Below is a practical, state-by-state guide to where Americans most often travel when they need medical care abroad.  The destinations are drawn from the latest CDC surveillance (2016) and updated 2023–2025 market data, so you can match your home zip code to a proven, cost-effective route.

California & Pacific Northwest residents

Silicon Valley salaries may be high, but out-of-pocket surgery is not.  Californians therefore gravitate to Thailand for oncology and complex spine work and Malaysia for IVF; both countries offer U.S.-equivalent technology at 60–80 % savings .

Texas & Southwest corridor

With a land border and daily direct flights, Mexico dominates every Overseas Medical Treatment Texan list.  Roughly 41 % of all U.S. medical-tourism trips land in Mexican cities—Tijuana, Monterrey and Mexico City—for dental, bariatric and orthopaedic packages that cost 70 % less than Houston cash-pay prices .

Florida & Southeast

South-easterners combine a holiday with a hip resurfacing in Costa Rica (San José or Manuel Antonio) or board short hops to Colombia (Medellín, Bogotá) for cosmetic surgery; both destinations are 3–4 hours by air and routinely post 45–65 % savings .

Northeast (NY, MA, NJ, CT)

High insurance deductibles push New-Yorkers and Bostonians toward Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara) for cardiac surgery and Germany for oncology trials; Turkish packages are 60 % cheaper than Manhattan quotes, while German centres match U.S. protocols at half the price .

Mid-Atlantic & Great Lakes

Chicagoans and Detroiters favour Canada—Toronto’s Mount Sinai or Vancouver General—for quick-access cardiac stents or orthopaedic scopes, taking advantage of same-day border crossings and transparent pricing .

Mountain West & Plains

Coloradans and Utahns seeking altitude-friendly recovery often choose India (Chennai, Bangalore) for complex neurosurgery or Singapore for proton therapy; both routes offer JCI-accredited care and English-speaking staff with flight times now under 18 hours .

Alaska & Hawaii

Long-haul islanders look west: South Korea (Seoul) for dermatology and Japan (Tokyo, Osaka) for robotic prostatectomy; both countries rank among the world’s safest and provide seamless medical-tourism visas .

Regardless of your state, the common denominator is cost and access.  CDC data show the top triggers for leaving the U.S. are “too expensive at home” (51 %) and “not covered by insurance” (14 %) .  By matching your region to the nearest proven hub, you can turn a medical necessity into a smart, well-priced journey.