New: hip, knee, IVF and LASIK

Compare
Wait or Fly

Price report · MRI scan

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

We read what clinics in 8 countries publish for an MRI scan and set it against the official wait and the self-pay price in the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US. Price unit: one body area (for example a knee, the brain or the lower spine), without contrast unless stated.

Updated 26 October 2026 · Every figure links to its source

Countries with a price
6 of 8Mexico, Poland, Hungary, South Korea, Thailand and China
Lowest abroad
£48China, before travel
UK private
£249lowest published self-pay price
Price lines read
1413 providers

Short answer

Providers in 6 countries publish a price for an MRI scan that we could check. Converted to pounds, they run from £48 to £449, before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £249 to £380.

Countries with a price
6 of 8: Mexico, Poland, Hungary, South Korea, Thailand and China
Range abroad
about £48 to £449 before travel
UK private
about £249 to £380
NHS England
22.0% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)
Price is for
one body area (for example a knee, the brain or the lower spine), without contrast unless stated

Key findings

  1. 5 of 8 countries publish a comparable price (1 more only inside bundles). The lowest is China at £48; the highest published figure is £449, before travel.
  2. From the UK, 4 of 5 countries are cheaper than a private MRI scan at home before travel, and none after an example flight and 2 hotel nights. The lowest UK self-pay price we found is £249.
  3. Official waits: England, 22.0% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026) and Canada (national), median 59 days; 1 in 10 waited over 206 days (2025).
  4. No verified comparable price in Turkey and Japan. 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; the dashed line is the lowest UK self-pay price we found. Converted at the ECB rate. Click a country for every price line.

Figure 2Cheapest total trip from each home country

Cheapest total trip for an MRI scan from the UK, Canada, Ireland and the US
FromMexicoPolandHungaryThailandChinaPay at home
UK£1,410£404£442£1,130£908from £249
CanadaC$1,720C$1,710C$1,830C$2,290C$1,770from C$749
Ireland€1,720€478€518€1,290€1,040from €310
US$1,120$1,290$1,350$1,810$1,380from $1,530
Lowest published price plus an example return flight and 2 hotel nights, in each reader's currency. Green means the trip costs less than the lowest self-pay price at home. Flights and hotels are round examples, not quotes: put in your own.

What an MRI scan is

An MRI scanner uses a strong magnet and radio waves to make detailed pictures of soft tissue: joints, the spine, the brain, the abdomen. Prices are quoted per body area, and a scan with contrast dye (an injection) costs more.

MRI 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.

MRI scan published prices by country
CountryProvidersIn GBPIn CADIn EURIn USD
Mexico1£449C$840€536$600
Poland2£124–£177C$232–C$332€148–€212$166–$237
Hungary1£132C$248€158$177
South Korea1not comparablenot comparablenot comparablenot comparable
Thailand1£219C$411€262$293
China3£48–£393C$90–C$734€58–€469$64–$525

No page yet for Turkey and Japan: we did not find a published price there that we could verify.

About whole-body MRI. Some check-up packages include a whole-body MRI. The American College of Radiology says there is not enough evidence to recommend total-body screening for people without symptoms, risk factors or a family history, and warns that it finds many non-specific results that lead to unnecessary follow-up tests (ACR statement, 17 April 2023). If a scan finds something, the follow-up usually happens at home.

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 MRI scan
Where you liveOfficial waitPay at home
UK22.0% waiting over 6 weeksEngland, August 2026£249 to £380
CanadaMedian 59 days; 1 in 10 waited over 206 daysCanada (national), 2025C$749 to C$799
IrelandNo official figure found€310
USNo national figure$1,5302021 hospital data or a dental school

Add your flight and hotel

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

Open the calculator

How to compare MRI scan prices

  • Check that the price is for the same body area and the same type of scan. A knee is one area; the whole spine is usually two or three.
  • Ask whether a radiologist's written report is included, in which language, and how long it takes.
  • Ask for the images on a disc or a download link in DICOM format, so a doctor at home can look at the pictures, not just the report.
  • Contrast scans usually need a recent kidney blood test. Some clinics ask you to bring one.

