Price report · Heart bypass surgery
Heart bypass surgery abroad or at home: waits and published prices compared
We read what hospitals and clinics in 20 countries publish for heart bypass surgery and set it against the official wait and the self-pay price in the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US. Price unit: one coronary artery bypass operation (CABG) with the hospital stay its package includes; the number of grafts and nights differ, so each row says what it includes.
- Countries with a price
- 6 of 20Poland, Lithuania, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore
- Lowest abroad
- £7,450Lithuania, before travel
- UK private
- £28,510lowest published self-pay price
- Price lines read
- 108 providers
Short answer
Providers in 6 countries publish a price for heart bypass surgery that we could check. Converted to pounds, they run from £7,450 to £26,000, before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £28,510.
- Countries with a price
- 6 of 20: Poland, Lithuania, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore
- Range abroad
- about £7,450 to £26,000 before travel
- UK private
- about £28,510
- NHS England
- Just over 100 days (April to September 2025, published June 2026)
- Price is for
- one coronary artery bypass operation (CABG) with the hospital stay its package includes; the number of grafts and nights differ, so each row says what it includes
Key findings
- 3 of 20 countries publish a comparable price (3 more only inside bundles). The lowest is Lithuania at £7,450; the highest published figure is £26,000, before travel.
- From the UK, 3 of 3 countries are cheaper than a private heart bypass surgery at home before travel, and 3 once a rough travel estimate is added. The lowest UK self-pay price we found is £28,510.
- Official waits: UK, all NHS heart surgery units, just over 100 days (April to September 2025, published June 2026), Canada (national), median 8.7 days; 1 in 10 waited over 84 days (2025) and Ireland (public hospitals), about 45% waiting over 6 months (all cardio-thoracic surgery) (24 September 2026).
- No verified comparable price in Mexico, Turkey, Hungary, Czechia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Costa Rica, Colombia, South Korea, Japan, India, United Arab Emirates and China. 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)
Figure 2Cheapest total trip from each home country
| From | Lithuania | Thailand | Malaysia | Pay at home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | £8,720 | £27,140 | £12,860 | from £28,510 |
| Canada | C$17,200 | C$50,840 | C$24,210 | not verified |
| Ireland | €10,310 | €32,290 | €15,230 | not verified |
| US | $12,500 | $36,620 | $17,530 | not verified |
What heart bypass surgery is
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is open-heart surgery that takes a blood vessel from the chest, leg or arm and connects it around a narrowed coronary artery, so blood reaches the heart muscle again. It is planned when several arteries are narrowed or a stent is not suitable. Most people spend about a week in hospital, including a day or two in intensive care.
Heart bypass surgery 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.
| Country | Providers | In GBP | In CAD | In EUR | In USD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 1 | not comparable | not comparable | not comparable | not comparable |
| Lithuania | 1 | £7,450 | C$13,940 | €8,900 | $9,960 |
| Taiwan | 1 | not comparable | not comparable | not comparable | not comparable |
| Thailand | 1 | £25,270–£26,000 | C$47,280–C$48,650 | €30,180–€31,060 | $33,780–$34,760 |
| Malaysia | 2 | £10,990–£14,650 | C$20,550–C$27,400 | €13,120–€17,490 | $14,690–$19,580 |
| Singapore | 1 | not comparable | not comparable | not comparable | not comparable |
No page yet for Mexico, Turkey, Hungary, Czechia, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Costa Rica, Colombia, South Korea, Japan, India, United Arab Emirates and China: 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.
| Where you live | Official wait | Pay at home |
|---|---|---|
| UK | Just over 100 daysUK, all NHS heart surgery units, April to September 2025, published June 2026 | £28,510 |
| Canada | Median 8.7 days; 1 in 10 waited over 84 daysCanada (national), 2025 | Not verified |
| Ireland | About 45% waiting over 6 months (all cardio-thoracic surgery)Ireland (public hospitals), 24 September 2026 | Not verified |
| US | No national figure | Not verified |
How long people wait for a planned bypass differs a lot by country. In Canada half of patients had the operation within about 9 days of agreeing to it, but 1 in 10 waited more than 84 days (CIHI). Across the UK the national heart surgery audit puts the average wait for planned heart surgery at just over 100 days (NICOR); at Scotland's national heart surgery centre the people operated on in August 2026 had waited a median of 77 days (Public Health Scotland). Ireland publishes counts, not times: 376 of the 828 adults on the cardio-thoracic surgery list had waited over 6 months (NTPF). The US has no national waiting-time figure.
US readers: a study of the prices 544 US hospitals published found a median self-pay rate of $75,047 for a planned bypass without major complications, hospital fees only (Journal of the American Heart Association). It is a study figure, not a price you can book, so it is not in the comparison.
