"Telehealth is cheaper" gets said so often it's started to sound like marketing copy rather than a fact. So here's the actual data, sourced, rather than the vibe.
A 2024 Penn Medicine study published in JAMA Network Open analyzed more than 160,000 visit episodes and found telemedicine's average billed charge was $96, versus $509 for an equivalent in-person visit — roughly five times cheaper across the full episode of care, including any follow-up. Telemedicine visits also led to fewer follow-up visits overall, meaning the savings weren't just from a cheaper first appointment.
The full spectrum, by care setting
Cash-pay telehealth visits generally run $40–$100 (median around $82), according to GoodRx pricing data. That compares to $150–$400 for an urgent care visit, and $1,000–$3,000+ for an ER visit — before any tests or imaging get added on. For context on scale: some analyses put the average uninsured ER visit specifically around $2,600–$2,715.
What this looks like for real, common conditions
Aggregate averages are useful, but the condition-specific numbers make the gap concrete:
- UTI: telehealth visit + generic antibiotic often totals under $100; urgent care runs $160–$320; an ER visit for the same condition can hit $1,200–$3,000+
- Sinus infection: telehealth totals roughly $88–$99; urgent care $160–$320; ER $1,200–$3,000+. Penn Medicine's data found telehealth respiratory episodes averaged roughly $800 less per episode than in-person care
- Sore throat / strep: telehealth totals $88–$144 depending on whether testing is needed; urgent care $185–$345; ER $500–$2,700+
Per IDSA and CDC clinical guidelines, several of these conditions — uncomplicated UTIs in non-pregnant women, and most sinus infections, which are viral and don't need antibiotics at all — don't clinically require an in-person exam to diagnose and treat appropriately. That's not telehealth cutting corners; it's the clinical guidelines themselves saying a physical exam doesn't change the treatment decision for these specific situations.
The insurance caveat that changes everything
These are cash-pay figures
Everything above reflects uninsured or cash-pay pricing. With insurance, the math shifts: the average out-of-pocket cost for an insured urgent care visit is often closer to $35, and many plans now waive the deductible for telehealth entirely, meaning your actual telehealth copay could be $0. Always check your specific plan's telehealth benefit before assuming the cash-pay comparison applies to you.
Where the "telehealth is cheaper" logic breaks down
Freestanding emergency departments dressed up like urgent care. Some standalone clinics that look like an urgent care actually bill at full ER rates. Confirm the facility type before you check in, not after the bill arrives.
Add-on labs, imaging, and testing. Any comparison above the base visit price gets complicated fast once X-rays, cultures, or bloodwork enter the picture — those costs apply across settings, not just in-person ones.
Conditions that genuinely need a physical exam. The cost comparison only matters if telehealth is clinically appropriate for what you have. A cheaper visit that misses something serious isn't actually cheaper.
The savings aren't a telehealth marketing claim. They're what a 160,000-episode study found when someone actually measured it.
Providers with transparent pricing
The provider below publishes clear per-visit pricing upfront, useful for running your own before-and-after comparison.
Transparent-pricing option
Sesame publishes the price for each visit before you book, which makes it straightforward to compare directly against urgent care or ER pricing for the same condition.
See Sesame Care's pricing → Paid linkThe bottom line
For the conditions telehealth is actually clinically appropriate for, the cost gap isn't marketing spin — it's a roughly five-times difference backed by a study of over 160,000 real visit episodes. The savings compound further for anyone who'd otherwise default to urgent care or the ER out of convenience rather than necessity. The caveat, always: check what your specific insurance actually covers before assuming any of these cash-pay figures apply to you.