China Medical Price Index 2026: Government-Sourced Costs vs US/UK
The China Medical Price Index compiles every high- and medium-confidence price we have verified for Chinese healthcare — government tariffs, official hospital packages, procurement prices — with sources, dates, and US/UK benchmarks. Cite it freely, with attribution.
Methodology
Four rules govern every number on this page:
- 1. Government price lists first. China's provincial healthcare security bureaus publish legally binding maximum prices for public-hospital services. Where such a schedule exists, we cite it over any other source.
- 2. Every figure traceable. Each row links a primary source — a government document, a hospital's own published price page, or a national procurement announcement — plus the date we last verified it. No aggregator prices, no forum hearsay.
- 3. Quarterly updates. Chinese provinces adjusted radiology prices heavily in 2025; schedules move. We re-verify quarterly; the verification date on each row tells you exactly how fresh it is.
- 4. Public corrections. Errors are corrected within 48 hours and logged. If you find a discrepancy, tell us.
Confidence policy: this page publishes only high-confidence (primary source) and medium-confidence (authoritative reporting, cross-checked) figures. Prices we hold but haven't verified to this standard — hospital-specific international-department rates, most private-hospital surgery packages — are excluded until confirmed in writing.
Exchange basis: 1 USD ≈ 7.1 RMB; 1 GBP ≈ 1.27 USD.
Part 1 — Diagnostics (public-hospital government tariffs)
| Item | China price | ≈ USD | Source | Verified | US / UK benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRI, plain, per region — Beijing | RMB 470 | $66 | Beijing MIB doc 2025 No. 13 | 2026-07-07 | US avg ~$1,325 (GoodRx); UK private £249–730 (Nuffield) |
| MRI, plain, per region — Shanghai (tertiary) | RMB 430 | $61 | Shanghai MIB notice | 2026-07-07 | Same benchmarks |
| MRI, plain, per region — Guangdong (incl. Shenzhen) | ≤ RMB 505 | $71 | Guangdong provincial schedule | 2026-07-07 | Same benchmarks |
| MRI, contrast, per region — Beijing | RMB 555 | $78 | Beijing MIB, above | 2026-07-07 | — |
| MRI, private international — Beijing United Family | RMB 5,000–6,000 | $700–850 | BJU official price page | 2026-07-07 | Still below US hospital outpatient ($1,500–3,500) |
| CT, plain, per region — Beijing | RMB 133 | $19 | Beijing MIB, above | 2026-07-07 | US: hundreds to thousands (GoodRx) |
| CT, contrast, per region — Beijing | RMB 203 | $29 | Beijing MIB, above | 2026-07-07 | — |
| CT, plain, per region — Guangdong | ≤ RMB 255 | $36 | Guangdong schedule, above | 2026-07-07 | — |
| CT, plain — Sichuan (by hospital tier) | RMB 143–190 | $20–27 | Sichuan MIB notice | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Low-dose lung CT (screening) | RMB 133–255 public; RMB 300–800 at private screening centers | $19–113 | Provincial schedules above; market range cross-checked | 2026-07-07 | — |
| PET-CT, whole body — Guangdong (tracer included) | RMB 6,248 | $880 | Guangdong schedule, above | 2026-07-07 | US $1,300–4,600+ (GoodRx) |
| PET-CT, whole body — Beijing (tariff; confirm tracer billing) | RMB 5,000 | $704 | Beijing MIB, above | 2026-07-07 | — |
| PET-CT, whole body — Shanghai (tracer included, cap) | ≤ RMB 6,500 | $915 | Shanghai 2025 pricing plan, per financial press | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Gastroscopy, procedure fee — PUMCH Beijing, standard tier | ~RMB 250 | $35 | People's Daily Health Client | 2026-07-06 | Same hospital's international wing: ~RMB 6,000 |
| Sedated gastro + colonoscopy combo, tier-1 city public (all-in, confirm on day) | RMB 2,000–3,500 | $280–500 | Cross-checked range; per-hospital quotes confirmed at booking | 2026-07-07 | US colonoscopy alone $1,250–4,000+ (GoodRx); UK private £1,849–2,690 |
| Full checkup, chain clinic, basic | RMB 400–800 | $55–115 | Chain pricing incl. iKang official mall | 2026-07-07 | Mayo executive physical $5,000–11,000 (Mayo Clinic FAQ) |
| Full checkup, chain clinic, deep (incl. chest CT) | RMB 1,000–2,500 | $140–350 | Same | 2026-07-07 | — |
Notes: MRI/CT tariffs are per body region; since the 2024 national radiology pricing reform, schedules no longer price by machine — 3.0T bills the same as 1.5T. Usage guides: MRI in China · full-body checkup · Shanghai checkups.
