MRI and CT scans in China
MRI and CT scans at a Chinese public hospital, with your images and an English report to take home
For people in the US, UK, Canada and Australia facing a large bill or a long wait for a scan. Patients in China report paying about CNY 484 (≈ USD 72) for a plain MRI of one body part and about CNY 210 (≈ USD 31) for a plain CT (medians, before insurance), and foreign patients who post their bills online report the same, about CNY 480 (≈ USD 72) for an MRI. You leave with copies of your images and a report you can request in English, so your doctor at home can read them. At a standard department, foreign patients pay the same listed price as local patients who pay without insurance, so we quote each scan individually.
- CNY 484 (≈ USD 72)
- Plain MRI, one body part: median of what patients in China report paying before insurance (Chinese patient reports, 2025–26)
- CNY 210 (≈ USD 31)
- Plain CT, one body part: median patients in China report paying (2025–26)
- USD 1,200–3,500+
- USA: MRI at a hospital outpatient department, self-pay (cost guide, 2025–26)
- GBP 249–750
- UK private MRI, one body part (cost guide, 2026)
MRI, CT and PET-CT, published self-pay prices (sources: clinic price lists, cost guides, Canada’s Drug Agency survey, WA Health fee schedule, 2022–26; China: Chinese patient reports, 2025–26)
| Where | Price | What it covers (source type, year) |
|---|---|---|
| USA, MRI | USD 300–800 freestanding; USD 1,200–3,500+ hospital | Self-pay ranges by setting (cost guide, 2025–26) |
| USA, New Jersey imaging centre | MRI USD 650 (USD 995 with contrast); CT USD 350 (USD 550 with contrast) | Self-pay list price (clinic price list, 2026) |
| UK private, MRI | GBP 249–750 | One body part (cost guide, 2026) |
| UK private, CT | GBP 492–699 | One body part; contrast extra at some providers (clinic price lists, 2026) |
| UK private, PET-CT | GBP 1,255–2,200 | PET-CT at two providers (clinic price lists, 2026) |
| Canada private | MRI CAD 762 average; CT CAD 310 average | Facility charges at private clinics in 7 provinces; only 8 of 68 facilities answered (Canada’s Drug Agency survey, 2022–23) |
| Australia, overseas patients | MRI AUD 2,108–4,280; CT AUD 220–4,365 | Non-Medicare patients at WA public hospitals (WA Health fee schedule, 2026–27) |
| China, MRI | About CNY 484 (≈ USD 72) (median) | Plain scan, one body part; about CNY 1,018 (≈ USD 150) with contrast (Chinese patient reports, 2025–26) |
| China, CT | About CNY 210 (≈ USD 31) (median) | Plain scan, one body part (Chinese patient reports, 2025–26) |
| China, PET-CT | About CNY 6,500 (≈ USD 970) (median) | What patients in China report paying (Chinese patient reports, 2025–26) |
| China, foreign patients | Quoted individually | At a standard department, foreign patients pay the same listed price as local patients who pay without insurance; international departments charge more |
United States
The same MRI can cost several times more depending on where you go
A self-pay MRI costs about USD 300–800 at a freestanding imaging centre and USD 1,200–3,500 or more in a hospital outpatient department (cost guide, 2025–26). One New Jersey imaging centre lists an MRI at USD 650, or USD 995 with contrast, and a CT at USD 350. Ask whether the radiologist’s report is included.
UK, Canada & Australia
Paying privately to skip the queue
A private MRI of one body part in the UK costs about GBP 249–750, and a CT GBP 492–699. Private clinics in seven Canadian provinces charge an average of CAD 762 for an MRI and CAD 310 for a CT (Canada’s Drug Agency survey, 2022–23). In Australia, Medicare covers many scans for residents, but an overseas patient at a WA public hospital pays AUD 2,108–4,280 for an MRI.
Why China
Large public hospitals, at local prices
China’s National Healthcare Security Administration issued a radiology pricing guideline in November 2024, and 22 provinces had cut their radiology fees by May 2025. Patients in China now report paying about CNY 484 (≈ USD 72) for a plain MRI of one body part, CNY 1,018 (≈ USD 150) with contrast, CNY 210 (≈ USD 31) for a plain CT and CNY 6,500 (≈ USD 970) for a PET-CT (medians, before insurance, 2025–26), and foreign patients who post their bills online report about the same, CNY 480 (≈ USD 72) for an MRI. At a standard department, foreign patients pay the same listed price as local patients who pay without insurance, so we get an individual quote for your scan.
Take it home
Your images and an English report, so your own doctor can use them
A scan abroad is only useful if your doctor at home can read it. Chinese hospitals issue reports in Chinese by default, so ask for an English version when you register; one Zhejiang University hospital gives foreign patients free English radiology reports. Ask for a full copy of the images in a digital format, not only printed films. Your doctor at home decides whether to rely on them or repeat the scan.
