A private MRI in Canada cost C$730 to C$950 for one routine body area at the 3 clinics we found that publish a self-pay price, all in Alberta and British Columbia, read on 2 November 2026. Clinics in Alberta and Quebec say the provincial plan does not pay for a private scan, and several ask for a doctor's referral first, so the price is only part of the decision. Below are the published prices clinic by clinic, what each one adds for contrast and extra areas, what we found in Quebec, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, and the public wait you would be paying to skip.
Short answer
A private MRI of one routine body area costs about C$730 to C$950 at the Canadian clinics that publish a price (read 2 November 2026): C$730 at Mayfair Diagnostics in Calgary, from C$749 at Insight Medical Imaging in Alberta and C$950 at Canada Diagnostic Centres in Vancouver. Contrast and extra areas cost more, and the Alberta and Quebec clinics say the provincial plan does not cover a private scan.
- One body area
- C$730 to C$950 (3 clinics)
- Contrast, if separate
- C$175 to C$250
- Public MRI wait, Canada
- Median 59 days; 1 in 10 waited over 206 days (2025)
- Referral
- Needed at Canada Diagnostic Centres and Radiméd
Private MRI prices in Canada, clinic by clinic
These are the self-pay prices for one routine body area that each clinic publishes on its own site, cheapest first. All three are in Alberta or British Columbia. Read the note under each one: a clinic's cheapest area is not always the area you need.
Canadian dollars, self-pay, prices read 2 November 2026 on each clinic's own page. Listing a clinic is not a recommendation, and no clinic pays to appear.
Where you can pay for an MRI in Canada
- Alberta. Insight Medical Imaging says a diagnostic MRI there typically costs $600 to $1,200, and that community-based services such as private MRI are not covered by Alberta Health Care. Its list prices a knee, shoulder or one spine area at C$749, a brain at C$799, a hip C$849 and the abdomen and pelvis together C$1,199. Mayfair Diagnostics in Calgary charges C$730 for one area and offers 10% off a first MRI for people aged 65 and over.
- British Columbia. Canada Diagnostic Centres in Vancouver says most single-area routine exams cost C$950 on its 1.5 Tesla scanner, that you need a physician's referral, and that it confirms the price once it has the referral.
- Quebec. Radiméd lists MRI exams at its Quebec clinics and marks them as not covered by the RAMQ. It says most group insurance plans reimburse the cost, accepts requests from the CNESST and SAAQ, and asks you to bring your doctor's requisition. Its MRI page does not publish prices, so we have none to show.
- Ontario. We did not find an Ontario clinic that publishes a self-pay MRI price on its own site. Ask your doctor about sooner public slots, including at another hospital.
Newfoundland and Labrador. The province's Department of Health and Community Services told SaltWire that 6,800 patients were waiting for a non-urgent MRI as of August 2026, 70% of them in the Eastern Urban Zone, with waits of 86 days in the Western Zone, 224 days in the Eastern Zone and more than 600 days in the Central Zone. Patients can book through MyChart and choose another region where slots are free. One family told the paper they paid about $1,000 for a private MRI in Halifax rather than wait (SaltWire, 29 October 2026).
What changes the price of a private MRI
- Contrast dye. Insight Medical Imaging charges $175 for contrast, which is not in its list prices; Mayfair Diagnostics $250. At Canada Diagnostic Centres, contrast is built into the exams that need it, such as an abdomen MRI at $1,650.
- A second area. Mayfair charges $550 for each additional area. Insight charges its full price for the most expensive exam and a lower multiple-exam price, about half, for each one after it.
- The type of scan. Joint and spine scans are the cheapest. A prostate MRI with contrast is $999 at Insight and $2,500 at Canada Diagnostic Centres, and a whole-body scan is from $2,499 at Insight and $3,600 at Mayfair; see full body MRI cost before you pay for a screening scan.
- The referral and the report. Ask who will read the scan, how soon you get the report, and which doctor will go through it with you.
Private MRI vs the public wait
The Canadian Institute for Health Information measures the days from the decision to scan to the MRI. These are its figures for April to September 2025, the latest it has published:
For most people a private scan buys time, not a different scan. Ask your doctor how long your scan is likely to take before you pay. Every province and procedure is in Canada wait times by province, and the national figure sits beside prices abroad on the Canadian MRI wait page.
Is an MRI abroad cheaper from Canada?
Not for one scan. The cheapest published MRI we found abroad is in Poland, about C$232 at the clinic, but a rough return flight and hotel take it to about C$1,710, against C$730 in Calgary. It can make sense only if you are already travelling. Prices in every country are on MRI scan cost by country.
Before you book a private MRI
- Get the referralAsk your doctor for a requisition that names the body area, and whether contrast is needed.
- Ask for the full priceAsk the clinic for the price of exactly that exam, with contrast and any extra areas.
- Check your benefitsAsk your workplace plan or health spending account whether it pays for a private MRI.
- Plan who reads itMake sure the report goes to a doctor who will act on it, and ask how soon it arrives.