What does one doctor or ER visit cost in Thailand without insurance?

This page covers a single visit: the consultation, the emergency room, the prescription you walk out with. Once something needs a bed, a surgeon or a boat, the numbers change by an order of magnitude, and our guide to healthcare and health insurance in Thailand covers surgery, deposits, evacuation and what a policy costs.

One visit, by type of place

On Koh Tao, BAANLYY puts an outpatient visit at the government hospital at about 200 to 800 THB and a private clinic visit at about 700 to 1,500 THB.

Can foreigners use Thai public hospitals?

Yes, and the consultation fee is low. The Thaiger notes that foreigners are not covered by the public health scheme and that public hospitals may apply tiered pricing, so a foreign patient can pay more than a Thai one at the same counter. What you trade for the low price is waiting time and limited English. For a fever, a cut or a prescription, a public hospital or a private clinic is the sensible first stop. For anything you would call an emergency at home, most foreigners go private.

You pay before you leave

Without insurance, payment is due up front, in public and private hospitals alike. At a private emergency room that means a card with real headroom on the day. With an insurer that bills the hospital directly, the hospital deals with the insurer instead, which is why the policy number matters more than the card in your wallet.

Putting it in your own currency

An emergency room visit at the top of the range is 15,000 THB. Convert it with Currency Check before deciding whether a policy looks expensive, and read whether you need health insurance as a digital nomad in Thailand for what the visas require.