See your price in 60 seconds
UK self-pay prices in 2026 range from around £300–£500 for an MRI to £13,000–£16,000 for a knee replacement. Most surgery is sold as a fixed-price package covering the surgeon, anaesthetist, hospital stay and routine aftercare. Consultations (£150–£300) and pre-operative scans are usually charged separately, and prices run higher in London.
- ✓Hip replacement £12,000–£15,500; knee £13,000–£16,000; cataract £2,000–£4,000 per eye; MRI £300–£500.
- ✓Most surgery is fixed-price: surgeon, anaesthetist, stay and routine aftercare in one quote.
- ✓Consultations, pre-op scans and extended physio usually sit outside the package price.
The 2026 self-pay price list
The prices below are typical fixed-price package ranges at UK private hospitals in 2026, drawn from published hospital tariffs. Every hospital prices independently, so treat these as the realistic bracket rather than a quote — London sits at or above the top of most ranges, and your final price depends on the exact procedure, the consultant and your own health.
| Procedure | Typical self-pay price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Initial consultation | £150–£300 |
| MRI scan (one body part) | £300–£500 |
| CT scan | £350–£800 |
| Vasectomy | £400–£600 |
| Haemorrhoid banding | £500–£1,500 |
| Gastroscopy | £1,500–£2,500 |
| Wisdom tooth removal (surgical) | £1,500–£3,000 |
| Laser eye surgery (per eye) | £1,500–£3,500 |
| Colonoscopy | £1,800–£2,800 |
| Adult circumcision (medical) | £1,800–£3,000 |
| Carpal tunnel release (per hand) | £2,000–£3,500 |
| Varicose vein treatment (EVLA, per leg) | £2,000–£3,500 |
| Cataract surgery (per eye) | £2,000–£4,000 |
| Tonsillectomy | £2,500–£4,000 |
| Inguinal hernia repair | £2,500–£4,500 |
| Haemorrhoid surgery (haemorrhoidectomy) | £3,000–£5,000 |
| Knee arthroscopy | £3,500–£5,500 |
| Septoplasty | £3,500–£5,500 |
| Bunion surgery (per foot) | £4,500–£6,500 |
| Gallbladder removal (keyhole) | £6,000–£8,500 |
| Rotator cuff repair | £6,500–£9,000 |
| Prostate surgery (TURP) | £6,500–£9,000 |
| ACL reconstruction | £7,000–£10,000 |
| Hysterectomy | £7,500–£10,500 |
| Slipped disc surgery (discectomy) | £8,000–£12,000 |
| Shoulder replacement | £11,000–£14,000 |
| Hip replacement | £12,000–£15,500 |
| Knee replacement | £13,000–£16,000 |
Since the Competition and Markets Authority's private healthcare rules, hospitals and consultants are required to be transparent about fees before you commit — so a written, itemised or fixed-price quote is yours to ask for, and reputable providers give one readily. Our self-pay guide covers the process end to end.
Diagnostics and appointments: the rest of the price list
Surgery gets the headlines, but most private healthcare spending starts smaller — an appointment, a test, a scan. These are the typical self-pay prices for the outpatient side of a private hospital or clinic price list in 2026:
| Test or appointment | Typical self-pay price (2026) |
|---|---|
| Private GP appointment (video) | £30–£60 |
| Blood tests (single panel to full screen) | £39–£200+ |
| Private GP appointment (in person) | £80–£150 |
| X-ray | £80–£200 |
| Ultrasound (one area) | £150–£350 |
| Home sleep study | £300–£600 |
| Echocardiogram | £400–£800 |
| Full-body MRI screen | £1,000–£2,500 |
| PET-CT scan | £1,500–£2,500 |
| Physiotherapy (per session) | £45–£75 |
These outpatient prices matter more than they look, because they're how a self-pay bill assembles itself: a consultation (£150–£300) plus a scan plus a follow-up routinely reaches £600–£1,000 before any treatment is agreed. They're also the part of the price list insurance handles under outpatient cover — see our diagnostics and scans guide for how the tiers work.
Fixed-price vs itemised quotes
UK private hospitals quote in two ways. A fixed-price package gives you one number, agreed in advance, covering the procedure and a defined bundle around it — if theatre runs long or you need an extra night, that's the hospital's problem, not yours. An itemised (pay-as-you-go) quote prices each element separately: surgeon's fee, anaesthetist's fee, theatre time, ward nights, drugs, dressings.
