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Price report · CT scan

CT scan abroad or at home: waits and published prices compared

We read what hospitals and clinics in 20 countries publish for a CT scan and set it against the official wait and the self-pay price in the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US. Price unit: one CT scan of one body area (for example the chest, abdomen or head), without contrast unless stated; low-dose lung screening is shown as such.

Updated 27 October 2026 · Every figure links to its source

Countries with a price
4 of 20Hungary, South Korea, Japan and China
Lowest abroad
£68Hungary, before travel
UK private
–not verified
Price lines read
157 providers

Short answer

Providers in 4 countries publish a price for a CT scan that we could check. Converted to pounds, they run from £68 to £314, before flights and a hotel.

Countries with a price
4 of 20: Hungary, South Korea, Japan and China
Range abroad
about £68 to £314 before travel
UK private
Not verified
NHS England
11.2% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)
Price is for
one CT scan of one body area (for example the chest, abdomen or head), without contrast unless stated; low-dose lung screening is shown as such

Key findings

  1. 3 of 20 countries publish a comparable price (1 more only inside bundles). The lowest is Hungary at £68; the highest published figure is £314, before travel.
  2. Official waits: England, 11.2% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026) and Canada (national), median 14.7 days; 1 in 10 waited over 144 days (2025).
  3. No verified comparable price in Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Czechia, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Costa Rica, Colombia, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India and United Arab Emirates. A gap means we could not find a price the provider publishes itself, not that the treatment is unavailable.

Figure 1Lowest to highest comparable price, by country (GBP, before travel)

Each bar runs from the lowest to the highest published price that matches the unit; Converted at the ECB rate. Click a country for every price line.

Figure 2Cheapest total trip from each home country

Cheapest total trip for a CT scan from the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US
FromHungaryJapanChinaPay at home
UK£298£1,240£982not verified
CanadaC$1,570C$2,130C$1,920not verified
Ireland€352€1,400€1,130not verified
US$1,150$1,560$1,480from $355
Lowest published price plus a rough travel estimate (return flight and hotel), in each reader's currency. Green means the trip costs less than the lowest self-pay price at home. The travel part is a round estimate, not a quote: compare on the calculator.

What a CT scan is

A CT (computed tomography) scanner takes X-ray images from many angles and builds cross-sections of the body. The scan itself takes a few minutes and is good for the chest, abdomen, bones and blood vessels. It uses more radiation than an ordinary X-ray, so it should answer a clear medical question.

CT scan prices by country

The range in each country covers only the prices that match the unit above. Click a country for every price line, what it includes, and how to book as a visitor.

CT scan published prices by country
CountryProvidersIn GBPIn CADIn EURIn USD
Hungary1£68–£114C$128–C$214€82–€136$92–$153
South Korea3not comparablenot comparablenot comparablenot comparable
Japan1£262C$491€313$351
China1£202–£314C$378–C$587€241–€375$270–$420

No page yet for Mexico, Turkey, Poland, Czechia, Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Costa Rica, Colombia, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, India and United Arab Emirates: we did not find a published price there that we could verify.

Waiting and paying at home

The latest official waiting figure in each country, and what providers there publish as a self-pay price.

Waiting times and self-pay prices at home for CT scan
Where you liveOfficial waitPay at home
UK11.2% waiting over 6 weeksEngland, August 2026Not verified
CanadaMedian 14.7 days; 1 in 10 waited over 144 daysCanada (national), 2025Not verified
IrelandNo official figure foundNot verified
USNo national figure$3552021 hospital data or a dental school

Compare with your wait and price at home

Choose where you live and the calculator lines up your wait, your price at home and each country's price plus travel for a CT scan.

Open the calculator

How to compare CT scan prices

  • Check the body area and whether contrast dye is included. A contrast scan needs an injection and often a recent kidney blood test.
  • Ask whether a radiologist’s written report is included, in which language, and how fast.
  • Ask for the images in DICOM format so a doctor at home can look at them, not just the report.
  • A low-dose chest CT for lung screening is a different test from a diagnostic chest CT. Compare like with like.

Do not travel for a CT scan if

  • Emergencies such as chest pain, a suspected stroke or a serious injury. Go to an emergency department.
  • Pregnancy, unless a doctor has decided the scan is needed.
  • Scans no doctor has asked for: repeated CT adds radiation and finds harmless things that then need follow-up.

Before you book

  • Take your referral letter, or the question your doctor wants the scan to answer.
  • Tell the clinic in advance about kidney problems, diabetes medicines or an allergy to contrast dye.

After you come home

  • Give your doctor the report and the DICOM images.
  • If the scan finds something, the follow-up normally happens at home.

Bringing results home so your own doctor can use them is covered in how to bring your results home.

CT scan abroad: questions

Where is a CT scan cheapest abroad?

Before flights, the lowest published prices we found are in Hungary (about £68 to £114), China (about £202 to £314) and Japan (about £262). The cheapest country is not always the cheapest trip: a short flight can matter more than the price difference.

How long is the wait for a CT scan on the NHS?

In England, 11.2% waiting over 6 weeks in August 2026: Share of people on the NHS CT waiting list who had already waited 6 weeks or more (181,619 waiting; median wait 1.9 weeks, the shortest of the 15 tests). Waits vary by hospital, and an urgent referral is faster.

How much does a private CT scan cost in the UK?

We have not verified a published UK price for this yet.

What does the price of a CT scan usually include?

On this site the price should cover one CT scan of one body area (for example the chest, abdomen or head), without contrast unless stated; low-dose lung screening is shown as such. Check the body area and whether contrast dye is included. A contrast scan needs an injection and often a recent kidney blood test.

How long do I need to stay abroad for a CT scan?

1 day for the scan and the report. Ask the clinic for the schedule in writing before you book flights.

Sources

  1. Prices. Semmelweis Premium (Semmelweis University). Read 27 October 2026.
  2. Centres and specialties. Samsung Medical Center. Read 27 October 2026.
  3. Prices. Severance Hospital (Yonsei University). Read 27 October 2026.
  4. Centres and specialties. KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global). Read 27 October 2026.
  5. International patients. TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre). Read 27 October 2026.
  6. Centres and specialties. Jiahui International Hospital. Read 27 October 2026.
  7. Self-pay imaging prices. Georgia Health Imaging. Read 27 October 2026.
  8. Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity, August 2026. NHS England, 8 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  9. 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.
  10. Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.