcare professional before leaving and to carefully research both the clinic and the person performing the procedure. That includes checking the surgeon’s training, credentials and certifications through a reputable medical organization, particularly for procedures involving anesthesia or a higher risk of infection or bleeding.
Patients should also ask how long they need to stay, when it is safe to fly and who will handle any complications. Before heading home, they should leave with copies of their medical records, test results and operative report in a language their local doctor can understand.
Then there is the real cost. Flights, hotels, transportation, medication and an unexpectedly longer stay can quickly eat into the savings. Medical care abroad may still be cheaper, but patients should compare the cost of the entire trip, not just the price attached to the procedure.
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Victoria Vesovski is a Toronto-based staff reporter at Moneywise covering personal finance, lifestyle and trending news. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto and New York University, and her work has appeared on platforms including Yahoo Finance, MSN Money and Apple News.
