From UK · Health check-up · South Korea

Health check-up in South Korea from the UK: what the trip costs against paying at home

Prices checked 26 October 2026 (Taipei time)

Short answer

For UK patients, a health check-up in South Korea costs £395–£1,210 at the clinic we checked, or about £1,460 once an example return flight and 2 hotel nights are added. That is about £1,070 more than the lowest self-pay price we found in the UK (£385).

Clinic price: £395–£1,2101 provider, one package for one person
Example trip: £1,460clinic £395 + flight £900 + 2 hotel nights £160
Pay privately in UK: £385–£1,120
Wait in UK: No official figure found
Time there: Half a day to one day for most packages; packages with endoscopy or several scans can take two days
Rank from UK: 5 of 6 countries by total trip cost

Figure 1Where the money goes, in GBP

Clinic £395Flight £900Hotel £160Home £385

Trip total £1,460£1,070 over home

Lowest published clinic price, an example return fare from the UK and 2 hotel nights at £80; the amber line is the lowest self-pay price at home. Examples, not quotes.

Figure 2Health check-up: cheapest trip from the UK, by country

Hungary£511–£1,570

Thailand£1,070–£1,680

Turkey£1,080–£3,030

Japan£1,450–£1,790

South Korea£1,460–£2,270

Poland£1,990

Total trip in GBP: lowest to highest published price plus the same example flight and hotel rules. The dashed line is the lowest self-pay price at home. Click a country for its page for UK patients.

Published health check-up prices in South Korea

Each row is a price the provider publishes itself, in its own currency, with what it includes. The converted amounts use a fixed European Central Bank rate.

Health check-up prices in South Korea
Provider	Published price	What the price is for	Source
Kangbuk Samsung HospitalSeoul	₩700,000 to ₩2,150,000about £395–£1,210 · €472–€1,450 · C$740–C$2,270 · $529–$1,620	Comprehensive check-up: basic (700,000) to cancer programme with PET-CT (2,150,000)Basic includes gastroscopy, abdominal ultrasound, chest X-ray, blood tests and ECG; no colonoscopy, CT or MRI. Digestive programme with sedated colonoscopy 1,100,000; brain MRI programme 2,000,000. Undated domestic price page; it does not say whether foreign patients pay the same.	Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Centerread 26 October 2026

Prices are copied as published, in the provider's currency. Conversions use the European Central Bank reference rates of 23 October 2026 and are rounded. A provider can change a price at any time: ask for a written quote.

The Kangbuk Samsung prices are from its domestic check-up page, which carries no date and does not say whether foreign patients pay the same. Severance Hospital runs an international health-care centre that takes check-up bookings from abroad and lists sedation for gastroscopy at 156,000 KRW, but we could not find its package prices (Severance).

Against waiting or paying in the UK

We have not found an official waiting-time figure for a health check-up in the UK.

Paying privately in the UK: £385–£1,120, from HCA Healthcare UK.

Can the NHS pay?

NHS and HSE schemes do not reach South Korea. The NHS S2 route covers state treatment in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the HSE schemes cover the EU, EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Treatment in South Korea is paid by you or by a private insurer who agrees in advance. NHS S2 route, HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme.

Planning the trip from the UK

Get a written quoteSend the clinic your referral or reason for a health check-up and ask for an itemised price in writing, with the date and what happens if the result needs follow-up.
Before you goMost packages need you to fast from the night before. Book a morning slot.
Before you goAsk what happens if a test finds something: is a specialist available the same week, and at what price?
Entry rulesCheck the official advice before booking: UK citizens (FCDO entry requirements).
LanguageKorean; the big Seoul hospitals have international health-care centres with English-speaking coordinators.
After you returnBring the full report to your doctor, not just the summary page.
After you returnTreat a "borderline" or "follow up" note as a reason to see your doctor, not as a diagnosis.

Add your flight and hotel

Put in your real fare from the UK and your hotel to see the total for South Korea next to every other country.

Open the calculator

Health check-up in South Korea from the UK: questions

How much is a health check-up in South Korea for UK patients?

The published prices we found work out at £395–£1,210 at the clinic, from Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. With an example return flight of £900 and 2 hotel nights at £80, the trip comes to about £1,460. Your own fares and dates will change the total.

Is it cheaper than paying privately in the UK?

No, not on these example figures: the lowest self-pay price we found at home is £385, about £1,070 less than the cheapest trip. It can make sense if you are already travelling to South Korea.

How long is the wait for a health check-up in the UK?

We have not found an official waiting-time figure for this in the UK.

How many days do I need in South Korea?

Half a day to one day for most packages; packages with endoscopy or several scans can take two days. That is our planning estimate, not medical advice; ask the clinic for its schedule in writing.

Will the NHS pay for it?

No. The NHS S2 route covers state treatment in the EU and a few other European countries; South Korea is outside it.

Sources

종합건진 프로그램 (comprehensive check-up programmes). Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Center, Seoul. Read 26 October 2026.
Health screening (reAssure). HCA Healthcare UK. Read 26 October 2026.
Planned treatment: S2 funding route. NHS (nhs.uk). Read 26 October 2026.
Treatment Abroad Scheme. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
Health check-up appointment (International Health Care Center). Severance Hospital, Seoul. Read 26 October 2026.
Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.