MRI scan · Portugal
MRI scan in Portugal: what it costs and how it compares with waiting at home
Prices checked 27 October 2026 (Taipei time)
Short answer
We found 1 published price for an MRI scan in Portugal, from €490 to €970, or about £410 to £812 before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £249 to £380 at the providers we checked.
- Published price
- €490 to €970about £410 to £812 · about €490 to €970 · about C$768 to C$1,520 · about $548 to $1,090
- Price is for
- one body area (for example a knee, the brain or the lower spine), without contrast unless stated
- Where
- Lisbon
- Providers
- 1 (Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde))
- Soonest booking
- Not published: ask in writing
- NHS England wait
- 22.0% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)
Published MRI scan prices in Portugal
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.
| Provider | Published price | What the price is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde)Lisbon | €490 to €970about £410–£812 · C$768–C$1,520 · $548–$1,090 | Ressonância magnética (sem contraste)Without contrast. Price table says it excludes clinical consumables and drugs 'Preços em vigor a partir de 20 de fevereiro de 2026'; 'sujeitos a alteração sem aviso prévio'. | Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde)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.
Hospitals in Portugal that offer an MRI 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.
Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde)
No booking time published: ask in writing
2 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 Portugal price converted to that currency. The Portugal figure does not include flights, a hotel or time off work.
| Where you live | Official wait | Pay at home | Here, converted |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 22.0% waiting over 6 weeksEngland, August 2026 | £249 to £380 | £410 to £812before flights and hotel |
| Canada | Median 59 days; 1 in 10 waited over 206 daysCanada (national), 2025 | C$749 to C$799 | C$768 to C$1,520before flights and hotel |
| Ireland | No official figure found | €310 | €490 to €970before flights and hotel |
| US | No national figure | $1,5302021 hospital data or a dental school | $548 to $1,090before 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 Portugal price and how soon hospitals say they can see you, next to your wait and your price at home.
How it works for a visitor
- Ask for a written quoteSend the clinic your referral or reason for the MRI scan and ask for an itemised price, the date, and what happens if the result needs follow-up.
- Before you goGet your home doctor's referral letter or the question they want answered; take it with you.
- Before you goBook the scan before the flights and ask for the appointment in writing.
- Before you goCheck your travel insurance covers medical procedures abroad. Many policies do not.
- LanguagePortuguese; private hospitals that serve foreigners work in English.
- 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).
- After you returnGive your doctor the report and the DICOM images. An English report saves a translation step.
- After you returnIf the report finds something, the follow-up (more tests, treatment) normally happens at home.
Can your public system pay for it?
From England (NHS): the S2 route can fund planned treatment in an EU country, but only state healthcare with a public provider, never private treatment, and only with approval before you go. NHS England must also confirm it cannot treat you in a medically acceptable time. The private clinics on this page do not qualify. NHS: the S2 funding route.
From Ireland (HSE): Portugal is one of the EU countries listed for the Cross Border Directive scheme. You pay the provider yourself and then claim back the smaller of what you paid and what the same care would cost in the Irish public system; travel and hotels are not covered, and you need a referral from a GP or a consultant you saw as a public patient. HSE: Cross Border Directive, how much you can claim.
When not to travel for an MRI scan
- 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.
How to compare MRI scan quotes
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.
- 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.
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.
- Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde), Lisbon: €490 to €970
Related comparisons
MRI scan in Portugal: questions
How much does an MRI scan cost in Portugal?
The published prices we found range from €490 to €970, about £410 to £812 or $548 to $1,090. They come from Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde). Each covers something slightly different, so read what is included before comparing.
Is an MRI scan in Portugal cheaper than paying privately in the UK?
Before travel, the prices here work out at about £410 to £812, against about £249 to £380 at the UK providers we checked. Travel adds a flight and a hotel on top; the calculator on the home page adds a rough estimate.
Will the NHS or HSE pay for an MRI scan in Portugal?
The NHS S2 route pays only for state treatment at a public provider in the EU, with approval before you travel, not for private clinics. From Ireland, the HSE Cross Border Directive scheme lets you claim back up to what the same care costs in the Irish public system, after you have paid.
How many days should I plan in Portugal?
1 day for the scan; add a day if the clinic wants a doctor to see you first. 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 an MRI scan in Portugal?
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.
Sources
- Prices. Hospital da Luz Lisboa (Luz Saúde). Read 27 October 2026.
- Planned treatment: S2 funding route. NHS (nhs.uk). Read 26 October 2026.
- Cross Border Directive: how to get healthcare abroad. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
- Cross Border Directive: DRG codes and how much you can claim. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.