hair replacment cost question...NY vs everywhere else

[karlsd]

from my reasearch....in NY....im looking at 1600-2200 graphs and what looks like $10,500 at a reputable place on LI, NY. I mentioned this to the woman that cut my hair today and she told me that she has a client who had it done in FL....perfect job......can't tell he had it done. Also mentioned that this person was looking at 12K if done in NY and found a place in FL who did the same job for 3K.

 

Is this cost difference possible? i realize big cities will be more expensive than smaller cities for just about anything but this is significant. thoughts comments please

[hairthere]

There are many factors you should consider when deciding on where to go for a HT. Cost is one, but making it the most important one could be a huge mistake and end up costing you even more money in the long run. Always start by looking at examples of a clinic's work. And not just glamour/head shots. (Transparency is the key here). You want to see some immediate post-op pictures as well if possible.

 

Once you have a list of 5-10 clinics whose work you like, then you can stack them up against each other and weigh in other factors such as other patient satisfaction, doctor reputation, geography, and cost.

 

Whittle your list down to your top 2-3 and consult with those doctors. In-person consults are ideal but not always possible so you can try via online, Skype, or phone.

 

Best of luck!

[karlsd]

perfectly logical approach and one in which i will take. But my question was more of an economic one. Generally speaking from a state to state perspective, apples to apples......if Doc A in NY is fantastic and Doc B in FL is equally fantastic.....is it even conceivable that Doc B in FL could possibly be 75% less????

 

I get 25 to even 40% less from one state to another based on the economic disparity between states but 75% seems a bit much.....but hey maybe that's the way things are. Its free enterprise and maybe the big cities are just charging allot more because they can, for the same quality as other states for far less.

 

Im sure most of us considering this as an option would have no issue jumping on a plane, spending a grand to save 5 grand or more for the same quality.

 

So before i spend endless time researching all docs all over the US (i can spend days and weeks on a single state alone, which i have), does this make any sense at all? are there folks out there that chose a doc out of state and were ahppy with their results who paid significantly less than what they would have paid in their own state??

 

like i said, i expect a 20-30% difference from state to state and in the end if that is all it is realistically then it may not be worth hoping on a plane and getting a room and spending that grand just to save 2 grand.

 

Is it possible to save this much money looking outside of the big cities for similar/same quality work?

[hairthere]

Low overhead is one reason some clinics are less expensive. But you must consider other factors that could allow them to pass savings along to the consumer. Are they employing fewer and/or less experienced techs? Is their equipment state-of-the-art?

 

Saving money is great. But when it comes to HTs peace of mind knowing you picked a highly reputable clinic that will stand behind their work has great value, and often comes at a price.

 

I would say if you want a more accurate,specific response from forum members, tell us the clinics you are considering and we can give them a sniff test.