Safety first
Contrast, metal implants and radiation are checked by the hospital
Tell the hospital before you travel about any pacemaker, implant or metal in your body, kidney problems, contrast allergies, pregnancy and whether you are claustrophobic. The hospital’s radiology department runs its own safety questions and decides whether a scan is suitable and whether contrast is used. A CT uses X-rays and an MRI does not.
We handle the China part
An English-speaking coordinator from airport to aftercare
We book the hospital, meet you at the airport, arrange a hotel near the hospital, put an interpreter beside you at every appointment, help with WeChat and Alipay payment, translate your reports into English and stay in touch for follow-up after you fly home.
How a scan trip to China works
- 1
1. Tell us which scan and why
Send your doctor’s request or your symptoms, any previous reports and a list of implants or metal in your body. We ask the hospital for a quote and a confirmed date before you book flights.
- 2
2. See a specialist in China
Scans are booked through a hospital doctor, so we arrange a consultation with the relevant specialist, with an interpreter beside you.
- 3
3. Your scan
You answer the radiology department’s safety questions, then have the MRI or CT. If contrast is needed, the hospital decides and explains it first.
- 4
4. Report and images to take home
You leave with a digital copy of your images and a report in English, and we can help you discuss the findings with the specialist before you fly.
Common questions
How much does a spine or brain MRI cost?
Published prices are usually per body part, not per area of the body. In the US, a self-pay MRI costs about USD 300–800 at a freestanding imaging centre and USD 1,200–3,500 or more in a hospital outpatient department (cost guide, 2025–26). A UK private MRI of one body part is about GBP 249–750, and Alberta clinics charge CAD 675–850. Patients in China report paying about CNY 484 (≈ USD 72) for a plain MRI of one body part and about CNY 1,018 (≈ USD 150) with contrast (medians, before insurance, 2025–26). Contrast and extra body parts add to the price everywhere.
How much does a routine CT scan cost in the US?
Cost guides put US cash prices between about USD 250 and 3,000, with a national average around USD 1,200 (2026). Freestanding centres are much cheaper than hospitals: one New Jersey imaging centre lists a CT at USD 350 without contrast and USD 550 with contrast, and a CT of the abdomen and pelvis at USD 550–900 (clinic price list, 2026).
How much does a CT scan cost at a hospital in China?
Patients in China report paying about CNY 210 (≈ USD 31) for a plain CT of one body part (median, before insurance, 2025–26). Prices differ by province and hospital level. At a standard department, foreign patients pay the same listed price as local patients who pay without insurance; contrast and extra body parts are charged on top, and international departments charge more.
How much does a full-body scan cost?
Full-body MRI screening is sold privately at home: Prenuvo lists its whole-body scan at USD 2,499 in the US and GBP 2,499 in London, and OneMRI in Australia charges AUD 2,990 (2026). We found no standard full-body MRI package at Chinese public hospitals. The closest is a high-end checkup package with imaging and tumour markers, which patients in China report paying about CNY 4,000 (≈ USD 600) for (median); ask which scans it includes. Australian radiologists warn that scanning people without symptoms can lead to tests for harmless findings, so talk to your doctor first.
Will my doctor at home accept an MRI or CT done in China?
That is your doctor’s decision, but you can make it easy. Ask the hospital for a full digital copy of the images, not only printed films, and for the report in English: reports are issued in Chinese by default, and some hospitals, such as one Zhejiang University hospital, provide free English radiology reports to foreign patients. Bring any earlier scans so the new report can be compared with them. We translate reports and send everything to you before you fly.
Questions patients ask
- Using a Scan Done Abroad at Home: Images, Reports, Doctors
Can a scan done in China be used by your doctor at home? How to bring the images home in DICOM format, get an English report, and what doctors at home say.
- MRI vs CT vs PET Scan: Which One Do You Need?
How MRI, CT and PET-CT differ, when each is used, what radiation risk means, whether PET-CT suits healthy people, and what each scan costs in China and at home.
- MRI and CT Wait and Results Times: UK, Canada and China
How long MRI and CT scans take to book and report in England and Canada, what official waiting data shows, and what patients in China say about getting results.
- MRI Contrast and Metal Implants: Is It Safe for You?
When an MRI needs contrast, what gadolinium side effects are common, which metal implants and piercings matter, and how MRI safety screening works in China.
- MRI and Claustrophobia: Open MRI, Sedation and Noise
Claustrophobic about an MRI? How to cope with anxiety, when an open MRI works, how medication or sedation is arranged, the noise, and planning a scan in China.
- CT Scan Cost in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and China
What a CT scan costs without insurance in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, what patients in China report paying, and radiation facts.
- Brain and Spine MRI Cost, and When You Actually Need One
What a brain or spine MRI costs in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and China, and when back pain, a herniated disc or headaches usually call for a scan at all.
USD amounts converted at about CNY 6.70 per USD (2026-10-07), for reference only. Foreign patients pay the full listed price.