Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the world and, in most cases, the most curable: a basal or squamous cell carcinoma removed in an office visit with clear margins is done. Mohs surgery, the stage-by-stage technique with the highest cure rate for the face, is a US specialty in the literal sense: fellowship-trained Mohs surgeons are concentrated here, and so is the price. This table is about the common, curable lesions. Melanoma is addressed separately below because it is a different disease.
Key takeaways
- Mohs surgery for a single basal or squamous cell carcinoma runs $1,500–$5,000 US cash-pay depending on stages and closure, and $600–$1,500 at the few centers abroad that offer it.
- Standard surgical excision with pathology, appropriate for many lesions off the face, is $800–$3,000 in the US and $250–$700 in Colombia.
- Mohs availability is the constraint abroad, not price: it needs a trained surgeon and an on-site lab. Ask specifically whether the surgeon is Mohs-trained and reads their own slides.
- Melanoma is a staging-and-surveillance pathway, not a lesion removal. Price it with the oncology team that will follow you.
The by-country table
Columns are Mohs micrographic surgery for a single non-melanoma skin cancer (typical two stages, simple closure included where bundled); standard elliptical excision with surgical pathology; and local flap or graft reconstruction after either. Superficial treatments (topical agents, curettage, photodynamic therapy) price at 20–50% of the excision column everywhere and suit selected superficial lesions. Skin checks and biopsies are on our consultation fees and screening pages.
| Country | Mohs surgery | Standard excision | Flap / graft reconstruction | What the range usually includes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (cash-pay) | $1,500 – $5,000 | $800 – $3,000 | $1,500 – $6,000 | Mohs: first stage plus each additional stage billed separately; closure separate. Excision includes pathology. Flap or graft reconstruction by Mohs surgeon or plastic surgeon. Office-based; hospital-based pricing higher. |
| Colombia | $600 – $1,500 | $250 – $700 | $500 – $1,500 | Mohs at a small number of dermatology centers in Bogotá/Medellín; standard excision with pathology widely available; reconstruction by plastic surgeon bundled. |
| Mexico | $700 – $1,800 | $300 – $800 | $600 – $1,800 | Mohs at university and private dermatology centers in major cities. |
| Costa Rica | $900 – $2,000 | $400 – $900 | No reliable published range | Private dermatology clinics. |
| Turkey | $500 – $1,300 | $250 – $600 | $500 – $1,300 | Istanbul hospitals; Mohs less common than excision. |
| Thailand | $900 – $2,000 | $400 – $900 | $800 – $2,000 | Bangkok international hospitals. |
| India | $400 – $1,000 | $150 – $450 | $400 – $1,000 | Lowest published; Mohs at a few centers. |
| United Kingdom (private self-pay) | $2,500 – $4,500 | $1,000 – $2,000 | $1,500 – $3,500 | Published self-pay prices; NHS treats skin cancer free to eligible patients. |
Mohs surgery for one non-melanoma skin cancer: typical 2026 range by country
What actually moves the number
Stages
Mohs is billed per stage in the US; most cases clear in one or two, some need four or five. Ask how the quote handles additional stages, at home or abroad.
Location on the body
Face, ears, nose and hands favor Mohs for tissue conservation and cure rate. Trunk and limbs usually get standard excision. Location also drives reconstruction complexity.
Closure and reconstruction
Simple linear closure is often included; flaps and grafts are a separate procedure, sometimes by a second surgeon, and are where the US bill grows fastest.
Pathology
Standard excision sends the specimen out; Mohs reads frozen sections on site during the procedure. Both are bundled abroad; the outside pathology is a separate US claim.
Setting
Office-based dermatologic surgery is far cheaper than the same procedure in a hospital outpatient department. Ask for the office price if staying domestic.
Surveillance
Anyone with one skin cancer needs regular skin checks for life. Cheap everywhere; the point is that they must happen where you live.
Melanoma and the pathway question
For basal and squamous cell carcinomas, the practical picture is simpler. If you are already abroad for another procedure and a dermatologist there finds a suspicious lesion, having it excised with pathology at local prices is sensible, and Colombia's dermatology community is large and well trained. A standalone trip for Mohs on the face makes sense only if a Mohs-trained surgeon is available at the destination and the US quote is at the top of the range; for a lesion suited to standard excision, the flight rarely pays and your local dermatologist should do it.
Where Colombia sits, and how to read it
Colombia appears in the middle-to-low band on almost every row of this table, and for North American patients it carries a logistics advantage the cheaper Asian rows cannot match: three to five hours of direct flight from Miami, Houston, Atlanta, New York and Fort Lauderdale, and a same-or-adjacent time zone for follow-up calls. The World Health Organization ranked Colombia's health system #22 in the world and #1 in the Western Hemisphere in its 2000 World Health Report; that ranking is now a historical benchmark rather than a current league table, but it reflects a system that was built on universal coverage and a strong private hospital tier. Six Colombian hospitals hold Joint Commission International accreditation as of 2026 — accreditation is hospital-level, and it does not extend to freestanding clinics or to individual surgeons.
Two verification anchors matter more than any price. First, any Colombian physician can be checked in the national ReTHUS registry (rethus.gov.co), which confirms licensure and specialty. Second, the facility should be able to show its habilitación (operating license) for the specific service line. A low number from a facility that cannot produce either is not a bargain; it is an unpriced risk.
Dermatology in Colombia is a strong specialty with several university training programs, and Mohs surgery is offered at a small number of centers in Bogotá and Medellín. For anything on the face, confirm Mohs training specifically; for anything elsewhere, a dermatologist or plastic surgeon doing excision with pathology is the standard of care worldwide.
Sources and method
US ranges use office and hospital price-transparency cash-price fields (CPT 17311/17312, 11600–11646, 14040–14061), Medicare physician fee-schedule benchmarks and FAIR Health estimates. International ranges use published dermatology-clinic and hospital price lists and comparative price reports, cross-checked across at least two sources per cell. Method: where our numbers come from.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Mohs surgery cost without insurance?
Typical 2026 US cash-pay ranges are roughly $1,500–$5,000 for a single lesion, billed per stage with closure or reconstruction often separate. Office-based pricing is lower than hospital-based.
Is Mohs surgery available abroad?
At a limited number of centers. Colombia, Mexico, Thailand and India each have a few Mohs-trained dermatologic surgeons; standard excision with pathology is widely available everywhere.
Do I need Mohs or a standard excision?
Mohs is generally preferred for lesions on the face, ears, nose, hands and for recurrent or aggressive tumors; standard excision is appropriate for many lesions on the trunk and limbs. Your dermatologist decides based on type, size and location.
Can I have melanoma treated abroad?
The excision is simple anywhere, but melanoma is a staging and surveillance pathway that should be managed by a team you can see for years. Price it with them.
How much does skin cancer removal cost in Colombia?
Typical 2026 ranges are roughly $250–$700 for standard excision with pathology and $600–$1,500 for Mohs where available, with reconstruction $500–$1,500. Typical ranges, not quotes.
Next step: turn this range into your number
This table tells you where skin cancer removal sits worldwide. It does not tell you what you would pay. For a Colombia-specific estimate worksheet and a real written quote from an accredited facility, use the pair below.
Want the Colombia version of this number?
We are on the ground in Medellín. Tell us the procedure and we will point you to accredited hospitals and verified surgeons (checked against Colombia's ReTHUS registry) — no fixer markups, no obligation.