Price table
MRI, CT and PET-CT prices in China: the 2026 table
Prices checked 26 October 2026 (Taipei time)
MRI in China costs at most ¥430 to ¥505 per body area in the ordinary service of a Grade 3 public hospital in the four biggest cities, before contrast. This table lists every imaging item in the 2025 city schedules, then the private and package prices that foreign patients usually meet.
Official public-hospital caps, Grade 3 hospitals
Maximum prices for the ordinary outpatient service. Hospitals may charge less, not more. US dollars at ¥6.7162 = $1 (official central parity, 26 October 2026), rounded.
| Exam | Beijing | Shanghai | Shenzhen | Guangzhou |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRI without contrast per body area | ¥470 about $70 | ¥430 about $64 | ¥505 about $75 | ¥505 about $75 |
| MRI with contrast per body area | ¥555 about $83 | ¥455 about $68 | ¥550 about $82 | ¥550 about $82 |
| MR angiography, no contrast per vessel | ¥400 about $60 | ¥510 about $76 | ¥572 about $85 | ¥572 about $85 |
| MR angiography with contrast per vessel | ¥478 about $71 | ¥535 about $80 | ¥627 about $93 | ¥627 about $93 |
| CT without contrast per body area | ¥133 about $20 | ¥189 about $28 | ¥231 about $34 | ¥231 about $34 |
| CT with contrast per body area | ¥203 about $30 | ¥295 about $44 | ¥305 about $45 | ¥305 about $45 |
| CT angiography (CTA) per vessel | ¥276 about $41 | ¥345 about $51 | ¥572 about $85 | ¥572 about $85 |
| PET-CT, one area per exam, scan fee only | ¥2,500 about $372 | ¥2,500 about $372 | ¥2,500 about $372 | ¥2,500 about $372 |
| PET-CT, torso per exam, scan fee only | ¥4,000 about $596 | ¥4,000 about $596 | ¥4,000 about $596 | ¥4,000 about $596 |
| PET-CT, whole body per exam, scan fee only | ¥5,000 about $744 | ¥5,000 about $744 | ¥5,000 about $744 | ¥5,000 about $744 |
PET-CT figures are the scan fee without the radioactive tracer. Whole body = torso fee plus the whole-body add-on.
Smaller hospitals and how extra areas are charged
| City | Hospital grades | More than one body area |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | One price for all public hospitals | More than three body areas in one visit are charged as three (the same for vessels). |
| Shanghai | Grade 2 hospital: MRI ¥393, CT ¥177; Grade 1 hospital: MRI ¥355, CT ¥165 | Extra body areas are discounted: for MRI the second area is charged at 75% and the third at 50%; for CT the second at 50% and the third at 25%. A fourth area and beyond are free. |
| Shenzhen | Grade 2 hospital: MRI ¥480, CT ¥219; Grade 1 hospital: MRI ¥455, CT ¥208; Clinic without beds: MRI ¥404, CT ¥185 | More than three body areas are charged as three; more than two vessels as two. Since 30 January 2026 one exam is capped at ¥1,515 for plain MRI, ¥1,650 for contrast MRI, ¥693 for plain CT and ¥915 for contrast CT. |
| Guangzhou | Grade 2 hospital: MRI ¥454.5, CT ¥207.9; Grade 1 hospital: MRI ¥404, CT ¥184.8 | More than three body areas are charged as three; more than two vessels as two. Since 30 January 2026 one exam is capped at ¥1,515 for plain MRI, ¥1,650 for contrast MRI, ¥693 for plain CT and ¥915 for contrast CT. |
Private hospitals and international departments
These are not bound by the caps above. Very few publish imaging prices; these are the ones we could read on the hospital's own website.
| Hospital | Item as listed | Price | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai International Medical Center (SIMC) | MR plain scan, single site | ¥3,500 | $521 |
| SIMC | MR enhanced scan, single site | ¥4,000 | $596 |
| SIMC | CT plain scan, single site | ¥1,500 | $223 |
| SIMC | CT enhanced scan, single site | ¥2,980 | $444 |
| Peking Union Medical College Hospital, International Medical Services | Basic health check-up package (MRI available as a paid add-on), 2023 list | from ¥18,000 | $2,680 |
SIMC marks its list "for reference only" and gives no date. The PUMCH list is from March 2023 and says prices follow Beijing policy and the final bill is what is actually done.
Coordinator packages
Coordination services book the hospital, interpret and translate. Their prices bundle the hospital fee with their own service, so they are not comparable line by line with the caps above.
| Service | MRI | MRI + contrast | CT | PET-CT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China MedPass (Beijing) | from $250 | from $320 | from $250 | from $600 |
| MRI in China (mriinchina.com) | from $450 | from $550 | from $400 | from $900 |
Starting prices as published on each service's own price page. We have no relationship with either service.
