CT scan cost in Australia: Medicare, bulk billing & gaps

By Dr. Mark Bekhit, Radiologist · Last updated August 2026

How much does a CT scan cost in Australia?

There is no single national CT price. Diagnostic imaging providers set their own fees, so the number on your quote depends on two things: whether Medicare pays a benefit for your scan, and whether the clinic bulk bills. Your pathway decides which of the outcomes below applies to you.

Medicare only pays a benefit when your CT matches a listed item on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and you have a valid request. The Schedule sets a fee for each item and, for out-of-hospital scans, Medicare’s benefit is 85% of that Schedule fee. When a clinic bulk bills a diagnostic imaging service, the benefit is paid at 95% of the Schedule fee and you pay nothing. The table below shows the current Schedule fee and 85% benefit for common CT scans.

MBS Schedule fees and 85% benefits above are the statutory figures current as at July 2026. They are not what every clinic charges: a privately billing clinic can set a fee above the Schedule, and a bulk-billing clinic charges you nothing.

What do most people actually pay?

The Schedule fee is not the same as your bill. The Australian Government’s Medical Costs Finder reports what patients were actually charged, using 2023–24 Medicare claims for out-of-hospital scans. For every common CT, most people paid nothing; a minority paid a gap.

Read those figures carefully. The percentage is the share of all patients who had no out-of-pocket cost for that item. The dollar figure is the typical payment among only the people who did pay a gap — not an average across everyone, and not a quote for your scan. For example, 93% of patients paid nothing for a CT of the brain, and the rest typically paid about $180; for a CT of the abdomen and pelvis, 91% paid nothing and those who paid typically paid about $195. Even for a CT pulmonary angiogram, 83% paid nothing. A CT coronary angiogram had the lowest no-cost rate, at 77%, where those who paid typically paid about $200.

What changes the price you are quoted?

Start with the exact scan written on your request. “CT” is a family of MBS items, not one product with one price, and three things move the number.

Contrast. An injection of iodine-containing contrast brightens blood vessels and organs, and the with-contrast MBS item always carries a higher Schedule fee than its plain version — a chest CT with contrast ($461.80) sits above the plain chest CT ($340.65), for instance.

How much of the body is scanned. A single region costs less than a combined study; the MBS item descriptions define exactly which body parts each item covers. A combined upper abdomen and pelvis with contrast ($554.25) is a bigger item than a single-region chest scan.

Whether a Medicare item exists at all. Medicare pays only against a listed item. Some scans have no matching item — there is no dedicated Medicare item for a CT of the urinary tract, so a CT for suspected renal colic is usually done and claimed as a non-contrast CT of the upper abdomen and pelvis. When no item fits, the scan is billed privately in full.

Two other points sit behind the quote. A CT uses X-rays — a form of ionising radiation, which is why your doctor chooses the specific study rather than scanning everything — and our guide to whether a CT scan is safe explains what that dose really means; and the clinic decides its own fee and whether to bulk bill. Two clinics can look at the identical request and quote you different amounts.

Does Medicare cover your CT scan?

Medicare contributes when your scan matches an MBS item and you have a valid request from a doctor. Unlike most MRI scans, which need a specialist request, a GP’s referral is enough for the common CT scans — brain, chest, abdomen and pelvis, or spine. A few CT studies are restricted: CT coronary angiography must be requested by a specialist or consultant physician, and CT colonography has its own request conditions.

Having an eligible item and a valid request establishes that a benefit is payable. It does not decide whether you pay a gap — that is the clinic’s billing choice. For which scans Medicare covers across the different modalities, see our guide to Medicare-eligible scans by modality, and for who can request each test, our guide to referrals for an X-ray, ultrasound or CT. Our bulk-billed radiology guide explains the billing model across all imaging.

Will private health insurance pay for a CT scan?

For a CT done as an outpatient — the usual way — private health insurance does not help. By law, insurers cannot cover out-of-hospital medical services, including diagnostic imaging. Medicare is the only payer for an outpatient CT, and any gap after the Medicare benefit is yours.

Insurance matters only when you are admitted to hospital as a private patient. For a covered scan during a private admission, Medicare pays 75% of the MBS fee and the insurer at least the remaining 25%. A fee charged above the MBS amount, and any excess your policy applies, remain out of pocket. To weigh the settings, use our checklist for choosing between a public hospital and a private radiology clinic.

How to get a clear CT quote before you book

A quote that says only “the CT is $400” hides the number that matters. It might be the full fee before Medicare, the gap after Medicare, or a private fee with no benefit at all. Have your request in front of you and ask the clinic for the details in writing.

