Waits and prices checked 26 October 2026
Wait at home, or fly for treatment abroad?
Official waiting times in the UK, Canada and Ireland and self-pay prices at home, next to what 106 hospitals and clinics in 20 countries publish: their prices, how soon they say they can see you, and what each is known for. 18 treatments, every number with a source and a date.
Treatment prices are what hospitals and clinics publish. Booking times are their own words. Travel is a rough estimate. Nothing you choose leaves your browser.
Wáberer Medical Center (Budapest) (Hungary) says: “We can make appointments for diagnostic imaging tests within 24 hours.” At home: 22.0% waiting over 6 weeks. Treatment there from £114.
UKTRCZLTESGRCRCOKRTWMYSGINAE7 countries have a published price or booking time for an MRI scan, in GBP.
Wáberer Medical Center (Budapest): “We can make appointments for diagnostic imaging tests within 24 hours.”
- Wáberer Medical Center (Budapest)Budapest · imagingJCI
- Semmelweis Premium (Semmelweis University)Budapest · imaging
China
Shanghai · Beijing · Guangzhou and Shenzhen · 8 hospitals and clinics
£48–£729treatmentwithin 7 days
HKU-Shenzhen Hospital, International Medical Center: “可提前一周开始预约。 (can be booked starting one week ahead)”
- Jiahui International HospitalShanghai · imagingJCI
- Beijing United Family Hospital (UFH)Beijing · imagingJCI
- Shanghai United Family Hospital (UFH)Shanghai · imagingJCI
- Bumrungrad International HospitalBangkok · check-upsJCI
JapanNot recommended
Osaka · Tokyo · 4 hospitals and clinics
£328treatmentWait not publishedask for a date in writing
The treatment costs more than paying privately at home, so the trip is unlikely to save you money.
- Tokyo Midtown ClinicTokyo · check-upsJCI
- TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre)Osaka · check-ups
- Toranomon HospitalTokyo
PortugalNot recommended
Lisbon · 1 hospital
£410–£812treatmentWait not publishedask for a date in writing
The treatment costs more than paying privately at home, so the trip is unlikely to save you money.
- Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde)LisbonJCI
MexicoNot recommended
Tijuana · Cancun · 1 hospital
£449treatmentWait not publishedask for a date in writing
The treatment costs more than paying privately at home, so the trip is unlikely to save you money.
- Hospital GaleniaCancun · check-upsJCI
No published price or booking time yet
- Turkey Hospitals here offer it but publish no price: ask for a written quote.
- Czechia No published price we could verify yet.
- Lithuania No published price we could verify yet.
- Spain Hospitals here offer it but publish no price: ask for a written quote.
- Greece Hospitals here offer it but publish no price: ask for a written quote.
- Costa Rica Hospitals here offer it but publish no price: ask for a written quote.
- Colombia Hospitals here offer it but publish no price: ask for a written quote.
- South Korea Only packages, guide ranges or partial fees are published, so no like-for-like price.
- Taiwan Only packages, guide ranges or partial fees are published, so no like-for-like price.
- Malaysia No published price we could verify yet.
- Singapore No published price we could verify yet.
- India Hospitals here offer it but publish no price: ask for a written quote.
- United Arab Emirates Hospitals here offer it but publish no price: ask for a written quote.
Treatment prices are the providers' own published figures for one body area, converted to GBP at a fixed European Central Bank rate. Dark bar: treatment. Amber line: the lowest self-pay price at home. Light bar: the whole trip, adding a return flight and the hotel nights a typical stay needs (rough estimates, not quotes). Greyed out: treatment within 10% of the home price or above it.
The numbers in short
We compare 18 procedures in 20 countries and publish a page only where we found a price we could check: 148 pages so far. The gaps are real gaps, shown as such.
