Costa Rica Medical Tourism: What American Patients Should Know

Costa Rica sees about 70,000 foreign patients a year, and 83% of them fly in from the United States, according to Central Bank data compiled by the Costa Rican Chamber of Health and reported by Teletica in March 2024. Most of them come for their teeth. But the mix is moving, and San José's private hospitals now say more Americans are arriving for operations that need a hospital bed and a few nights of watched recovery.

If you're sitting on a US quote and wondering whether a three-hour flight could change it, this guide covers what Costa Rica is known for, how to check who'll actually treat you, what tends to get added to a bill and what happens once you're back home. One thing up front: JetWell's network doesn't include a clinic in Costa Rica today, so this is a guide to the place, with no booking pitch attached.

Photo by Daniel Ingersoll on Unsplash

Why do so many Americans go to Costa Rica for medical care?

Most Americans who go are after dental work, and the short flight does a lot of the persuading. The Costa Rican Chamber of Health's figures, as reported by La República in 2024, put dental treatment at 42% of international patient demand, with other surgery at 22% and preventive medicine at 16%. US citizens don't need a visa for a visit.

The money side is big for a small country. The same Chamber of Health figures put the trade at around $465 million a year, and they found the average medical visitor spends about $6,600 against roughly $1,200 for an ordinary tourist, partly because most patients bring two or three people with them. And the hospitals that treat foreign patients are private. Costa Rica's public system, run by the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (the CCSS, or "the Caja"), is built for residents, so as a visitor you'll be paying a private hospital or clinic directly.

Surgery is the part that's growing. Hospital Internacional La Católica treated about 300 international inpatient and surgical patients in 2025, up from about 180 the year before, according to figures the hospital released to The Tico Times in September 2026. That's a small number next to the dental chairs. But it tells you the big San José hospitals want this work and are set up to admit you.

Is Costa Rica a sensible place to have treatment right now?

For most Americans, yes, with ordinary travel caution. The State Department's travel advisory for Costa Rica sits at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, in the version dated April 2, 2026, because petty crime is common and violent crime does reach tourists. Level 2 isn't a reason to cancel a planned procedure, but it is a reason to keep valuables out of sight in taxis and hotel lobbies.

Mosquitoes are the other thing to plan around. Costa Rica's Ministry of Health had recorded 4,172 dengue cases by the 34th epidemiological week of 2026, against 2,751 at the same point in 2025, The Tico Times reported. A fever in the week after an operation is something you and your surgeon will want to take seriously, so pack a repellent with DEET or picaridin and check the CDC's Costa Rica traveler page for the vaccines it currently suggests.

The CDC's Yellow Book chapter on medical tourism also asks you to talk to your US doctor well before you go and to see a travel medicine specialist 4 to 6 weeks ahead.

Which hospitals in Costa Rica hold JCI accreditation?

JCI accreditation is an international quality certification from Joint Commission International, a US-based body that inspects hospitals abroad against its own standards for patient care and infection control and re-surveys them every three years. In Costa Rica, Hospital CIMA San José and Hospital Clínica Bíblica both report holding it.

Hospital CIMA's operator, International Hospital Corporation, says the hospital earned its sixth consecutive JCI accreditation in 2024. Clínica Bíblica says its accreditation covers both its central San José campus and its Santa Ana site. Some sources add Hospital La Católica to the list and others describe it as still in the process, so confirm with Joint Commission International itself for any hospital you're quoted before you rely on a badge on its website. Our guide to what JCI accreditation actually means goes deeper.

Two caveats matter. JCI accredits hospitals, so the dental office where most Americans end up usually isn't covered by it. Costa Rica has started a separate certification for dental groups that treat foreigners: five clinic groups received it in August 2026, and to qualify they had to show bilingual licensed specialists, experience with international patients, written treatment guarantees and follow-up audits, according to The Tico Times. And the CDC points out that accreditation doesn't ensure a good outcome, so you still need to know who's treating you.

Who actually does my operation in Costa Rica?

Every doctor who practices in Costa Rica has to be incorporated into the Colegio de Médicos y Cirujanos, and its online register at medicos.cr lets you search by full name or professional code to see the specialties each doctor is recognized for. Ask for your surgeon's full name and code in writing, then look them up yourself.

The specialty line is the bit people skip. CRHoy reported in January 2026 on a plastic surgery case the Colegio addressed publicly, in which the doctor involved was registered as a physician and surgeon but didn't hold the specialty in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery. CRHoy counted just 64 active, certified plastic surgeons in the country in January 2026, and the national association of plastic surgeons gives an even lower figure. A medical license on its own doesn't tell you someone is a plastic surgeon. Dentists register separately with the Colegio de Cirujanos Dentistas, and the same rule applies: ask which dentist places your implants and which one fits the final teeth, because in busy clinics those can be two different people.

Are there any add-ons once I'm there?

There can be, and they're usually the lines a headline price leaves out. Before you pay anything, ask for a written, itemized quote and ask what would make it go up once the dentist or surgeon sees you in person.

For dental implants, the usual additions are:

• a 3D CT scan on arrival
• extractions of teeth that turn out to be unsaveable
• bone grafts or a sinus lift if there isn't enough bone to hold the implant
• temporary teeth to wear while the implants heal
• the second trip, months later, to have the final crowns or bridge fitted

Prices you see online are usually per implant or per arch, and an arch is one jaw, so "full mouth" means two arches and roughly twice the bill. Our dental implants abroad guide walks through what's normally included.

For surgery, ask whether the quote covers the anesthesiologist, operating room time, each hospital night and the room type, compression garments, take-home medicines and pre-op blood tests. Then ask what one extra night on the ward would cost, because that's the add-on nobody budgets for. In JetWell's network, everything on your Care Plan is price-locked and anything not on it is extra, and that's a fair standard to hold any provider to in writing.

The deposit is the other fear. Ask what happens to it if you cancel or if a doctor decides on arrival that you aren't a candidate, and get the answer in writing before you send money. Our guide on protecting your money when paying for treatment abroad covers card payments and what to keep on file.

Getting there, and what to expect

Most hospitals that treat foreign patients are in and around San José, in the Central Valley, so you'll usually fly into SJO rather than the beach airport at Liberia. Immigration decides your length of stay at the border, so carry your passport with plenty of validity and your return ticket, and read our guide to passport and visa requirements if anyone traveling with you holds a different passport.

What happens if something feels wrong after I'm home?

Call the clinic in Costa Rica and your US doctor the same day, and tell the US doctor where and when you were treated. The CDC's Yellow Book asks travelers to settle, before they leave, how both the overseas provider and their US clinician will handle any problem after the procedure, so make that call in advance instead of after.

Bring home your operation or treatment notes, imaging, implant brand and lot details, and a discharge summary in English. Your US dentist or doctor can't do much with "they put in three implants." We've written up how to get your records from a clinic abroad and how to find a US doctor for follow-up care, and both are easier to sort out before you fly out.

Recovery near San José can be a pleasant week of short walks and early nights. The beach is tempting, but swimming is usually off-limits until your surgeon or dentist clears you, so ask them before you book anything on the coast. The local currency is the colón (CRC), and the volcano trip can wait for the end of your stay.

If you'd like help thinking through where to go, including the countries where JetWell's network has clinics today, ask Jett about your options. For a wider view of the whole picture, start with our guide to care abroad for Americans, or see the Costa Rica destination page.