Knee Replacement Cost Calculator
Estimate what a knee replacement costs in 2026 by procedure type, facility and region — then see what insurance, Medicare or a cash-pay bundle would actually leave you paying. Built from 2026 CMS price data (CPT 27447), hospital price-transparency benchmarks and published cost breakdowns.
Medical & financial disclaimer: This tool gives planning estimates, not quotes and not medical advice. Prices vary widely by surgeon, implant brand, hospital contract and your health plan. Whether you need a partial, total, robotic, revision or bilateral procedure — and whether outpatient surgery is safe for you — can only be decided by your orthopedic surgeon. Always request a written good-faith estimate from the facility (your right under the federal hospital price transparency rule).
Leave out-of-pocket max at 0 to skip the insurance math. Insurer allowed amount is modeled at 55% of the billed total; cash bundles at 25% below billed.
Total episode (procedure + rehab)
Procedure bill
Rehab (PT visits)
Negotiated cash-pay bundle
Medicare patient share (20%)
Your insured share
Planning estimate — not a quote, not medical advice.
Where the bill actually comes from
A knee replacement bill is not one price; it is a bundle of five cost components, and the facility you choose moves the total more than the implant brand. The 2026 same-day outpatient benchmark (mymedicineadvisor) breaks down like this:
| Component | Same-day outpatient | Hospital inpatient (2–3 nights) |
|---|---|---|
| Facility fee (OR, nursing, overhead) | $8,000 – $12,000 | $15,000 – $25,000 |
| Surgeon professional fee | $4,500 – $7,000 | $4,500 – $7,000 |
| Anesthesia | $1,200 – $2,000 | $1,500 – $2,800 |
| Implant device | $7,000 – $11,000 | $7,000 – $11,000 |
| Overnight nursing care | $0 | $4,000 – $8,000 |
| Pharmacy | $300 – $600 | $800 – $1,500 |
| Average total | $18,000 | $33,000 |
Source: mymedicineadvisor.com, "Knee Replacement 2026". Implants alone can run $8,000–$15,000 per furilia's hospital breakdown — but the facility fee is the lever you control.
Procedure types and their base costs (ASC, same-day)
| Procedure type | Base (ASC) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Partial (unicompartmental) | $15,000 | ~21% below total; only for single-compartment damage (modeling estimate) |
| Total knee replacement | $19,000 | Outpatient benchmark, mymedicineadvisor avg $18,000 (2026) |
| Robotic-assisted total | $24,500 | +$5,500 vs manual; robotic adds $3,000-$8,000 (mymedicineadvisor) |
| Bilateral (both knees, one stay) | $35,000 | One-stay both knees; band $28,000-$45,000 (modeling estimate) |
| Revision (re-do of prior implant) | $30,000 | 1.5x total; longer OR, specialized implants (modeling estimate) |
Facility type: the $11,000+ decision
CMS 2026 price-lookup data for total knee replacement (CPT 27447) shows why site of care dominates the bill. A hospital outpatient department bills a 35% premium over an ASC (Becker's ASC Review); an inpatient stay with 2–3 nights runs about 75% above same-day. Modeled on a total replacement in the Midwest:
| Facility | Multiplier | Total knee, Midwest | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASC (same-day surgery center) | 1.0x | $17,100 | Lowest overhead; discharge in ~8 hours |
| Hospital outpatient dept | 1.35x | $23,085 | 35% premium over ASC (CMS 2026: $14,275 vs $10,552) |
| Hospital inpatient (2-3 nights) | 1.75x | $29,925 | 75% above ASC; adds $4,000-$8,000 overnight nursing |
CMS 2026: ASC total cost $10,552 (patient pays $2,109); hospital outpatient $14,275 (patient pays $1,967). Note the HOPD patient's Medicare share is slightly lower even though the total is higher — Medicare cost-sharing math is its own puzzle.
Worked examples (verified against the engine)
Example 1 — Insured, total knee, ASC, Midwest.
Procedure bill: $19,000 × 1.00 (ASC) × 0.90 (Midwest) = $17,100.
Insurance: deductible remaining $2,000, 20% coinsurance, $8,000 out-of-pocket max.
Allowed amount $17,100 × 55% = $9,405. Patient pays $2,000 deductible + 20% × ($9,405 − $2,000) = $1,481 → $3,481 out of pocket.
Procedure bill: $19,000 × 1.00 (ASC) × 0.90 (Midwest) = $17,100.
Insurance: deductible remaining $2,000, 20% coinsurance, $8,000 out-of-pocket max.
Allowed amount $17,100 × 55% = $9,405. Patient pays $2,000 deductible + 20% × ($9,405 − $2,000) = $1,481 → $3,481 out of pocket.
Example 2 — Self-pay, robotic total, inpatient hospital, California.
Procedure bill: $24,500 × 1.75 (inpatient) × 1.35 (California) = $57,881.
Negotiated cash bundle at 25% below billed: $57,881 × 0.75 = $43,411 (planning figure — get the bundle in writing).
Procedure bill: $24,500 × 1.75 (inpatient) × 1.35 (California) = $57,881.
Negotiated cash bundle at 25% below billed: $57,881 × 0.75 = $43,411 (planning figure — get the bundle in writing).