What the official price does not include
- Registration and consultation. A doctor at the hospital normally orders the scan, and that visit is charged separately.
- Contrast medicine. Charged at the hospital's purchase cost on top of the contrast scan price.
- PET tracer. Charged on top of the PET-CT scan fee, except Shanghai's all-in caps (¥4,000 one area, ¥5,500 torso, ¥6,500 whole body).
- Film. Under the 2024 national price guideline, digital image storage is part of the scan price and printed film is optional and charged separately.
- Language help. Interpreting and translated reports are not hospital fees in the ordinary service.
3T and 1.5T MRI cost the same under all four 2025 schedules: none of them prices field strength separately.
City details: MRI in Beijing, MRI in Shanghai, MRI in Shenzhen, MRI in Guangzhou. Scan details: CT scan cost in China and PET-CT cost in China. Back to the China MRI cost overview.
China MRI price table: common questions
What is the cheapest MRI price in China?
Among the four cities here, Shanghai has the lowest Grade 3 cap for a one-area MRI without contrast, ¥430, and smaller Shanghai hospitals may charge less. Other provinces have their own schedules, which we have not yet checked.
Do these prices apply to foreigners?
The schedules say nothing about nationality. They set the most a public hospital may charge in its ordinary service. A foreigner paying in that service is charged the same as a local patient paying out of pocket. International departments are not bound by these caps.
Is the contrast medicine included?
No. The contrast price covers the contrast scan; contrast medicine that is a drug is charged separately at the hospital’s purchase cost. PET-CT caps likewise exclude the radioactive tracer, except Shanghai’s all-in caps.
How current are these prices?
We read every schedule on 26 October 2026. The four cities moved to new radiology price lists in 2025; Shenzhen and Guangzhou added per-exam ceilings in January 2026. When we re-check, we change the date at the top of the page.
Sources
- Notice on standardising, adjusting and adding medical service price items, Jing Yi Bao Fa [2025] No. 13 (京医保发〔2025〕13号), Annex 3: radiology examinations (in Chinese). Beijing Municipal Healthcare Security Administration and Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 17 June 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
- Notice on standardising and adjusting radiology examination price items in Shanghai, Hu Yi Bao Jia Cai Fa [2025] No. 11 (沪医保价采发〔2025〕11号) (in Chinese). Shanghai Municipal Healthcare Security Administration and Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, 16 April 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
- Shenzhen forwarding of the Guangdong notice on radiology examination price items, Shen Yi Bao Fa [2025] No. 8 (深医保发〔2025〕8号), Annex 2 (in Chinese). Shenzhen Healthcare Security Administration, 27 April 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
- Shen Yi Bao Fa [2026] No. 1 (深医保发〔2026〕1号): revised charging notes for radiology items, prices unchanged (in Chinese). Shenzhen Healthcare Security Administration, 30 January 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Shen Yi Bao Fa [2019] No. 13 (深医保发〔2019〕13号): price grades for medical institutions in Shenzhen (in Chinese). Shenzhen Healthcare Security Administration, undefined 2019. Read 26 October 2026.
- Guangzhou forwarding of the Guangdong notices on radiology and other price items, Sui Yi Bao Fa [2025] No. 12 (穗医保发〔2025〕12号), Annex 3 (in Chinese). Guangzhou Healthcare Security Administration, 25 April 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
- Sui Yi Bao Fa [2026] No. 1 (穗医保发〔2026〕1号): revised charging notes for radiology items, prices unchanged (in Chinese). Guangzhou Healthcare Security Administration, 30 January 2026. Read 26 October 2026.
- Guangdong notice publishing radiology examination price items, Yue Yi Bao Fa [2025] No. 5 (粤医保发〔2025〕5号), read in the Shenzhen and Guangzhou forwarding notices (in Chinese). Guangdong Provincial Healthcare Security Administration, 14 April 2025. Read 26 October 2026.
- Price list (service guide). Shanghai International Medical Center (SIMC). Read 26 October 2026.
- International Medical Services health check-up packages and price list (2023) (in Chinese). Peking Union Medical College Hospital, 9 March 2023. Read 26 October 2026.
- Costs. China MedPass (chinamedpass.com), a coordination service. Read 26 October 2026.
- Pricing. MRI in China (mriinchina.com), a coordination service. Read 26 October 2026.
- National radiology price guideline: film sold separately, cloud storage part of the exam price (report quoting the National Healthcare Security Administration) (in Chinese). China News Service (chinanews.com.cn), 20 November 2024. Read 26 October 2026.
- RMB central parity rates, 26 October 2026 (USD/CNY 6.7162). China Foreign Exchange Trade System (chinamoney.com.cn), 26 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.