Do not travel for an MRI scan if

  • Symptoms that need urgent care: sudden weakness, numbness, severe headache, loss of bladder or bowel control. Go to an emergency department at home.
  • Anyone with a pacemaker, some implants, metal fragments or a cochlear implant until the clinic has checked them.
  • A scan your home doctor has not asked for: without a referral there may be nobody at home to act on the result.

Before you book

  • Get your home doctor's referral letter or the question they want answered; take it with you.
  • Book the scan before the flights and ask for the appointment in writing.
  • Check your travel insurance covers medical procedures abroad. Many policies do not.

After you come home

  • Give your doctor the report and the DICOM images. An English report saves a translation step.
  • If the report finds something, the follow-up (more tests, treatment) normally happens at home.

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

MRI scan abroad: questions

Where is an MRI scan cheapest abroad?

Before flights, the lowest published prices we found are in China (about £48 to £393), Poland (about £124 to £177) and Hungary (about £132). 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 an MRI scan on the NHS?

In England, 22.0% waiting over 6 weeks in August 2026: Share of people on the NHS MRI waiting list who had already waited 6 weeks or more (357,356 people waiting). Waits vary by hospital, and an urgent referral is faster.

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

about £249 to £380 at the UK providers we checked, before any consultant fees they list separately.

What does the price of an MRI scan usually include?

On this site the price should cover one body area (for example a knee, the brain or the lower spine), without contrast unless stated. Check that the price is for the same body area and the same type of scan. A knee is one area; the whole spine is usually two or three.

How long do I need to stay abroad for an MRI scan?

1 day for the scan; add a day if the clinic wants a doctor to see you first. Ask the clinic for the schedule in writing before you book flights.

Sources

  1. Lista de precios público general, Hospital MAC Tijuana (valid 1 Sep to 31 Dec 2026). Hospitales MAC, 1 September 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  2. Cennik usług medycznych obowiązujący od 1.01.2026 (price list valid from 1 January 2026). Szpital MSWiA w Poznaniu (Ministry of Interior hospital, Poznań), 1 January 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  3. Cennik (price list). Centrum Medyczne Damiana, Warsaw. Read 26 October 2026.
  4. Prices. Wáberer Medical Center, Budapest. Read 26 October 2026.
  5. 종합건진 프로그램 (comprehensive check-up programmes). Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Center, Seoul. Read 26 October 2026.
  6. MRI brain. Ratchaphruek Hospital, Khon Kaen. Read 26 October 2026.
  7. Hu Yi Bao Jia Cai Fa [2025] No. 11 (沪医保价采发〔2025〕11号): radiology examination prices (in Chinese). Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administration, 16 April 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
  8. Jing Yi Bao Fa [2025] No. 13 (京医保发〔2025〕13号), Annex 3: radiology examination prices (in Chinese). Beijing Municipal Healthcare Security Administration, 17 June 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
  9. Sui Yi Bao Fa [2025] No. 12 (穗医保发〔2025〕12号), Annex 3: radiology examination prices (in Chinese). Guangzhou Healthcare Security Administration, 25 April 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
  10. Price list (service guide). Shanghai International Medical Center (SIMC). Read 26 October 2026.
  11. MRI scans. Vista Health (UK). Read 26 October 2026.
  12. MRI scan. Affidea Ireland. Read 26 October 2026.
  13. Magnetic resonance (MRI). Insight Medical Imaging (Alberta). Read 26 October 2026.
  14. Price transparency in hospitals: cash prices for common services (Jiang, Makary, Bai), JAMA Network Open. JAMA Network Open, via PubMed Central, 21 December 2021. Read 26 October 2026.
  15. Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity, August 2026. NHS England, 8 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  16. 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.
  17. Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
  18. ACR Statement on Screening Total Body MRI. American College of Radiology, 17 April 2023. Read 26 October 2026.