None of the hospitals abroad that we list publishes how soon it can operate on a bypass patient. If time is the reason you are looking, send your angiogram and reports and ask each hospital for a surgery date in writing before you book flights. If your symptoms are getting worse, that is a reason for urgent care at home, not a trip.
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 heart bypass surgery.
How to compare heart bypass surgery prices
- Check what the package covers: the number of grafts, intensive-care days, ward nights, the surgeon and anaesthetist fees, and what happens if you need extra days.
- Ask whether the price assumes an ordinary (on-pump) operation or a minimally invasive one, and what changes if the surgeon decides differently on the day.
- Ask how many bypass operations the team does a year and who looks after you if there is a complication after you fly home.
- Ask for the date in writing: how soon after your records arrive they can assess you, and how soon after that they can operate.
Do not travel for heart bypass surgery if
- Chest pain at rest, pain that is getting worse, or a heart attack: that is an emergency at home, not a trip.
- Anyone whose own cardiologist says they are not fit to fly before surgery.
- Anyone who cannot stay near the hospital until the surgeon and the airline agree they can fly home.
Before you book
- Send your angiogram images and report, echocardiogram, blood tests and medicine list; ask the hospital to confirm in writing that a cardiac surgeon has reviewed them and agrees to operate.
- Get a written quote that names what is and is not included, and ask what the deposit and refund rules are if the surgeon decides not to operate.
- Check that your travel insurance covers a planned operation abroad; most standard policies do not.
- Take a companion: you will not be able to carry bags or look after yourself for the first weeks.
After you come home
- Ask your doctor at home before you leave who will see you afterwards, and bring the full operation notes and discharge letter in English.
- Cardiac rehabilitation at home is usually arranged through your own doctor; ask about it early.
- Fever, a wound that is red or leaking, breathlessness or chest pain after you return need urgent care.
Bringing results home so your own doctor can use them is covered in how to bring your results home.
Heart bypass surgery abroad: questions
Where is heart bypass surgery cheapest abroad?
Before flights, the lowest published prices we found are in Lithuania (about £7,450), Malaysia (about £10,990 to £14,650) and Thailand (about £25,270 to £26,000). 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 heart bypass surgery on the NHS?
In England, just over 100 days in April to September 2025, published June 2026: Average wait for planned heart surgery, bypass and valve operations together (national cardiac surgery audit; its public summary does not say when the clock starts). Waits vary by hospital, and an urgent referral is faster.
How much does a private heart bypass surgery cost in the UK?
about £28,510 at the UK providers we checked, before any consultant fees they list separately.
What does the price of heart bypass surgery usually include?
On this site the price should cover one coronary artery bypass operation (CABG) with the hospital stay its package includes; the number of grafts and nights differ, so each row says what it includes. Check what the package covers: the number of grafts, intensive-care days, ward nights, the surgeon and anaesthetist fees, and what happens if you need extra days.
How long do I need to stay abroad for heart bypass surgery?
Usually 1 to 2 weeks in hospital and nearby, then until the surgeon clears you to fly. Ask the clinic for the schedule in writing before you book flights.
Sources
- Cardiovascular and thoracic surgery packages. Bangkok Hospital. Read 27 October 2026.
- Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur: treatments and estimated costs. IHH Healthcare Malaysia (international patient site). Read 27 October 2026.
- Pantai Hospital Melaka: treatments and estimated costs. IHH Healthcare Malaysia (international patient site). Read 27 October 2026.
- Širdies aortokoronarinis šuntavimas [coronary artery bypass surgery]. Meliva. Read 27 October 2026.
- Aneks nr 545: cennik Oddziału Chirurgii Serca, Naczyń i Transplantologii [cardiac surgery price list]. Krakowski Szpital Specjalistyczny im. św. Jana Pawła II, 1 January 2024. Read 27 October 2026.
- Bill information: coronary artery bypass graft (SD742H). Ministry of Health Singapore. Read 27 October 2026.
- Chang Gung Memorial Hospital self-pay fee schedule (revised 4 September 2026) (in Chinese). Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 4 September 2026. Read 27 October 2026.
- Heart, vascular and thoracic care: self-pay prices. Cleveland Clinic London. Read 27 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.
- Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times statistical press notice, August 2026. NHS England, 8 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Stage of treatment waiting times: ongoing and completed waits, monthly, August 2026. Public Health Scotland. Read 27 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 waiting list by specialty, 2026. National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Assessment of price variation in coronary artery bypass surgery at US hospitals. Journal of the American Heart Association, February 2024. Read 27 October 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.