Methodology

How we estimate prices

Last reviewed: September 2026

Every price on this site is a planning estimate. It exists so you can decide whether treatment abroad is worth pursuing — not to replace a written treatment plan from a dentist who has seen your mouth or your X-rays.

The US figures

US prices are the typical self-pay (uninsured) fee a general dentist or specialist charges, expressed as a low–high range around the national middle. Sources we triangulate:

• Published dental fee surveys and the American Dental Association's fee data
• Dental insurance "fee schedule" and out-of-network reimbursement tables
• Aggregated cash-price lists from US clinic websites and dental-savings-plan directories

Where regional variation is large (implants, All-on-4), we take the middle of the national range rather than the coastal high.

The Mexico baseline

Mexico figures are the border-tier baseline — the price level of Los Algodones and Tijuana, where competition is highest and prices are lowest. Sources:

• Public price lists and published "from" pricing on Mexican clinic websites
• Quotes and treatment-plan figures shared by dental-tourism operators and patient communities
• Cross-checks against dental-tourism market reports and keyword-level cost data

We store a low and a high for each procedure and use the midpoint for the "saving" and "verdict" math.

City multipliers

Each city carries a multiplier applied to the border baseline, reflecting local cost of living and how resort-oriented the market is:

Tier	Multiplier	Cities
Border baseline	1.00–1.05×	Los Algodones, Nuevo Progreso, Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana
Mid	1.15×	Mérida, Guadalajara
Resort	1.25–1.40×	Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, Cancún, Los Cabos

These are directional. A specific clinic in Cancún may quote less than a specific clinic in Tijuana.

Travel cost

The trip figure is a rough round-trip cost for one person, including lodging for a typical stay:

• Drive-across cities: fuel, border parking, tolls, and 0–2 nights in the US border town. Range roughly $100–600.
• Fly-in cities: a US-hub round-trip fare plus 3–5 nights of mid-range lodging. Range roughly $400–1,600.

It excludes food, a travel companion, and any second trip. For implants, budget for two trips or ask about finishing the crown at home.

The "verdict"

The Strong / Good / Fair / Marginal rating compares the estimated treatment saving to the estimated trip cost. "Marginal" means the saving barely clears the trip; "Strong" means it's many times the trip. It is a rule of thumb, not advice.

Review cadence

Price ranges are reviewed on a fixed schedule — at least twice a year, and sooner when we see a clear market shift (currency swings, a change in border access, new clinic capacity). Each change is dated.

What we don't do

• We don't publish a single "price" — only ranges, because real quotes vary by case complexity, materials and clinic.
• We don't quote a clinic's price for them. Only the clinic can do that, in writing.
• We don't adjust estimates to make travel look more attractive. The travel cost is deliberately included so the comparison is honest.

Spotted a figure that looks off? Email hello@mexicosmileguide.com with a source and we'll review it.