- NHS England, MRI
- 22.0% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)
- Canada, MRI
- Median 59 days; 1 in 10 waited over 206 days (2025)
- Ireland, GI endoscopy
- About 30% waiting over 6 months (24 September 2026)
- MRI abroad
- about £48 to £812 per area, before travel
- UK private MRI
- about £249 to £380
Cheapest published price for each treatment
In pounds, before travel. Click a treatment for every country, or see all 20 countries side by side.
| Treatment | Cheapest country | From | Countries priced |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRI scan | China | £48 | 7 |
| CT scan | Hungary | £68 | 4 |
| Colonoscopy | China | £48 | 8 |
| Gastroscopy | Portugal | £82 | 7 |
| Health check-up | Greece | £58 | 16 |
| Heart check-up | Greece | £66 | 12 |
| Cancer screening | China | £110 | 9 |
| Coronary stent | Lithuania | £1,590 | 3 |
| Heart bypass surgery | Lithuania | £7,450 | 3 |
| Cataract surgery | Hungary | £628 | 8 |
| Laser eye surgery | Lithuania | £598 | 8 |
| Dental implant | Turkey | £470 | 7 |
| All-on-4 dental implants | Turkey | £3,000 | 6 |
| Veneers | Thailand | £133 | 8 |
| Hair transplant | Poland | £1,520 | 3 |
| Hip replacement | Poland | £4,760 | 5 |
| Knee replacement | Thailand | £4,880 | 6 |
| IVF | Japan | £1,230 | 8 |
Converted at European Central Bank rates of 23 October 2026. Units differ by treatment (one MRI area, one eye, one tooth with its crown); each treatment page says which.
Who this is for, and who it is not for
For
- People on a waiting list in the UK, Canada or Ireland who want to know what the alternatives cost.
- Uninsured or high-deductible patients in the US comparing cash prices.
- Anyone already travelling to one of these countries who wonders whether to book a check-up or a scan while there.
Not for
- Urgent symptoms: go to your doctor or an emergency department at home.
- Choosing a surgeon or judging a clinic's safety. We publish prices, not quality ratings.
- Complex treatment (cancer care, joint replacement, full-mouth dental work) that needs follow-up close to home.
Start from where you live
UK
NHS waits, private prices, and the S2 route.
Waits and pricesCanada
CIHI wait times for MRI and cataract surgery.
Waits and pricesIreland
NTPF waiting lists, TAS and the Cross Border Directive.
Waits and pricesUS
Hospital cash prices next to prices abroad.
Cash pricesOr read how we check every number, and how to bring your results home so your own doctor can use them.
Treatment abroad vs waiting: questions
Is it cheaper to get an MRI abroad than to wait on the NHS?
Waiting on the NHS is free; the question is how long. In England 22.0% waiting over 6 weeks in August 2026. A private MRI in the UK costs about £249 to £380 at the providers we checked, and published prices abroad run about £48 to £812 before travel. Once travel is added, a private scan at home usually costs less for UK readers, unless you are already travelling.
Which country is cheapest for cataract surgery?
Published prices per eye run about £628 to £4,170 in the countries we checked, against about £2,000 to £3,610 privately in the UK. Lens type, the pre-operative visit and the follow-up change the total, so compare what each price includes.
How much is a dental implant abroad compared with the UK?
For one tooth with the crown, published prices abroad run about £470 to £6,560; a London clinic starts at £2,950. Implants usually need two trips, months apart, which can wipe out the saving.
Will the NHS or HSE pay if I go abroad?
Only for public treatment in Europe, approved in advance (NHS S2 route, HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme), or, from Ireland, through the Cross Border Directive, which repays up to the Irish public cost of care in the EU or EEA. Private clinics in Turkey, Asia or Mexico are self-pay.
Where do the prices on this site come from?
Only from prices the clinic or hospital publishes itself, or official fee schedules, each read on the date shown. We do not use broker or agency prices. When a hospital offers a treatment but publishes no price, its own page shows a clearly labelled estimate: the range other providers in the same city or country publish, or an official fee schedule. Estimates never appear as published prices or in the country comparisons.
Can I trust a clinic because it is listed here?
No. A listing means the clinic publishes a price, nothing more. We have not inspected any clinic, and no clinic pays to be listed.
Sources for the waiting times
- Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity, August 2026. NHS England, 8 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times statistical press notice, August 2026. NHS England, 8 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Wait times for priority procedures in Canada, 2008 to 2025: data tables. Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), 25 June 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Open data: inpatient/day case GI endoscopy waiting list by hospital, 2026. National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Open data: inpatient/day case waiting list by specialty, 2026. National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- What the latest NHS heart care data tells us, and what it means for you (2026 interim report summary). NICOR (National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research), 18 June 2026. Read 27 October 2026.
- Stage of treatment waiting times: ongoing and completed waits, monthly, August 2026. Public Health Scotland. Read 27 October 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.