Has anyone had their cat's teeth pulled - how much did you pay?

My long time foster cat has a severe case of stomatitis and periodontal disease and to treat it he will have to have all his teeth removed. Because of the difficulty of the procedure it has to be done by a veterinary dentist which makes the whole thing very pricey. But since I live in the Chicago area, where things are more expensive than other places, I wonder if the price I was quoted, $2500, is more than it would be in other areas.
I'm curious to know what other people whose cats have had the same procedure done paid for it and in what area it was done. If the savings are significant it could be worth it to travel.

Thanks!

Wow, if I could get it done for less than a thousand it would be done by next month! Now I'm shooting for the spring because I really don't have the money. It could probably be cheaper to have it done elsewhere and stay in a motel for a few days that paying $2500. That is not including the pre-op work he needs.

What kind of meds does your cat take? My boy is currently on Clindomyacin and Buprenorphine and we are going in to get a Depo-Medrol shot.
I'm not quite sure what kind of stomatitis he has but it is severe. His mouth really looks horrible. He has lost several teeth, some are broken and others are loose. He has puss in the back of his mouth, it's all red and it's clearly painful. The dentist, who is supposed to be one of the best in the area, said that his only chance was to have his teeth pulled. According to her the prosecure isn't 100% and about 10% of the cats continue to need medication but all get better. My kitty also has inflammatory bowel disease and the meds is affecting that. It's a mess and I feel so bad for him. I just want him to have a decent life because he surealy hasn't so far. When he came to me he weighed only 5 pounds. He now weighs 9 pounds and could perhaps put on another pound or so. He was a sad sight back then and so, so sick.

It really is amazing how much prize can differ on the same thing. I was getting the Buprenorphine from my vet and at first I was paying $43 for ten doses. Then all of a sudden it went down to $23 for ten doses which I paid for a long time, every five days. Then a few weeks ago a vet that I had not seen before, in the same office, told me that I could get it from a compound pharmacy for $98 for 150 doses! A huge saving. I'm so upset that they had me paying $23 every five days when they knew that I could get it for a lot cheaper elsewhere. We're a rescue and have several other cats to pay for. I would think that they could put profit aside for a little bit to benefit a rescue cat. It's not like they don't get a lot of money from me anyway. I'm there at least once a month, sometimes more often.

Well, I'm going to keep looking for another dentist. It has to be a dentist and not a regular vet. If anyone knows about one in the midwest please let me know.