For planned surgery, fixed-price is now the norm at the big hospital groups — Spire, Circle, Nuffield Health, Ramsay and HCA all publish package prices for common procedures — and it's almost always the safer choice for a self-payer, because the financial risk of the unexpected sits with the hospital. Itemised billing tends to appear for less predictable treatment, ongoing care, or where insurance is paying and the insurer settles each invoice directly.
What a package price includes — and what it doesn't
A typical fixed-price surgical package covers the operation itself and everything routine around it. What it rarely covers is the pathway that gets you to the operating theatre, or care that extends well beyond it.
- Usually included. Surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees, theatre, implants or prostheses, your hospital stay, nursing, drugs and dressings while admitted, routine follow-up and often some initial physiotherapy.
- Usually excluded. The initial consultation (£150–£300), pre-operative imaging and tests, extended physiotherapy or rehabilitation, take-home medication beyond a standard supply, and any treatment for unrelated conditions found along the way.
- Varies — check. Cover for complications and readmission (most packages include a defined period, commonly around 30 days, but terms differ), revision surgery, and personal costs like a partner staying overnight.
Never need a price list
Why the same operation varies by thousands
The spread in each range is real, and it's mostly structural. Region is the biggest factor: central London hospitals carry property and staffing costs that push prices 20% or more above the national range, while hospitals in the North and Midlands often sit near the bottom of it. Consultant fees vary between surgeons, and complex cases command more theatre time. Technique matters too — robotic-assisted surgery or premium lens choices in cataract surgery add to the bill.
It's genuinely worth getting two or three quotes: the same procedure, to the same clinical standard, can differ by £1,000–£3,000 between hospitals within an hour of each other. Just compare like with like — the same procedure code, the same inclusions, the same complications cover. A cheaper package that excludes the pre-op work-up may not be cheaper at all.
Timing plays a part too. Some hospitals adjust self-pay prices with capacity — quieter months can bring genuinely lower package prices on common procedures — and a hospital 45 minutes further out will often quote materially less than the one in the city centre. For a £13,000 operation, an hour's travel each way is handsomely paid. What shouldn't vary is the clinical floor: every registered private hospital answers to the CQC (or its devolved equivalents), and outcome data for common procedures is published through PHIN, the Private Healthcare Information Network — worth a look alongside any quote.
Paying for it: self-pay, finance or insurance
Self-payers usually pay by card or transfer before admission, and most hospital groups offer patient finance — often with a 0% window of around 10–12 months on the package price. Our medical loans guide compares the options.
The other route is not paying these prices at all. Health insurance taken out before a condition arises typically covers the full pathway — consultation, diagnostics, surgery and aftercare — at approved hospitals, subject to your excess, for around £80 a month for the average UK adult. The catch is timing: a condition that's already symptomatic when you join is generally excluded as pre-existing, which is why the people reading price lists are usually self-payers, and the people who never need to are the ones who insured earlier. With NHS waiting lists at 7.3 million treatments and 1 in 12 patients waiting 38.6+ weeks (May 2026), both routes exist for the same reason: the queue.
The price list vs the price of never needing it
One more comparison belongs on any honest price list: what it costs per month to have these bills covered before they exist. Indicative premiums for a mid-level policy with capped outpatient cover:
| Age at joining | Typical monthly premium (mid-level) | One year's premiums vs the price list |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | ~£38 | ~£456 — about one consultation plus an ultrasound |
| 40 | ~£50 | ~£600 — less than a single CT scan at the top of the range |
| 50 | ~£66 | ~£792 — a fifth of the cheapest gallbladder package |
| 60 | ~£88 | ~£1,056 — under a tenth of a hip replacement |
The catch is well known by now: cover only works for conditions that arise after you join, so the decision has to be made while the price list is still hypothetical. If you're reading this page out of curiosity rather than necessity, you're in exactly the window where a quote is worth getting — five minutes, your age and postcode, and the abstract table above becomes a real monthly number.
Frequently asked questions
How much does private surgery cost in the UK in 2026?
It depends entirely on the procedure: roughly £2,000–£4,500 for smaller operations like hernia repair, carpal tunnel release or cataract surgery (per eye), £6,000–£10,500 for mid-range surgery like gallbladder removal or hysterectomy, and £12,000–£16,000 for joint replacements. Diagnostics are far cheaper — an MRI is typically £300–£500. London prices sit at or above the top of each range.
Where can I find a private hospital's actual price list?
