How much does a knee replacement cost on average?

All-in cash prices for an inpatient total knee replacement commonly fall in the $30,000–$50,000 range in U.S. hospital price-transparency data, with outpatient and ambulatory-surgery-center bundles often lower and large academic centers sometimes higher. The figure you actually pay depends heavily on setting, insurance, and whether the quote is bundled or itemized.

Why do knee replacement prices vary so much between hospitals?

Because the price is a bundle of separate charges — facility, implant hardware, surgeon, anesthesia, and rehab — that each hospital negotiates and assembles differently. Implant pricing and whether the case is inpatient or outpatient are two of the biggest swing factors.

Is an outpatient or ASC knee replacement cheaper?

Often, yes. Since 2018 many knee replacements are done as outpatient procedures, and ambulatory surgery centers typically publish lower all-in prices than an inpatient hospital admission because there is no overnight facility charge. Whether you are a candidate for outpatient surgery is a clinical decision your surgeon makes.

What is DRG 469 vs. DRG 470?

They are the Medicare severity diagnosis-related groups for major joint replacement of the lower extremity. DRG 469 is the procedure with a major complication or comorbidity (a sicker patient, longer stay, higher payment); DRG 470 is without. A straightforward case in a healthy patient is grouped under 470.

Does the price include the surgeon and anesthesia?

Not always. The hospital's facility charge and the professional fees (surgeon, anesthesiologist) are frequently billed separately, sometimes by different entities. Always ask whether a quoted price is the full bundle or facility-only.

How can I lower the cost of a knee replacement?

Compare facilities, consider an outpatient or ASC setting if you are a candidate, ask for the bundled self-pay price, and confirm that the facility, surgeon, and anesthesiologist are all in-network. Getting the specific CPT/DRG and an itemized vs. bundled quote in writing prevents surprise bills.

Procedure cost guide

How much does a knee replacement cost?

Nationally, hospitals in the cleartau dataset publish an average cash price of $13,010 for Knee replacement across 1,263 hospitals with cash prices. Published cash prices range from $65 to $156,989, with a median around $8,028.

Knee replacement prices can include different bundles depending on setting, implant hardware, anesthesia, inpatient stay, rehab, and professional fees.

Data last refreshed: May 28, 2026

A total knee replacement (total knee arthroplasty, CPT 27447) is one of the most common major orthopedic procedures in the United States, and one of the most variably priced. In hospital price-transparency files, the all-in cash price for the procedure commonly lands in the $30,000–$50,000 range at hospital inpatient settings, with some large academic centers posting figures well above that and bundled self-pay or ambulatory-surgery-center prices running lower. The single number you see quoted online is almost always an average that hides this spread.

The reason the range is so wide is that "knee replacement cost" is not one price — it is a bundle of separate charges (facility, implant hardware, surgeon, anesthesia, and post-surgical rehab) that each hospital assembles differently. Inpatient stays are grouped under Medicare severity DRG 469 (with major complications) or DRG 470 (without), while the same surgery done as a planned outpatient case is billed under the CPT code. Those are genuinely different price structures, which is why cleartau separates them rather than blending them into one misleading average.

This guide explains what drives the bill and how insurance changes what you actually pay. It aggregates what hospitals themselves publish under the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule — it is reference data, not a personal quote. If surgery has already been scheduled, the most useful next step is to confirm the specific price for your insurance with each hospital's billing office and ask whether the quote is bundled or itemized.

What affects the price

Setting: inpatient vs. outpatient vs. ASC: Since CMS removed total knee replacement from the inpatient-only list in 2018, a growing share of cases are done as outpatient procedures or at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs). ASCs and hospital outpatient departments frequently publish lower all-in prices than a traditional inpatient admission because there is no overnight facility charge. If you are a healthy candidate for outpatient surgery, the setting alone can move the price by many thousands of dollars.
Implant hardware: The prosthetic components (femoral, tibial, and patellar) are a large line item and vary by manufacturer and design. Hospitals negotiate implant pricing separately, and that cost is embedded in the facility charge rather than shown to you directly. This is one reason two hospitals performing the identical surgery can post very different prices.
Complications and length of stay (DRG 469 vs. 470): Inpatient knee replacements are grouped by whether the patient has a major complication or comorbidity (MCC). DRG 469 (with MCC) reflects a sicker patient, a longer stay, and a substantially higher payment than DRG 470 (without MCC). A straightforward case in an otherwise healthy patient lands in the lower group.
Professional fees: The surgeon's fee and the anesthesiologist's fee are often billed separately from the hospital's facility charge, sometimes by a different practice entirely. A facility price quote may not include these. Always ask whether a quoted number is the full bundle or facility-only.
Rehabilitation: Physical therapy after surgery is a real and recurring cost that price files rarely capture. Several weeks of outpatient PT, or a short stay in a rehab facility for less mobile patients, can add materially to the total episode of care even when the surgical price looks complete.