Rehab is a second bill
Surgery is billed separately from rehabilitation. A typical course — 6 home-PT visits plus 12 outpatient sessions at about $150 each — adds $2,700. Full episode for the Example-1 scenario: $17,100 + $2,700 = $19,800. Budget it explicitly; patients who skip PT risk stiffness that can require a second, far more expensive procedure.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a knee replacement cost in 2026?
- A typical total knee replacement bills about $19,000 at an ambulatory surgery center in the Midwest, rising to $44,888 or more for an inpatient hospital stay in California. Nationally, outpatient procedures average around $18,000 while 2-3 night hospital stays average about $33,000 (mymedicineadvisor, 2026). Your out-of-pocket depends far more on your insurance and where the surgery is done than on the implant itself.
- Is partial knee replacement cheaper than total knee replacement?
- Yes. A partial (unicompartmental) knee replacement replaces only the damaged compartment and typically costs about $15,000 at an outpatient center versus $19,000 for a total replacement at the same facility — roughly 21% less. Not every patient is a candidate; your surgeon decides based on how many compartments of the knee are damaged.
- How much does a robotic knee replacement cost?
- Robotic-assisted total knee replacement typically adds $3,000-$8,000 to a standard procedure (mymedicineadvisor, 2026). This calculator models robotic at $24,500 at an ASC base, about $5,500 above a manual total replacement. Published data reports about 23% better component alignment with robotic assistance, but cost-effectiveness varies by surgeon volume and facility.
- What does a bilateral knee replacement (both knees) cost?
- Replacing both knees during one hospital stay is typically estimated at $28,000-$45,000 for the facility episode at an outpatient setting (this tool models $35,000 as the base). This is usually cheaper than two separate surgeries because facility and anesthesia costs are shared, but recovery is harder and rehab takes longer. Staged bilateral (two separate operations) roughly doubles most cost components.
- Why is an ASC so much cheaper than a hospital for knee replacement?
- The biggest driver is the facility fee: CMS 2026 price data (CPT 27447) shows an average facility fee of $9,393 at an ambulatory surgery center versus $13,116 at a hospital outpatient department, and hospitals add $4,000-$8,000 for overnight nursing on inpatient cases. ASCs close in the evening, run no ICU or ER, and discharge you the same day — you stop subsidizing that infrastructure.
- How does insurance affect what I pay for knee replacement?
- Insurance pays a negotiated 'allowed amount' (roughly 55% of the billed total in this calculator). You pay your remaining deductible first, then coinsurance (often 20%) on the rest, capped by your plan's out-of-pocket maximum. For example, on a $17,100 bill with a $2,000 remaining deductible, 20% coinsurance and an $8,000 out-of-pocket max, the patient pays $3,481. Uninsured patients can often negotiate cash bundles around 25% below the billed total.
- What does Medicare pay for knee replacement?
- For original Medicare, you generally owe 20% coinsurance of the allowed amount after the deductible. CMS 2026 data shows Medicare patients paying about $2,109 for a total knee replacement at an ASC (total cost $10,552). This tool estimates Medicare patient share at 20% of the allowed amount, which reproduces that figure within about 1%.
- Does the estimate include physical therapy and rehab?
- This calculator adds rehab separately because it is billed outside the surgical episode. Typical plans include 6 home-PT visits plus 12 outpatient sessions at about $150 per visit, totaling $2,700. The full outpatient example in this tool (procedure $17,100 + rehab $2,700) comes to $19,800 billed.
- How much does revision knee replacement cost?
- A revision — replacing or repairing a previous implant — is the most expensive category, modeled here at about $30,000 at an outpatient base (1.5 times a primary total). Revisions need longer operating time, specialized implants and sometimes bone grafting, and are almost always done in a hospital setting, which pushes real-world totals higher.
- Do implants make up most of the cost?
- Implants are the single largest line item, typically $7,000-$11,000 (mymedicineadvisor, 2026) or $8,000-$15,000 (furilia). But the facility fee is what swings the bill most: $8,000-$12,000 at a same-day center versus $15,000-$25,000 at a hospital. The surgeon's fee is comparatively stable ($4,500-$7,000) across settings.
- Can I negotiate a cash price for knee replacement?
- Often yes. Hospitals and ASCs quote bundled cash packages to self-pay patients — this tool estimates about 25% below the billed total as a planning figure. For example, a robotic total at $57,881 billed in California would estimate a $43,411 cash bundle. Always get the quote in writing and ask what is excluded (implant brand, anesthesia, complications, rehab).
- Is this calculator a medical recommendation?
- No. It estimates facility and insurance math only; it cannot tell you whether you need a partial, total, robotic, bilateral or revision procedure, nor which surgeon or implant is right for you. Those are decisions for your orthopedic surgeon after imaging and examination. Treat every number here as a planning estimate, not a quote, and confirm prices with the facility's price-estimate service.
Related cost tools
- MRI cost calculator — the diagnostic imaging that usually precedes a replacement decision.
Reminder: estimates here come from published 2026 benchmarks (CMS, mymedicineadvisor, hospital price-transparency data). They are not quotes. Ask the facility for a written good-faith estimate and check what your plan covers before you schedule anything.
Free tool by NRTechStudio