This Google Ads budget calculator turns a monthly budget into expected clicks, inquiries and new patients using real cost-per-click data for the searches patients make in your specialty, from $3.79 for "urgent care near me" to $38.76 for "dental implants near me". You supply the conversion rates; it assumes none. No patient information is entered or stored.
Estimate your budget with the Google Ads budget calculator
- Pick your specialty. There are 21 groups, from addiction treatment to wellness and weight-loss clinics. Up to six patient searches load with US monthly searches, average cost per click (CPC) and the top-of-page bid range.
- Edit the list. Untick searches you wouldn't bid on and overwrite any CPC with your own account's figure.
- Enter your monthly budget. It starts at $1,500.
- Enter your rates. The share of clicks that become a call or form, and the share of those inquiries that book and show, both from your own data. Add a monthly management fee if you pay one.
You get a volume-weighted average CPC, clicks per month (with a range at the top-of-page bids), and, once your rates are in, inquiries, new patients and cost per new patient.
Where the cost-per-click numbers come from
All figures are Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026. Average CPC is what advertisers paid per click. The top-of-page bid range runs from roughly the 20th to the 80th percentile (opens in a new tab) of what advertisers historically paid to appear at the top of the page.
| Patient search (US) | Avg. CPC | Top-of-page bids |
|---|---|---|
| dental implants near me | $38.76 | $10.46–$50.20 |
| invisalign near me | $26.29 | $5.10–$34.05 |
| vein doctor near me | $24.89 | not in calculator |
| tirzepatide near me | $24.31 | $11.05–$34.17 |
| therapist near me | $24.19 | $7.71–$29.28 |
| orthodontist near me | $19.80 | $4.95–$35.81 |
| psychiatrist near me | $18.16 | $6.65–$26.86 |
| laser hair removal near me | $16.94 | $3.39–$59.09 |
| dentist near me | $14.71 | $4.87–$22.92 |
| chiropractor near me | $10.02 | $2.85–$16.00 |
| physical therapy near me | $6.61 | $2.23–$10.94 |
| med spa near me | $6.00 | $2.23–$13.09 |
| dermatologist near me | $5.52 | $2.17–$8.21 |
| obgyn near me | $5.25 | $1.99–$7.84 |
| pediatrician near me | $5.11 | $1.90–$8.00 |
| urgent care near me | $3.79 | $1.58–$7.59 |
Vein clinics aren't one of the calculator's groups yet; pick the closest group and overwrite a CPC to model them. For every specialty, see Google Ads CPC by specialty.
Some health searches carry rules as well as prices. In the US, Google requires LegitScript certification plus Google certification to advertise recovery-oriented addiction services, and it restricts prescription-drug terms (opens in a new tab) in ads and keywords. Where Keyword Planner reports no bid range, the calculator shows a dash, never zero.
How clicks turn into calls and booked patients
- Clicks = budget ÷ average CPC
- Inquiries = clicks × your click-to-inquiry rate
- New patients = inquiries × your booked-and-shown rate
- Cost per new patient = (budget + fee) ÷ new patients
Take the first rate from Google Ads conversion tracking for calls and forms, and the second from your front desk log or CRM. The calculator has no default rates on purpose: an average from other practices hides the two numbers you can actually change. Once a campaign runs, check the result with the cost per acquisition calculator.
Example: a dental practice budget (hypothetical arithmetic)
Hypothetical arithmetic: with only "dentist near me" switched on, $1,500 a month ÷ $14.71 per click ≈ 102 clicks. If 10% of clicks became calls or forms (a made-up rate for illustration), that's about 10 inquiries. If half of those booked and showed, about 5 new patients: roughly $294 each, or about $333 with a $199 monthly management fee.
At the top-of-page bid range ($4.87–$22.92) the same $1,500 buys roughly 65–308 clicks. With all six dentist searches on, the volume-weighted CPC is $15.46, or about 97 clicks. Bid only on "dental implants near me" at $38.76 and it's about 39 clicks.
Why real costs vary from these averages
Google defines actual CPC as "the final amount you're charged for a click." (opens in a new tab) It comes from Ad Rank: your bid, auction-time ad quality (expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, landing page experience), competition and the search context. You pay what it takes to beat the advertiser below you.
National averages also hide local markets, and this data is US-only; Canadian costs differ. Our guide to how much Google Ads cost covers the other cost drivers.
Budget pacing and a monthly ceiling
Google budgets are set as an average daily amount. On any one day a campaign "might spend up to twice your average daily budget," but by month's end you'll have spent "no more than 30.4 times your average daily budget." (opens in a new tab) A $1,500 monthly ceiling is therefore about $49.34 a day. See budget pacing for how to keep spend even across the month.
Medfy's Google Ads management add-on ($199/month) reviews search terms daily, adds negative keywords and paces spend under a monthly ceiling you control. Budget increases wait for your approval, and every change is logged and reversible. Ad spend is paid directly to Google, never marked up. See Medfy pricing, or start with the free marketing audit, which scores your ads alongside five other areas. More free marketing tools cover ROI and cost per patient.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a medical practice spend on Google Ads each month?
Work backward instead of picking a round number. Decide how many new patients you want from search, then use your own conversion rates and the calculator's cost per click to see what that costs. At $14.71 a click, $1,500 buys about 102 clicks; whether that's enough depends on your rates, your open appointments and your specialty.
Why is the cost per click so high for dental implant searches?
Advertisers bid roughly what a patient is worth to them, and an implant case is worth more to a dental practice than a routine visit. "Dental implants near me" averages $38.76 a click, with top-of-page bids from $10.46 to $50.20, against $14.71 for "dentist near me" (Google Ads Keyword Planner data via DataForSEO, US, 12-month average to Sep 2026).
Is the calculator's cost per click what I'll actually pay?
No. It's the average advertisers paid across the US over 12 months. Your actual cost per click comes from each auction: your bid, your ad quality, competition where you advertise and the searches you target. Overwrite any figure in the table with your own account's numbers once you have a few weeks of data.
Does Medfy take a percentage of ad spend?
No. Medfy's Google Ads management is a flat $199 a month add-on to the $349 base plan. Your ad spend is paid directly to Google and never marked up. The add-on reviews search terms daily, paces your budget under a monthly ceiling you control, and logs every change so it can be reversed.