Medical & dental cost calculator — UAE

Medical and dental costs in the UAE swing widely with the treatment, the sector (public vs private) and your insurance. A GP visit runs about AED 150–350 privately (AED 50–100 in a public hospital); a specialist AED 300–600; an MRI AED 1,500–5,000. Dental cleanings are AED 200–400, fillings AED 300–600, crowns AED 1,500–3,000 and implants AED 6,000–12,000. Pick a treatment above to see the full range and your out-of-pocket cost with and without cover.

How healthcare is priced in the UAE

The UAE runs a dual healthcare system. Public (government) hospitals — Rashid, Dubai Hospital and Al Jalila Children’s in Dubai; Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Corniche in Abu Dhabi — are run by the health authorities (DHA, DOH) and deliver heavily subsidised care to nationals and insured residents. Private hospitals and clinics — Mediclinic, NMC, Aster, American Hospital, Emirates Hospital — charge more but offer shorter waits, private rooms and broader specialist access.

Health insurance is mandatory: the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) requires cover for every Dubai resident and the Department of Health (DOH) requires it across Abu Dhabi. Employers must insure their staff; you insure your own dependants. The floor is the Essential Benefits Plan (EBP) — roughly AED 550–650 per year for an employee (dependant plans from ~AED 805) with an ~AED 150,000 annual limit and 20–30% co-pay. Comprehensive plans cost AED 3,000–8,000+ per year but unlock premium hospitals, higher limits and lower or zero co-pay.

How costs differ by emirate

Pricing isn’t uniform across the country. Dubai tends to be the most expensive for private care — it has the highest concentration of premium hospitals and international clinics, so a private specialist or elective procedure sits at the top of the ranges shown here. Abu Dhabi is broadly similar for private treatment but has a strong, well-funded public network (SEHA facilities such as Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Corniche Hospital), which widens the public-vs-private gap for insured residents. Sharjah and the northern emirates (Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm Al Quwain) generally run 10–25% cheaper for equivalent private care, and many residents there travel to Dubai only for complex or specialist procedures. Wherever you are, the figure that actually decides your bill is your insurer’s network — an in-network clinic two emirates away can cost less out-of-pocket than an out-of-network one next door.

Medical treatment costs by category (2026)

Prices below are private-sector 2026 ranges referenced to DHA/DOH schedules and facility surveys; the public column is the subsidised equivalent where a government tariff exists.

Consultations

A GP consultation is AED 150–350 at a private clinic and AED 300–600 at a private hospital, versus AED 50–150 in a public hospital. Specialists run AED 300–800 privately and AED 100–300 in the public sector.

Diagnostics & imaging

Blood panels are AED 200–800 depending on the tests, X-rays AED 200–500, ultrasounds AED 300–800, CT scans AED 1,500–4,000 and MRIs AED 2,000–5,000. Public facilities price the same imaging at a fraction of these figures for insured patients.

Procedures, surgery & emergencies

Minor day surgery (cataract, hernia, appendectomy) is AED 10,000–30,000 privately; major surgery (cardiac, oncology) can reach AED 50,000–200,000+. An emergency-room consultation is AED 500–1,500 privately (AED 100–300 public) before treatment. The full 2026 price list is below — it’s the exact dataset the calculator uses.

Private = private-hospital range · Public = subsidised government-tariff range where one exists · Insurance = typical coverage of the covered cost. These are the exact figures the calculator uses.

Dental treatment costs in the UAE (2026)

Dental is priced per procedure (and, for implants and orthodontics, per tooth or per course). Routine and restorative work is often partly covered by comprehensive plans; cosmetic work rarely is.

Preventive: a scale-and-polish cleaning is AED 200–400, a check-up and X-ray AED 150–350. Restorative: a composite filling is AED 300–600, a root canal AED 1,500–3,500 and a crown AED 1,500–3,000. Implants: a single titanium implant with crown runs AED 6,000–12,000. Orthodontics: fixed braces are AED 12,000–25,000 and clear aligners AED 15,000–30,000 for a full course. Cosmetic: whitening is AED 800–2,500 and veneers AED 1,500–4,000 per tooth — typically not covered by insurance.

Most dental policies carry an annual limit of AED 1,500–3,000 and cover 50–80% of eligible (non-cosmetic) work up to that cap. The full dental price list — again, the calculator’s own data — is below.

Cost = typical private-clinic range · "Often" = commonly part-covered by comprehensive plans up to an annual dental limit (cosmetic work excluded).

The real public-vs-private cost gap

For the same treatment, a public hospital is typically 40–70% cheaper than a private one for insured residents — the trade-off is waiting time (weeks to months for non-urgent procedures) and less choice of doctor. Private hospitals bill more but see you in days and offer premium facilities. Which wins depends on urgency, your policy’s network, and how much the wait costs you.

Insurance network matters as much as the sticker price: EBP plans usually cover public hospitals and basic private clinics; comprehensive plans add the premium private hospitals. Using an in-network provider is what actually lowers your bill — an out-of-network visit can be reimbursed at a lower rate or not at all.

What insurance really pays — and what you pay

Your out-of-pocket cost is rarely zero even when a treatment is “covered”. Five levers decide the final number:

• Co-pay — the share you pay per service. EBP plans are typically 20–30%; comprehensive plans 0–10% in-network.
• Deductible — an annual amount (AED 500–2,000 on some plans) you clear before cover kicks in.
• Annual limit — EBP caps at ~AED 150,000; comprehensive plans reach AED 500,000–1,000,000+.
• Network — in-network is cheaper; out-of-network may not be covered.
• Pre-authorisation — surgeries, expensive imaging and specialist referrals often need approval first, or the claim is denied.

Common exclusions: cosmetic procedures, experimental treatment and pre-existing conditions during waiting periods. Maternity is limited on EBP (delivery only, AED 7,000–10,000 cap) and broad on comprehensive plans (prenatal + delivery + postnatal, AED 15,000–50,000+).

How to cut your medical costs

Stay in-network. The single biggest saving is using providers inside your insurer’s network — it’s the difference between a 10% and a 100% bill. Get pre-authorisation for anything expensive before you go. Time treatments so a big procedure and its follow-ups fall in the same policy year, maximising one annual limit. Use preventive care — the annual check-ups most plans cover for free catch diabetes, hypertension and dental problems before they become five-figure treatments. Ask for generics, which cost 30–70% less than brand-name drugs. And for any major surgery, get a second opinion — it can confirm whether the procedure (and its cost) is actually necessary.

Where UAE medical costs are heading

Medical costs in the UAE have risen 4–6% a year over the last five years — driven by staff and equipment costs, new technology (robotic surgery, precision medicine, which cost 30–100% more but improve outcomes), an ageing, growing population, and regulatory-compliance overhead. Insurance limits are creeping up too, but at 5–10% a year they aren’t keeping pace with treatment inflation, so residents should budget for gradually rising out-of-pocket costs — especially at premium private providers, where increases run hottest.

Medical & dental costs in the UAE — FAQ