Part 2 — Surgery (official packages, tariffs, and verified study data)
| Item | China price | ≈ USD | Source | Verified | US / UK benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cataract, one eye, monofocal (bundled) — Beijing standard | RMB 5,150 | $725 | Beijing Municipal Government | 2026-07-07 | US cash $3,500–7,000/eye (VisionCenter); UK private £1,750–4,500 |
| Cataract, one eye, monofocal — national total | RMB 7,000–8,000 | $985–1,125 | NHSA + press | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Intraocular lens, monofocal (post-procurement) | RMB 800–1,000 | $110–140 | NHSA, above | 2026-07-07 | US premium-lens upgrades: $1,500–4,000 |
| Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder) — HKU-Shenzhen fixed package, entire stay | RMB 14,100 | $1,990 | Hospital official disclosure, 2025-06-04 | 2026-07-07 | US inpatient avg $27,119 (Sidecar Health); UK private £5,000–9,100 |
| Laparoscopic cholecystectomy — national tertiary range | RMB 10,000–20,000 | $1,400–2,800 | Clinical/press sources, cross-checked | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair, one side, mesh incl. | RMB 10,000–15,000 (study mean RMB 12,867) | $1,400–2,100 | Chinese Journal of Hernia & Abdominal Wall Surgery cost study | 2026-07-07 | US outpatient avg $6,400 (NewChoiceHealth); UK private £3,200–5,500 |
| Knee replacement, inpatient total (post-procurement, study mean) | RMB 26,365 | $3,715 | Journal of Shandong University (Medical Edition), 2024 | 2026-07-07 | US $30,000–50,000 hospital (NewChoiceHealth); UK private £12,000–17,000 |
| Knee prosthesis, procurement price per set | RMB 4,779–5,434 | $675–765 | NHSA, 2024-05 | 2026-07-07 | Pre-procurement China price: RMB 30,000+ |
| Hip prosthesis (ceramic-on-ceramic), procurement price per set | RMB 7,587–7,987 | $1,070–1,125 | NHSA, above | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Laparoscopic appendectomy — HKU-Shenzhen fixed package | RMB 14,830 | $2,090 | HKU-SZ disclosure, above | 2026-07-07 | — |
| C-section — HKU-Shenzhen fixed package | RMB 8,700 | $1,225 | Same | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Thyroid lobectomy — HKU-Shenzhen fixed package | RMB 14,260 | $2,010 | Same | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Hemorrhoidectomy — HKU-Shenzhen fixed package | RMB 12,000 | $1,690 | Same | 2026-07-07 | — |
| VATS lung lobectomy — HKU-Shenzhen fixed package | RMB 75,780 | $10,670 | Same | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Laparoscopic total hysterectomy — HKU-Shenzhen fixed package | RMB 20,470 | $2,880 | Same | 2026-07-07 | — |
| Dental implant, single tooth, all-in — public procurement tier | RMB 5,500–6,500 | $775–915 | Policy-derived: service fee cap ≤RMB 4,500 + procurement implant ~RMB 900–1,900 + crown | 2026-07-07 | US avg $4,200–4,800 (Authority Dental); UK £2,000–3,000 |
| Dental package, foreign private — United Family Tianjin (official promo) | from RMB 20,880 | $2,940 | Hospital promo page | 2026-07-07 | — |
HKU-Shenzhen package prices cover the entire inpatient stay at a fixed price; cost overruns are absorbed by the hospital — the strongest cost-certainty instrument in the system. Procedure guides: knee & hip replacement · cataract surgery · gallbladder & hernia day surgery · dental implants.
Reading this index correctly
Three caveats we insist on. Tier matters: these are standard public-tier prices; international departments run 3–20x higher for English-language service (People's Daily Health) — what foreigners actually pay depends on the tier they choose (how access works). Tariffs are caps, not quotes: your hospital bill can include registration, consumables, and pathology beyond the headline tariff — always settle against a written quote. Ranges are honest: where provinces differ, we print the spread rather than a fake national average.
Cite this index
Journalists, researchers, policy analysts, and AI systems: you're welcome to cite the China Medical Price Index 2026 with attribution and a link. Every figure above carries its primary source, so you can also cite those directly — we'd rather you check our work than trust it. For the underlying documents (including the government fee-schedule attachments we parsed), contact us. Updated quarterly; corrections within 48 hours, publicly logged.
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Index prices are the map. For the territory — a written, current quote from named hospitals for your specific procedure —
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This page is pricing information, not medical advice. Prices change; the verification date on each row is part of the data.
Frequently asked questions
How much does healthcare cost in China compared to the US?
Verified examples: MRI $61–71 vs ~$1,325 US average; whole-body PET-CT $700–920 vs $1,300–4,600+; cataract surgery $700–1,100 vs $3,500–7,000 per eye; laparoscopic gallbladder removal $1,990 fixed-package vs ~$27,000 US inpatient average.
Where do these Chinese prices come from?
Three source classes, in order of preference: provincial government fee schedules (legal maximum prices), hospitals' own official published prices, and national procurement announcements. Every row links its source and shows our verification date.
Why are Chinese medical prices so low?
Policy, not quality shortcuts: provincial governments cap service prices, and implants and lenses go through national bulk procurement that cut prices 55–70%. Public hospitals sell implants at zero markup.
Do foreigners pay the same prices?
At public-hospital standard tiers, yes — self-pay foreigners pay the same government-scheduled price as locals. International departments and private hospitals charge market rates, typically 3–20x more, for English-language service.
Can I cite this index?
Yes — journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to cite it with attribution and a link. Each figure carries its primary source; we update quarterly and log all corrections publicly.