Research Article

Medical Tourism Cost Index: A Comparative Analysis of Global Treatment Costs

Volume: 8 Number: 2 January 3, 2026
Turkish Research Journal of Academic Social Science Cover
Turkish Research Journal of Academic Social Science
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Medical Tourism Cost Index: A Comparative Analysis of Global Treatment Costs

Abstract

The globalization of healthcare services and the rising demand for affordable medical procedures have positioned medical tourism as a rapidly expanding component of the global health economy. The Medical Tourism Cost Index 2021 provides a comprehensive overview of international treatment costs across major destinations, highlighting the economic disparities and competitiveness within the healthcare market. This study conducts a comparative analysis of surgical and therapeutic procedure prices in leading medical tourism destinations including the United States, Colombia, India, Jordan, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, Ukraine, and Vietnam. Data from 2021 were evaluated to identify cost variations among countries and regions, focusing on procedures such as angioplasty, bypass surgery, joint replacement, cosmetic surgeries, and ophthalmic treatments. Findings reveal significant differences in medical service pricing, with developing countries in Asia and Eastern Europe offering up to 80% lower costs than those in North America. These results emphasize the critical role of cost in shaping global patient mobility and underscore the importance of strategic policy planning for countries aiming to strengthen their medical tourism competitiveness.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

YOK

Ethical Statement

ETİK BEYANA GEREK YOKTUR.

Thanks

DR.MESUT KARAMAN HOCAYA TEŞEKKÜR EDERİM.

References

  1. Badulescu, D., & Badulescu, A. (2014). Medical tourism: between entrepreneurship opportunities and bioethics boundaries: narrative review article. Iran J Public Health., 43(4), 406–415. PMID: 26005650; PMCID: PMC4433721.
  2. Ganguli, S., & Ebrahim, A. H. (2017). A qualitative analysis of Singapore’s medical tourism competitiveness. Tourism Management Perspectives, 21, 74–84.
  3. Hadian, M., Jabbari, A., Mousavi, S. H., & Sheikhbardsiri, H. (2021). Medical tourism development: A systematic review of economic aspects. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 14(2), 576–582.
  4. Kılavuz, E. (2018). Medical Tourism Competition: The Case of Turkey. International Journal of Health Management and Tourism, 3(1), 42–58.
  5. Latief, A., & Ulfa, M. (2024). Healthcare Facilities and Medical Tourism Across the World: A Bibliometric Analysis. Malays J Med Sci., 31(2), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.3. Epub 2024 Apr 23. PMID: 38694584; PMCID: PMC11057838.
  6. Lunt, N., Smith, R. D., Mannion, R., Green, S. T., Exworthy, M., Hanefeld, J., Horsfall, D., & Machin, L. (2014). Medical tourism: Treatments, markets and health system implications – a scoping review (Health Services and Delivery Research, No. 2.2). Southampton, UK: NIHR Journals Library.
  7. Medical Tourism Association. (2021). Medical Tourism Index (MTI) 2020–2021 Report.
  8. MedicalTourism.com. (2021). Global medical procedure cost comparison database. Retrieved October 2025, from https://www.medicaltourism.com

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Health Management

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Publication Date

January 3, 2026

Submission Date

November 4, 2025

Acceptance Date

November 23, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 8 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.59372/turajas.1817750

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA39SY95YU

Cite

RIS / Bibtex
APA
Yorulmaz, M. (2026). Medical Tourism Cost Index: A Comparative Analysis of Global Treatment Costs. Turkish Research Journal of Academic Social Science, 8(2), 171-176. https://doi.org/10.59372/turajas.1817750

ISSN: 2667-4491

Dear Authors,
According to the February 25, 2020 dated ULAKBIM decision, all kinds of researches conducted with qualitative or quantitative approaches that require data collection from participants using survey, interview, focus group study, observation, experiment, interview techniques, and the use of humans and animals (including materials/data) for experimental or other scientific purposes require an Ethics Committee certificate.

The ethics committee approvals obtained in accordance with the “publication policy” of the articles submitted to the Turkish Academic Social Sciences Research Journal must be specified in the METHOD section of the article and uploaded to the system. Publications with plagiarism report over 20% and studies without ethics committee approval will not be evaluated for publication in our journal.
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This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License 

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