A written estimate that names the likely MBS item, the total fee, the Medicare benefit, the amount payable on the day and your final out-of-pocket cost lets you compare clinics on the number you actually pay. Compare the final gap, not one clinic’s upfront fee against another’s after-Medicare figure. You can take your request to any provider that offers the scan, even if the form names a particular practice.

Finding a CT clinic near you

Once you know what to ask, the next step is a shortlist of clinics you can reach. Start with the national radiology clinic directory, or go straight to CT clinics in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. Each listing has the contact details you need to use the quote questions above.

Pick two clinics, give each the same request, and compare the final amount you would pay alongside the appointment time and travel. If you are still deciding between tests, our guide to MRI versus CT explains which answers which question, and our MRI cost guide covers the equivalent numbers for MRI. If you have been referred for a bone density scan instead, our bone density (DXA) scan guide explains who Medicare covers and what it costs.

Common questions about CT scan costs

Can a CT scan really be free?

Yes. As a public patient in a public hospital your scan is free, based on clinical need. In an outpatient clinic, a CT is $0 when it meets a Medicare item and the clinic bulk bills — the clinic takes the Medicare benefit, paid at 95% of the Schedule fee for bulk-billed imaging, as full payment. In 2023–24, most patients paid nothing for a common CT.

Why did two clinics quote different CT prices?

Because providers set their own fees and choose whether to bulk bill. One clinic may accept the Medicare benefit as full payment while another charges above it. Ask each for the same figures — expected item, total fee, Medicare benefit and final gap — and compare those.

Does the contrast dye cost extra?

A contrast injection changes which MBS item applies, and the with-contrast item carries a higher Schedule fee than the plain scan. Your doctor requests contrast only when it adds information for your clinical question, so it is part of the scan rather than an optional upgrade. If the injection itself worries you, our guide to whether CT contrast dye is safe covers the kidney, metformin and allergy questions.

Do I need a specialist referral, or will a GP referral do?

For the common CT scans a GP referral is enough. Some studies are restricted — CT coronary angiography must be requested by a specialist, for example; our guide to heart CT costs compares what a calcium score and a CT coronary angiogram each cost and who can refer you. A referral establishes eligibility; it does not by itself make the scan free.

Does private health insurance cover an outpatient CT?

No. Insurers cannot cover out-of-hospital diagnostic imaging. Medicare is the relevant payer for an outpatient CT. Insurance applies only to a covered scan during a private hospital admission, where Medicare pays 75% of the MBS fee and the insurer at least 25%.

Is the Medicare benefit the same as the CT price?

No. The clinic sets the provider fee; Medicare pays a set benefit for the eligible item — usually 85% of the Schedule fee out of hospital. If the clinic bulk bills, it takes that benefit as full payment. If it bills privately, your gap is the fee minus the benefit.

How we know: sources and method

The dollar examples come from Australian Government data, not clinic surveys. Schedule fees and item descriptions were read from MBS Online and are current as at July 2026; the “what people paid” figures are the Australian Government Medical Costs Finder’s 2023–24 out-of-hospital national data. Those two vintages answer different questions — the statutory fee versus what patients were actually charged — and are kept separate throughout.

• MBS Online: current CT item descriptions and Schedule fees for 56001, 56007, 56301, 56307, 56501, 56507, 56223, 57357, 57360 and 56553
• MBS Online: bulk-billing incentive note IN.0.19 (95% benefit for bulk-billed imaging)
• Medical Costs Finder: 2023–24 out-of-pocket data for CT brain, CT chest with contrast, CT abdomen and pelvis, CT pulmonary angiogram and CT coronary angiogram
• Medical Costs Finder: guide to costs and written estimates
• Services Australia: medical costs and the 85%/75% benefit
• Services Australia: screening, tests and scans covered by Medicare
• Services Australia: bulk-billing incentive eligibility
• Department of Health: diagnostic imaging fees and bulk billing
• Department of Health: what private health insurance covers, and hospital cover and product tiers and out-of-pocket costs
• healthdirect: paying for diagnostic testing, CT scan and how do I pay for healthcare
• InsideRadiology (RANZCR): computed tomography and iodine-containing contrast medium

This article is general information, not personal medical advice. Discuss your individual report and next steps with the healthcare professional responsible for your care.

Author: Dr. Mark Bekhit

Dr Mark Bekhit (MBChB, FRANZCR) is a musculoskeletal radiologist practising in Brisbane and an AHPRA-registered specialist in diagnostic radiology (MED0002920947). He spends as much time building software as reading scans: he founded Imaging Finder (Australia) and Radiology Clinics NZ to make imaging easier to find, and builds radiology dictation and pain-tracking tools with one aim — better patient outcomes and a smoother reporting workflow. Outside the reading room he's usually training, bringing the same performance mindset to imaging.