A total hip replacement in the United States typically costs between $30,000 and $112,000 before insurance, depending on where you live and where the surgery is performed. Most people with insurance or Medicare pay far less out of pocket, but the final number depends on your coverage, the facility type, and several post-surgery expenses that aren’t always obvious upfront.
What the Surgery Costs Overall
The total price tag for hip replacement varies enormously by city and hospital. A comparison of U.S. cities found prices ranging from $30,000 on the low end to $112,000 on the high end for the same procedure. For context, the same surgery in Brussels, Belgium costs about $13,660. This wide range reflects differences in facility fees, local cost of living, hospital pricing strategies, and whether the procedure is done as an inpatient stay or a same-day outpatient procedure.
Medicare’s national average approved amount gives a useful benchmark. For an outpatient hip replacement at a hospital, the total Medicare-approved cost is about $14,278. At a freestanding ambulatory surgery center, the approved amount drops to roughly $10,776. These figures reflect what Medicare considers reasonable, not what uninsured patients are billed, which is almost always higher.
Where the Money Actually Goes
Half of the cost of a hip replacement goes to a single item: the implant itself. A detailed cost analysis of hip replacements found the prosthetic device accounts for about 50% of the total, with hospitalization making up another 42%. That leaves the remaining 8% or so split among the surgical team, anesthesia, operating room time, and supplies. These proportions hold fairly steady across different hospitals, meaning the implant is always the biggest line item on the bill.
Your bill will typically include separate charges for the hospital facility fee, the surgeon’s fee, and the anesthesiologist’s fee. Some hospitals bundle these into a single price, while others bill each component separately. If you’re comparing prices between facilities, make sure you’re looking at the same thing.
Inpatient vs. Outpatient: A Major Price Difference
One of the biggest factors in your total cost is whether the surgery is done as an inpatient procedure (with an overnight hospital stay) or as an outpatient procedure (same-day discharge). Research from a large Canadian study found that outpatient hip replacement costs about $3,859 less than inpatient during the surgery period alone. Average costs came in around $7,958 for outpatient patients compared to $12,057 for inpatient.
The savings compound over time. When researchers tracked costs over three years of follow-up, including rehab and any complications, outpatient hip replacement patients cost about $7,058 less overall. Not everyone qualifies for same-day surgery. You generally need to be in good health, have a reliable support person at home, and live within a reasonable distance of the hospital. But if your surgeon offers it and you’re a candidate, it’s worth considering for both the cost savings and the faster return to your own bed.
What You’ll Pay With Medicare
If you have Original Medicare, your out-of-pocket cost for an outpatient hip replacement averages around $1,968 at a hospital outpatient department, or $2,154 at an ambulatory surgery center. However, Medicare caps copayments for hospital outpatient procedures at $1,676, which likely applies to hip replacement. These figures are based on Medicare’s national averages and assume you’ve met your Part B deductible.
Keep in mind that Medicare doesn’t always cover everything surrounding the surgery. Some plans don’t fully cover the medications, lab tests, or physical therapy visits you’ll need afterward. Check your specific plan details before surgery so you know what additional costs to expect.
What You’ll Pay With Private Insurance
With employer-sponsored or marketplace insurance, your out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible, coinsurance rate, and out-of-pocket maximum. If you haven’t met your deductible for the year, you’ll owe that amount first, then typically 10% to 30% of the remaining cost until you hit your plan’s annual cap. For a $40,000 surgery with a $2,000 deductible and 20% coinsurance, you’d owe $2,000 plus 20% of $38,000, totaling $9,600 before your out-of-pocket max kicks in.
Most plans have an out-of-pocket maximum between $4,000 and $9,000 for an individual. If your hip replacement pushes you past that limit, the plan covers 100% of the rest. Since hip surgery is expensive enough to hit most people’s annual cap, your actual cost often ends up being your plan’s out-of-pocket maximum for the year.
Post-Surgery Costs That Add Up
The surgery bill isn’t the whole picture. Physical therapy is the biggest ongoing expense after hip replacement. Home-based PT runs about $157 to $177 per visit depending on your insurance type, and patients who use both home and outpatient therapy spend an average of $2,091 on PT within the first 90 days. Even patients who only do outpatient therapy average about $1,356 in PT costs during that window. Physical therapy accounts for up to 8% of the total cost of the entire episode of care.
You’ll also need some equipment at home during recovery. A walker or crutches, a raised toilet seat, and a grabber tool are standard purchases. These items are relatively inexpensive individually (most cost $20 to $60 each), but they add up. Prescription pain medications and blood thinners to prevent clots are additional costs that your insurance may or may not fully cover. Budget a few hundred dollars for these smaller expenses beyond what your insurance handles.
Revision Surgery Costs Significantly More
If your hip replacement eventually wears out or develops complications and needs to be redone, the second surgery is considerably more expensive. Revision hip surgery costs about 76% more than the original procedure. In one study, revision hip charges averaged $6,908 compared to $3,889 for the primary surgery (these figures represent the direct surgical costs, not the total billed amount). The higher cost reflects longer operating times, more complex surgical work, and often the need for specialized implant components.
Modern hip implants last 15 to 25 years for most people, so revision surgery is more of a concern for patients who get their first replacement at a younger age. If you’re in your 50s or early 60s, it’s worth factoring the possibility of a second surgery into your long-term financial picture.
How to Lower Your Out-of-Pocket Cost
If you have flexibility in timing, scheduling your surgery early in the calendar year can help. Once you hit your insurance plan’s out-of-pocket maximum, follow-up visits, PT, and any complications for the rest of the year are fully covered. If you have the surgery in November, your costs reset in January right when you’re still in recovery.
Ask your surgeon’s office whether they operate at both a hospital and an ambulatory surgery center. The same surgeon performing the same procedure at a freestanding surgery center can save thousands compared to a hospital setting. Request an itemized cost estimate from the facility before scheduling, and call your insurance company to verify what your plan will cover. Some insurers require pre-authorization for hip replacement, and skipping that step can leave you responsible for the entire bill.
For uninsured patients, many hospitals offer cash-pay or bundled pricing that’s significantly lower than the sticker price. It’s always worth asking the billing department about self-pay discounts or payment plans before assuming you’ll owe the full listed amount.