The major groups — Spire, Circle, Nuffield Health, Ramsay and HCA — publish self-pay price lists or guide prices on their websites, usually per hospital. Under CMA private healthcare rules, hospitals and consultants must also be transparent about fees before treatment, so you can simply phone the hospital's self-pay team and ask for a written quote for your procedure.
Why do private hospital prices vary so much for the same operation?
Region is the biggest driver — central London can run 20%+ above the national range — followed by consultant fees, theatre time for complex cases, technique (robotic surgery or premium implants cost more) and what each package includes. The same operation can differ by £1,000–£3,000 between nearby hospitals, which is why getting two or three like-for-like quotes pays.
What's included in a private hospital package price?
Typically the surgeon's and anaesthetist's fees, theatre costs, any implant, your hospital stay, nursing, drugs while admitted, and routine follow-up. Usually excluded: the initial consultation (£150–£300), pre-operative scans and tests, extended physiotherapy, and unrelated treatment. Complications cover varies by hospital — most packages include a defined period, but always confirm the terms in writing.
Are private hospital prices negotiable?
Not usually in the haggling sense, but the market does the work for you: quotes for the same procedure vary meaningfully between hospitals, so comparing two or three is the practical way to pay less. Some hospitals run genuine seasonal or capacity-based pricing on common procedures, and choosing a hospital outside a major city routinely saves four figures on bigger operations.
Do private hospital prices include the consultation and scans?
Almost never. The package price covers the operation and the stay; the pathway to it — an initial consultation at £150–£300, plus imaging such as a £300–£500 MRI or an ultrasound — is billed separately. For a smaller operation those extras can add 15–20% to the true total, so always ask for the whole-pathway figure before comparing hospitals.
Is it cheaper to self-pay at a private hospital or use health insurance?
For a single, known procedure that's already needed, self-pay is the only realistic option — insurance won't cover a condition that predates the policy. Over a lifetime, insurance at around £80 a month for the average adult protects against the big-ticket items on this list before they happen. The honest framing: price lists are for conditions you already have; insurance is for the ones you don't yet.
Can I pay a private hospital price list bill in instalments?
Usually, yes. Most major hospital groups offer patient finance on self-pay packages, often with a 0% interest window of around 10–12 months and longer terms at roughly 9.9–14.9% APR, subject to credit checks. Personal loans and 0% purchase credit cards are the main alternatives. Compare total borrowing costs before signing — the cheapest hospital plus finance often beats the nearest hospital paid outright.
Do private hospitals charge more in London?
Consistently, yes. Central London hospitals — particularly the premium names around Harley Street — carry higher property and staffing costs, and their self-pay prices typically sit at or above the top of national ranges, sometimes 20% or more higher. Many Londoners travel 30–60 minutes out of the centre for planned surgery and save four figures on larger procedures.
Are NHS hospitals' private units cheaper than private hospitals?
Sometimes. Many NHS trusts run private patient units whose self-pay prices can undercut nearby private hospitals, with the reassurance of on-site intensive care. But they're not automatically cheaper, amenities vary, and planned dates can occasionally flex with NHS pressures. Treat them as one more quote to gather — same procedure, same inclusions, compared in writing.
Is there an official price list for private hospitals in the UK?
No — there's no national tariff for private treatment. Each hospital sets its own prices, publishing guide prices online under CMA transparency rules, and the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) publishes comparative fee and outcome information. In practice, indicative ranges like this page plus two or three written quotes for your specific procedure are how self-payers establish the real price.
Which private hospital group is cheapest in the UK?
None is consistently cheapest — Spire, Circle, Nuffield Health, Ramsay and HCA each price hospital by hospital, so the same group can be the cheapest option in one town and the dearest in another. Location beats brand: hospitals outside major city centres routinely undercut central ones by four figures on bigger operations. Compare like-for-like quotes from two or three local hospitals rather than shopping by group.
How often do private hospital price lists change?
Most hospitals review self-pay prices at least annually — typically drifting upwards with medical inflation — and some flex prices through the year with capacity, so quieter months can bring genuinely lower package prices. A written fixed-price quote normally holds for a stated validity period, commonly around 60–90 days, so once you have a quote you like, the clock matters.
Do insurers pay the same prices as this private hospital price list?
No — insurers negotiate their own rates with hospital groups and consultants, generally below self-pay guide prices, which is one reason an insured patient never sees most of these numbers. For you the mechanics matter more than the discount: with cover in place the insurer settles bills directly at approved hospitals, and your exposure is the excess rather than the price list.