Best countries for knee replacement surgery abroad (2026)

By Saher Shodhan·Updated 31 October 2026·All guides

Home › Guides › Best countries for knee replacement surgery abroad (2026)

No country is best for everyone. On 3 Polish hospitals' own price lists a total knee replacement costs £5,425 to £7,317, and 2 published lists covering 15 Turkish hospitals put it at £5,400 to £10,186 (checked 6 Oct 2026) [1]. Germany and Thailand have too few price lists to quote. At a UK private hospital the same operation costs £13,799 to £20,995 if you pay for it yourself, on the hospitals' own pages checked on 30 Oct 2026 [2] [3]. Before you decide, the NHS says you "should discuss your plans with a GP before making any final decisions about travel or medical arrangements" [6].

Written by Saher Shodhan. Every price on this page was checked against the provider's own page on 30 Oct 2026, or against the hospitals' own price lists in our price index on 6 Oct 2026, as each row says. Sources are numbered at the end.

This guide compares the countries UK patients look at for a knee replacement: how many hospitals there publish a full price, how far away they are, and where you can check a hospital and a surgeon yourself. What each hospital charges is on the hip and knee price list, hospital by hospital.

Countries compared: the short answer

Country	Full published prices we hold	Price range	Flight from the UK	Where to check the hospital and surgeon
Poland (EU)	3 price lists. 3 more leave out the implant, so they are not counted.	£5,425 to £7,317	Short haul	RPWDL for hospitals; the medical chamber register for doctors (Polish, with a captcha)
Turkey	From 2 published price lists, covering 15 hospitals. Neither list says what the price includes.	£5,400 to £10,186	Medium haul	The Ministry of Health list of providers authorised for international patients; no public register of doctors
Germany (EU)	2 price lists	Too few price lists to quote	Short haul	Ask the hospital for its licence and your surgeon's registration in writing
Lithuania (EU)	1 price list, which leaves out the implant	Too few price lists to quote	Short haul	VASPVT licence registers for clinics and doctors
Latvia (EU)	None	No price lists held	Short haul	The Health Inspectorate's registers of institutions and practitioners (Latvian only)
Thailand	2 price lists	Too few price lists to quote	Long haul	Ask the hospital for its licence and your surgeon's registration in writing
India	None	No price lists held	Long haul	The Indian Medical Register of doctors and the NABH hospital directory
UK private, self-pay	Hospitals' own price pages	£13,799 to £20,995	None	The CQC for hospitals and the GMC register for doctors

Abroad: Thera Travel clinic price index, hospitals' own published price lists, checked 6 Oct 2026 [1]. UK: Practice Plus Group's fixed price to Cromwell Hospital's fixed-price package, checked 30 Oct 2026 [2] [3]. Flight descriptions are general, not timed: check your own route.

Comparing options for your own treatment? Ask us, free →

Flights, hotel nights, a companion's costs and anything a package leaves out come on top of any price abroad. The NHS says that if saving money is your main reason, factor in "the possibility of extending your stay if necessary and the cost of possible return trips" [7].

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How we compare countries

We do not rank countries. We count how many hospitals in each one publish a full price for a total knee replacement on their own website, and we read what each price covers. Each price list counts once, at its entry price, converted to pounds at the European Central Bank rate of 6 Oct 2026 [1]. A price that leaves out the implant is kept on record but left out of any range, because no patient pays it: on 6 Oct 2026 that applied to hospitals including 3 in Poland, 3 in Hungary and 1 clinic in Lithuania [1].

We quote a range when at least three separate price lists stand behind it, and say how many. Below that we say there are too few to quote, except Turkey, where 2 lists cover 15 hospitals and we give the figures with that caveat [1]. The full method is on the clinic price index, and how we choose and check sources is in our editorial policy and how we check a clinic.

The countries UK patients look at

Poland

Three Polish hospitals' own price lists put a total knee replacement at £5,425 to £7,317, and three more publish a price that leaves out the implant (checked 6 Oct 2026) [1]. What each includes differs. Poland is in the EU and is a short-haul flight from the UK. Its register of healthcare providers, RPWDL, is public and searchable. The FCDO's travel advice for Poland was last updated on 11 Aug 2026 [12]. Read more in knee replacement in Poland: cost and checks.

