A breast augmentation in the US typically costs between $6,000 and $12,000 total, though prices in major cities can push well above that. The surgeon’s fee alone ranges from $4,575 to $8,000 according to 2024 data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, but that number doesn’t include several other charges that make up the final bill.
What the Total Price Includes
The surgeon’s fee is only one piece of the cost. On top of it, you’ll pay separately for anesthesia, the operating facility, the implants themselves, prescriptions, medical tests, and post-surgery compression garments. These additional costs can add thousands to the bottom line, which is why the total price is significantly higher than the surgeon’s fee alone.
The type of implant you choose also affects the price. Silicone implants run roughly $1,000 more than saline. Breast augmentation using fat grafting (where fat is transferred from another part of your body) averages around $5,719 for the surgeon’s fee compared to $4,875 for implant-based augmentation. Each approach has its own set of facility and anesthesia costs on top of those figures.
How Location Changes the Price
Where you get the procedure done is one of the biggest cost factors. High-cost metro areas like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami tend to run $2,000 to $5,000 above the national average. Here’s how total costs compare across different cities:
- New York, NY: $8,000 to $20,000+
- Los Angeles, CA: $7,000 to $15,000
- Miami, FL: $7,500 to $16,000
- San Francisco, CA: $7,500 to $12,000
- Las Vegas, NV: $8,000 to $14,000
- Dallas, TX: $6,000 to $10,000
- Austin, TX: $5,500 to $9,000
- Phoenix, AZ: $6,500 to $9,500
- Kansas City, MO: $5,500 to $8,500
The gap between a midsize city and a coastal metro can easily be $5,000 or more for the same procedure. Some people travel to lower-cost regions specifically to save on surgery, though you’ll want to factor in travel, lodging, and follow-up visits if you go that route.
Insurance Almost Never Covers It
Elective breast augmentation is classified as cosmetic surgery, meaning it reshapes normal body structures for appearance purposes. Insurance companies do not cover cosmetic procedures. The full cost is out of pocket.
The exception is reconstructive breast surgery. If you need breast reconstruction due to a congenital defect, trauma, infection, tumor, or disease (including after mastectomy), that is considered reconstructive rather than cosmetic and is typically covered by insurance. Coverage can even extend to surgery on the opposite breast to achieve symmetry, which may include augmentation as part of the reconstruction process.
Financing and Payment Plans
Since insurance won’t cover elective augmentation, most plastic surgery practices offer financing through medical credit cards like CareCredit or Alphaeon Credit. These cards provide credit lines up to $25,000 with promotional periods that may carry no interest if you pay off the balance within a set timeframe. Outside the promotional window, interest rates on medical credit cards tend to be high, often comparable to standard credit cards, so reading the terms carefully matters.
Many surgeons also offer in-house payment plans. Some require a deposit upfront with the remainder split into monthly installments before or after the procedure. The specifics vary widely between practices, so it’s worth asking during your consultation what options are available.
Long-Term Costs to Plan For
The initial surgery isn’t the last expense. Breast implants are not lifetime devices. While there’s no fixed expiration date, many people end up needing revision surgery at some point, whether due to changes in implant position, capsular contracture (scar tissue hardening around the implant), rupture, or simply wanting a different size. Revision surgery carries its own set of surgeon, anesthesia, facility, and implant fees.
Some of these costs may be partially offset by implant warranties offered by manufacturers, which can cover the cost of replacement implants and sometimes contribute toward surgical fees if a rupture or deflation occurs. But the warranties don’t cover the full cost of revision, and they have specific terms and time limits.
For silicone implants specifically, the FDA has recommended periodic imaging to check for silent ruptures, since silicone leaks don’t always cause noticeable symptoms. MRI screenings add another recurring cost over the life of the implants. Planning for at least one revision surgery over a 10 to 20 year span gives a more realistic picture of the total lifetime investment, which can add another $5,000 to $10,000 or more beyond the original procedure.