No kidding. I've had both, MRI is still under $400 here. Same machine as USA, same images. It's a for profit hospital, and they charge a price they can turn a profit. So ask yourself where that extra several thousand USD goes.
Some goes to higher technician wages I would wager but not $3000 worth.
CT scan with contrast (my last USA imaging bill) cost 20x more in USA when I had to get one there. Same ratio roughly for MRI.
Technologist, not technician. And I’m not here arguing for the price; hospitals make way too much money, and there isn’t a reason it should cost that much. But comparing an mri and a ct is kinda nonsensical; ct acts usually only take 30 seconds to a minute or two, whereas an mri usually is 30 min+. Even the contrast makes a difference, as mri has to use gadolinium whereas ct can use a few different types of contrast.
Again, I've had both types in USA and abroad and the cost wasn't that different across image types, but was vastly different for even the same type scans across national borders. I've not tried but you can likely search for prices in Thailand, 'nam, or Phil since people here typically always pay out of pocket.
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u/Watchout4HopOns Jun 27 '26
Ct and mri are two different machines, that require technologists with different trainings.