Turkey

Two published price lists, covering 15 Turkish hospitals, 14 of them in one group, put a total knee replacement at £5,400 to £10,186 (checked 6 Oct 2026) [1]. Neither list says what the price includes. Turkey publishes a list of hospitals authorised to treat international patients but has no public register of doctors, so ask the hospital for your surgeon's details in writing. The FCDO's travel advice, updated on 27 Oct 2026, says "We are aware of 7 British nationals having died in Turkey in 2025 following medical procedures" and that the GHIC and EHIC "are not valid in Turkey" [10]. Read more in knee replacement in Turkey.

Lithuania and Latvia

The one Lithuanian knee price we hold covers the operation only, with the implant priced separately, so we do not count it (round of 6 Oct 2026) [1]. One public body, VASPVT, licenses both clinics and doctors in Lithuania, and you can search both. We hold no knee replacement price from Latvia. Latvia's Health Inspectorate keeps public registers in Latvian only, so expect to search by hand. See knee replacement in Lithuania and knee surgery in Latvia.

Germany

Two German hospitals publish a full price, too few to quote a range (round of 6 Oct 2026) [1]. Germany is in the EU and a short-haul flight away.

Further afield: Thailand and India

Two Thai hospitals publish a full price, too few to quote a range, and we hold no knee replacement price from an Indian hospital (round of 6 Oct 2026) [1]. Both are long-haul flights. The FCDO's travel advice for India, updated on 7 Oct 2026, says to "discuss plans with your UK doctor before going ahead with any medical procedures abroad" [11]. The NHS adds that the S2 and EU directive funding routes do not apply outside Europe [6].

When this may not be right for you

NHS treatment is free. In August 2026, 843,419 people were waiting for trauma and orthopaedic treatment in England, 61.1% had waited under 18 weeks, and the median wait was about 14 weeks (13.8) [4] [5]. These figures cover all trauma and orthopaedic treatment, not knee replacements alone, and NHS England publishes the September 2026 figures on 12 Nov 2026. If you are likely to wait longer than the maximum time, the NHS says "You have the legal right to ask for your appointment to be moved to a different provider" [13].

Abroad, the NHS checklist says "You should stay in the country where you've had treatment for a suitable length of time to recover before travelling home" [7]. The further away the hospital, the longer that journey home. Your UK private options and prices are compared in our cost guide.

Before you pay a deposit

Checks to make yourself before any money changes hands:

Registration: find the hospital on its country's official register under the company name on your quote, and look up your surgeon where the country has a public register of doctors.
Implant: ask which implant brand and model you will get, and for a written implant record with the model and serial numbers when you leave.
What the price covers: nights in hospital, physiotherapy, the implant, tests and transfers, in writing.
Aftercare plan: who sees you for your follow-up check, and how your notes reach your GP, in English.
Complications cover: what happens, and who pays, if you need help with the new knee after you are back in the UK.

The NHS says to think carefully before booking if there is "a hard sell", "pressure to make a quick decision", "no discussion of possible complications" or "no mention of aftercare" [7]. Our 15 questions to ask a hospital abroad give you the wording.

Clinics we hold, by country

Each has a free summary page: the register entry we found, the Google listings and any published prices. Thera is free for patients. No clinic can pay to change the prices we publish.

Poland12 orthopaedic clinics with a free summary page
Lithuania5 orthopaedic clinics with a free summary page
Latvia4 orthopaedic clinics with a free summary page
Turkey65 orthopaedic clinics with a free summary page
Germany5 orthopaedic clinics with a free summary page
India17 orthopaedic clinics with a free summary page

Aftercare back in the UK: what the NHS will and will not do

The NHS says "You'll need to be aware of how your aftercare will be provided when you return home" [6]. After a knee replacement on the NHS, "you'll usually leave the hospital 1 to 4 days after the operation" and have "a follow-up appointment about 6 weeks after the operation" [8]. Abroad, agree before you go who does that check and where.

Talk to your GP first. The NHS checklist says "As the doctor could be involved in your aftercare, discuss with them how to transfer medical notes to the overseas team" [7].
If things go wrong. The NHS says that, for treatment you arrange abroad, "the NHS is not liable for negligence or failure of treatment" [6]. The FCDO says it "cannot usually help if you have travelled abroad for medical treatment" [9].
Funding. Your GHIC or EHIC "does not cover going abroad for planned medical treatments" [6], and the S2 route "applies to public healthcare providers only" and "does not cover private treatment" [14].
Insurance. The NHS says "Most travel insurance policies will not cover you for planned treatment abroad, so you may need specialist cover" [6].