Compare matching hospital price pages

Knee replacement

Surgery to replace a worn-out knee joint with an artificial one.

CPT

Average cash: $13,010
Median: $8,028
Hospitals: 1,263

Cost without insurance

Self-pay patients face the hospital's cash price, which for an inpatient knee replacement is commonly in the tens of thousands of dollars. The published price is the starting point, not the final word — most hospitals have a self-pay discount, a financial-assistance policy, or a flat bundled rate for cash-paying patients that is not always advertised on the price file.

Some orthopedic centers and ASCs offer an explicit bundled cash price for knee replacement that covers the facility, implant, surgeon, and anesthesia in one number. These bundles are often dramatically lower than the sum of itemized charges at a full-service hospital, which is why comparing a few facilities is worth the phone calls.

If you are uninsured, ask each hospital three questions before scheduling: what is the all-in self-pay price, what does it include, and what is the prompt-pay or financial-assistance discount. Getting those answers in writing protects you from a surprise itemized bill later.

Cost with insurance

With commercial insurance, what you owe is governed by your plan's deductible, coinsurance, and out-of-pocket maximum — not by the hospital's chargemaster price. For a procedure this expensive, most insured patients hit their out-of-pocket maximum for the year, so your real cost is often whatever remains of that maximum plus anything billed out-of-network.

The negotiated rate between your insurer and the hospital is usually well below the cash price, but it varies widely by plan and hospital. Staying in-network for the facility, the surgeon, and the anesthesiologist is the most important cost decision — an out-of-network anesthesiologist on an otherwise in-network surgery is a classic source of surprise bills.

Medicare groups inpatient knee replacements under DRG 469/470 and pays the hospital a fixed amount per admission regardless of the listed charges; the patient's share is set by Part A and Part B cost-sharing rules. Medicare Advantage and commercial plans handle it differently, so confirm prior-authorization requirements with your plan before the date of service.

How to pay less

Compare facilities. Prices for the identical procedure vary enormously between hospitals in the same metro area; an ASC or hospital outpatient department is frequently the lower-cost option for a healthy outpatient candidate.

Ask for the bundled self-pay price even if you have insurance — occasionally it beats your in-network cost-sharing, especially if you have a high-deductible plan and have not met the deductible.

Confirm every provider is in-network: facility, surgeon, anesthesiologist, and any assistant. Request the specific CPT/DRG the hospital will bill so you can get an apples-to-apples quote.

Use the live price comparisons below to see what hospitals in the cleartau dataset have published, then call to confirm the figure for your insurance and clinical situation.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a knee replacement cost on average?: All-in cash prices for an inpatient total knee replacement commonly fall in the $30,000–$50,000 range in U.S. hospital price-transparency data, with outpatient and ambulatory-surgery-center bundles often lower and large academic centers sometimes higher. The figure you actually pay depends heavily on setting, insurance, and whether the quote is bundled or itemized.
Why do knee replacement prices vary so much between hospitals?: Because the price is a bundle of separate charges — facility, implant hardware, surgeon, anesthesia, and rehab — that each hospital negotiates and assembles differently. Implant pricing and whether the case is inpatient or outpatient are two of the biggest swing factors.
Is an outpatient or ASC knee replacement cheaper?: Often, yes. Since 2018 many knee replacements are done as outpatient procedures, and ambulatory surgery centers typically publish lower all-in prices than an inpatient hospital admission because there is no overnight facility charge. Whether you are a candidate for outpatient surgery is a clinical decision your surgeon makes.
What is DRG 469 vs. DRG 470?: They are the Medicare severity diagnosis-related groups for major joint replacement of the lower extremity. DRG 469 is the procedure with a major complication or comorbidity (a sicker patient, longer stay, higher payment); DRG 470 is without. A straightforward case in a healthy patient is grouped under 470.
Does the price include the surgeon and anesthesia?: Not always. The hospital's facility charge and the professional fees (surgeon, anesthesiologist) are frequently billed separately, sometimes by different entities. Always ask whether a quoted price is the full bundle or facility-only.
How can I lower the cost of a knee replacement?: Compare facilities, consider an outpatient or ASC setting if you are a candidate, ask for the bundled self-pay price, and confirm that the facility, surgeon, and anesthesiologist are all in-network. Getting the specific CPT/DRG and an itemized vs. bundled quote in writing prevents surprise bills.

Keep comparing

knee replacement prices by hospital — the full package view with per-hospital cash and negotiated rates.
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