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CT scan · South Korea

CT scan in South Korea: what it costs and how it compares with waiting at home

Prices checked 27 October 2026 (Taipei time)

Short answer

South Korea providers publish CT scans only inside bundles with other tests, so we show them but leave South Korea out of the price comparison.

Published price
Bundles only, not comparable
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
Where
Seoul
Providers
3 (Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital (Yonsei University) and KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global))
Soonest booking
Not published: ask in writing
NHS England wait
11.2% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)

Published CT scan prices in South Korea

Every row is a price the provider publishes itself, read on the date shown. We copy what the price includes and what it leaves out; where the provider does not say, the row says “not stated”. We do not use prices from brokers or medical-travel agencies.

CT scan prices in South Korea
ProviderPublished priceWhat the price is forSource
Samsung Medical CenterSeoul₩290,000about £164 · €196 · C$306 · $219Optional test add-on: Abdominal CTCross-sectional images of liver, kidneys, pancreas and other solid organs. Contrast: not stated.Not comparableSamsung Medical Centerread 27 October 2026
Samsung Medical CenterSeoul₩200,000about £113 · €135 · C$211 · $151Optional test add-on: Low-Dose Chest CTLung cancer screening.Not comparableSamsung Medical Centerread 27 October 2026
Severance Hospital (Yonsei University)Seoul₩390,000about £220 · €263 · C$412 · $294Optional exam: Abdominal CT (contrast)See the item name. Brochure from February 2024, so prices may have changed.Not comparableSeverance Hospital (Yonsei University)read 27 October 2026
Severance Hospital (Yonsei University)Seoul₩260,000about £147 · €175 · C$275 · $196Optional exam: Low Dose Chest CT (non-contrast)See the item name. Brochure from February 2024, so prices may have changed.Not comparableSeverance Hospital (Yonsei University)read 27 October 2026
KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)Seoul₩130,000about £73 · €88 · C$137 · $98Additional test: Brain CTAdd-on. Pay on the day of the check-up on site only (page: 'Check-up fees can only be paid on-site on the day of the check-up'). Not stated.Not comparableKMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)read 27 October 2026
KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)Seoul₩130,000about £73 · €88 · C$137 · $98Additional test: Lung CTAdd-on. Pay on the day of the check-up on site only (page: 'Check-up fees can only be paid on-site on the day of the check-up'). Not stated.Not comparableKMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)read 27 October 2026
KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)Seoul₩130,000about £73 · €88 · C$137 · $98Additional test: C-Spine CTAdd-on. Pay on the day of the check-up on site only (page: 'Check-up fees can only be paid on-site on the day of the check-up'). Not stated.Not comparableKMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)read 27 October 2026
KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)Seoul₩130,000about £73 · €88 · C$137 · $98Additional test: L-Spine CTAdd-on. Pay on the day of the check-up on site only (page: 'Check-up fees can only be paid on-site on the day of the check-up'). Not stated.Not comparableKMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global)read 27 October 2026

Prices are copied as published, in the provider's currency. Conversions use the European Central Bank reference rates of 23 October 2026 and are rounded. A provider can change a price at any time: ask for a written quote.

The Kangbuk Samsung prices are from its domestic check-up page, which carries no date and does not say whether foreign patients pay the same. Severance Hospital runs an international health-care centre that takes check-up bookings from abroad and lists sedation for gastroscopy at 156,000 KRW, but we could not find its package prices (Severance).

Hospitals in South Korea that offer a CT scan to international patients

Each runs its own service for patients from abroad. The booking time on each card is the hospital's own words; where it publishes none, ask for a date in writing before you book flights.

Asan Medical Center

Seoul · University hospital, private service

  • Cancer care
  • Heart
  • Transplant
  • Check-ups

No booking time published: ask in writing

8 published pricesDetails

Samsung Medical Center

Seoul · University hospital, private service

  • Cancer care
  • Heart
  • Check-ups

Reply: “It will take 3-5 business days to process your request.”

10 published pricesDetails

Compared with waiting or paying at home

The official waiting figure and the self-pay price in each home country, next to the South Korea price converted to that currency. The South Korea figure does not include flights, a hotel or time off work.

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

Waits are the latest official statistics; each country measures them differently, so read the label. Home prices are published self-pay prices; for the US they are 2021 hospital medians or a dental school's estimate.

Compare with your wait and price at home

Pick where you live to see the South Korea price and how soon hospitals say they can see you, next to your wait and your price at home.

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How it works for a visitor

  1. Ask for a written quoteSend the clinic your referral or reason for the CT scan and ask for an itemised price, the date, and what happens if the result needs follow-up.
  2. Before you goTake your referral letter, or the question your doctor wants the scan to answer.
  3. Before you goTell the clinic in advance about kidney problems, diabetes medicines or an allergy to contrast dye.
  4. LanguageKorean; the big Seoul hospitals have international health-care centres with English-speaking coordinators.
  5. Entry rulesCheck the official advice for your passport before booking: UK citizens (FCDO entry requirements), Canadian citizens (travel.gc.ca), US citizens (State Department, choose the country), Irish citizens (DFA travel advice, choose the country).
  6. After you returnGive your doctor the report and the DICOM images.
  7. After you returnIf the scan finds something, the follow-up normally happens at home.

Can your public system pay for it?

NHS and HSE schemes do not reach South Korea. The NHS S2 route covers state treatment in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the HSE schemes cover the EU, EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Treatment in South Korea is paid by you or by a private insurer who agrees in advance. NHS S2 route, HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme.

When not to travel for a CT scan

  • 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.

How to compare CT scan quotes

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.

  • 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.

Providers on this page

We list providers because they publish a price, not because we recommend them. No clinic pays to be listed, and we have not visited any of them.

Related comparisons

CT scan in South Korea: questions

How much does a CT scan cost in South Korea?

Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital (Yonsei University) and KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global) publishes only bundles that include other tests, so there is no price for a CT scan on its own that compares with other countries.

Is a CT scan in South Korea cheaper than paying privately in the UK?

We do not have both a UK price and a comparable South Korea price for this, so we cannot say. Compare the published prices on this page with a written quote from a UK provider.

Will the NHS or HSE pay for a CT scan in South Korea?

No. The NHS S2 route and the HSE schemes cover planned treatment in Europe only. South Korea is outside them, so you pay yourself or through a private insurer that agrees in advance.

How many days should I plan in South Korea?

1 day for the scan and the report. That is our planning estimate, not medical advice: the clinic sets the schedule, and you should ask it for one in writing.

What should I check before booking a CT scan in South Korea?

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.

Sources

  1. Centres and specialties. Samsung Medical Center. Read 27 October 2026.
  2. Prices. Severance Hospital (Yonsei University). Read 27 October 2026.
  3. Centres and specialties. KMI Korea Medical Institute (KMI Global). Read 27 October 2026.
  4. Planned treatment: S2 funding route. NHS (nhs.uk). Read 26 October 2026.
  5. Treatment Abroad Scheme. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
  6. 종합건진 프로그램 (comprehensive check-up programmes). Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Center, Seoul. Read 26 October 2026.
  7. Health check-up appointment (International Health Care Center). Severance Hospital, Seoul. Read 26 October 2026.
  8. Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.