Our guides to travelling after knee surgery and to the whole trip, step by step go further. For the same comparison for a hip, see the best countries for a hip replacement abroad.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best country for a knee replacement?

There is no single best country: the hospital, the surgeon and the plan for afterwards matter more than the flag. On 3 Polish hospitals' own price lists a total knee replacement costs £5,425 to £7,317 (checked 6 Oct 2026) [1]. Poland, Germany, Lithuania and Latvia are in the EU and a short-haul flight from the UK.

How much cheaper is a knee replacement in Europe?

In Poland, 3 hospitals' own price lists put a total knee replacement at £5,425 to £7,317 (checked 6 Oct 2026) [1]. In the UK, self-pay prices run from £13,799 to £20,995 (checked 30 Oct 2026) [2] [3]. Travel, hotel nights and anything the price leaves out come on top, and several European hospitals leave the implant out of their price [1]. Each hospital's own price abroad is on the hip and knee price list.

Is it safe to have a knee replacement abroad?

The NHS describes a knee replacement as "a common and safe procedure. However, as with any operation there are risks" [15]. The FCDO says standards of medical facilities and treatments abroad "can vary widely and may differ from UK standards" [9]. Check the hospital and surgeon on their registers, get the price and aftercare plan in writing, and talk to your GP before you book.

Sources

Thera Travel, clinic price index (knee replacement rows; each hospital's price on the hip and knee price list): hospitals' own published price lists, converted at the European Central Bank rate of 6 Oct 2026. Poland £5,425 to £7,317, 3 price lists; Turkey £5,400 to £10,186, 2 lists covering 15 hospitals; Germany 2 lists and Thailand 2, too few to quote; lists that leave out the implant kept out of the range. Checked 6 Oct 2026.
Practice Plus Group, private patient prices: knee replacement £13,799. Checked 30 Oct 2026.
Cromwell Hospital, knee replacement surgery: fixed-price package from £20,995. Checked 30 Oct 2026.
NHS England, referral to treatment waiting times, August 2026, statistical press notice, table 1, Trauma and Orthopaedic Service (excludes 4 trusts that did not send data). Published 8 Oct 2026.
NHS England, incomplete pathways by commissioner, August 2026, national sheet, Trauma and Orthopaedics median wait 13.8 weeks (an estimate from grouped data). Published 8 Oct 2026.
NHS, Going abroad for medical treatment (page last reviewed 13 Oct 2023). Read 31 Oct 2026.
NHS, Treatment abroad checklist (page last reviewed 19 Nov 2023). Read 31 Oct 2026.
NHS, Recovering from a knee replacement (page last reviewed 9 Sep 2026). Read 31 Oct 2026.
GOV.UK (FCDO), Medical emergencies, treatment and hospitalisation abroad, section "Going abroad for medical treatment and planned elective surgery" (updated 7 Jun 2024). Read 31 Oct 2026.
GOV.UK (FCDO), Turkey travel advice: health, section "Medical tourism". Updated 27 Oct 2026. Read 31 Oct 2026.
GOV.UK (FCDO), India travel advice: health. Updated 7 Oct 2026. Read 31 Oct 2026.
GOV.UK (FCDO), travel advice for Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Germany (each updated 11 Aug 2026) and Thailand (updated 12 Oct 2026). Read 31 Oct 2026.
NHS, Your choices in the NHS. Read 30 Oct 2026.
NHS, The Planned Treatment Scheme (S2 funding route). Read 31 Oct 2026.
NHS, Complications of a knee replacement (page last reviewed 9 Sep 2026). Read 31 Oct 2026.

This guide is general information, not medical advice.

Clinics UK patients look at

The four with the most Google reviews among the orthopaedic clinics we hold. Each has a free page with its records.

Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, ChennaiChennai, India

KIMS-Sunshine Hospitals, BegumpetHyderabad (Begumpet), India

Yashoda Hospitals, SomajigudaHyderabad (Somajiguda, Raj Bhavan Road), India

Yashoda Hospitals, MalakpetHyderabad (Malakpet, Nalgonda X Roads), India

Written by Saher Shodhan

Saher Shodhan is the founder of Thera Travel, which publishes what the official records show about clinics abroad, each fact with the date it was checked, and answers patients' enquiries, free. More about Thera → How we write and check our guides →