US · CT scan
CT scan cost in the US vs going abroad
Prices checked 27 October 2026 (Taipei time)
Short answer
Medicare Part B covers a CT scan your provider orders; you pay 20% after the deductible. Private plans set their own rules.
Paying privately in the US costs about $355 at the providers we checked. Published prices abroad start at $92 in Hungary, before travel.
- Pay at home
- about $355
- Abroad, before travel
- about $92 to $420 in 3 countries
- Paid by Medicare?
- Yes
The US figures are median hospital cash prices from a study of prices hospitals published in July 2021 (JAMA Network Open), the only national figures we found. Today's cash prices are probably higher, and your own insurer's price can be very different.
Paying privately in the US
| Provider | Published price | What the price is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Health ImagingLawrenceville, GA | From $355about £266 · €317 · C$497 | CT scan, single study, without contrastSelf-pay price for one non-contrast study at an independent imaging centre, read by a radiologist. A 3-body-part package is $999. Hospital outpatient prices are usually higher. | Georgia Health Imagingread 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.
Published prices abroad, in USD
Converted at the European Central Bank rate and rounded; before travel and time off work.
| Country | Price range | Difference vs lowest home price |
|---|---|---|
| CT scan in Hungary | about $92 to $153 | $263 less |
| CT scan in China | about $270 to $420 | $85 less |
| CT scan in Japan | about $351 | $4 less |
Compare with your wait and price at home
See whether the trip, with a rough travel estimate, still costs less than paying in the US.
When not to travel
- 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.
Next steps
CT scan from the US: questions
How much does a private CT scan cost in the US?
about $355 at the providers we checked: Georgia Health Imaging.
Where abroad is a CT scan cheapest from the US?
Before travel: Hungary about $92 to $153, China about $270 to $420 and Japan about $351. Add travel, roughly a return flight and a hotel, to compare the whole trip.
Do I need a referral for a CT scan abroad?
Clinics differ, but a referral or a letter from your own doctor makes the result far more useful: it says what question the CT scan should answer, and it means someone at home will act on it.
Sources
- Self-pay imaging prices. Georgia Health Imaging. Read 27 October 2026.
- 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.
- Diagnostic non-laboratory tests. Medicare.gov. Read 27 October 2026.
- Accreditation. Wáberer Medical Center (Budapest). Read 27 October 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.