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A German hospital bill can run from €130 for a doctor’s consultation to €30,000–40,000 for coronary bypass surgery, so the question “what will this cost?”, which comes up almost at once, has no honest single-figure answer. The sum follows the diagnosis, the extent of the tests and the chosen approach: one patient needs a few scans and a talk with a doctor, another an operation and a week on the ward.
This page is therefore not a price list but a set of guide figures and an explanation of how a German clinic calculates the invoice: what makes up medical treatment cost in Germany, why a patient without German insurance is billed differently from an insured one, and what to send to get an estimate. The exact sum comes only from the clinic, once it has reviewed your records.
How a German clinic calculates the invoice
The cost of medical treatment in Germany is set out by the clinic in an estimate, and the final invoice follows the care actually given. Before you travel, the hospital draws up a cost estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) — a calculation based on the medical report, the diagnosis and the results of investigations. The estimate is issued in the patient’s name and covers the main part of the expected costs. It is an official document of the hospital, not our rough guess. By law, a hospital must tell a self-paying patient the expected charges in writing as early as possible.
A hospital stay is billed under the DRG system (diagnosis-related groups): for each treatment case the hospital charges a sum that depends on the diagnosis and the severity of the case, and the law requires the same calculation for all patients. Outpatient doctors’ services and chosen chief-physician treatment for private patients follow the official fee scale GOÄ: each service has a points value, and the doctor applies a multiplier — usually no more than 2.3, up to 3.5 only in special circumstances; for technical services such as CT and MRI, 1.8 and 2.5. Healthcare in Germany is largely free only for the insured: a statutory health insurance fund pays for its members’ treatment, and they add small co-payments (see the German healthcare system). A foreign patient without such insurance pays as a private patient, while the fund pays doctors under its own tariff, so the difference is lawful, not a markup. A day in hospital usually has no price of its own, since the stay is billed per case; only some items, such as nursing care or a single room, are charged by the day (see the cost of a hospital stay in Germany).
| Cost item | Depends on | Guide figure |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors’ consultations | number of specialists, length of the visit, GOÄ multiplier | from €130 for a consultation on test results |
| Scans and tests | region, contrast, urgency | CT around €500, MRI around €800, ultrasound €130–150 |
| Inpatient stay (DRG): surgery, nursing, medication during the stay | diagnosis and severity; length of stay beyond the usual range for the case | per the clinic’s estimate |
| Treatment by the head of department (Chefarzt) | number and complexity of services, GOÄ multiplier | per the clinic’s estimate |
| Implants and expensive drugs | type and number of stents or prostheses; drugs paid on top of the DRG sum | a single stent around €1,550–2,500 |
| Single room and other optional services | what is chosen, for how many days | per the clinic’s estimate |
An important point: payment for treatment goes directly to the hospital, against its invoice and to its account. Many German hospitals work with patients from abroad on a prepayment basis and issue the final invoice for the care actually given. Our organising services are paid for separately, and that is visible in the documents too — so you always know what you are paying for.
Online figures diverge so widely because they compare unlike things: a single scan with a programme, an outpatient visit with a week on the ward, a surgeon’s fee with a full bill. A private clinic outside the DRG rules sets its own price list, not comparable with a hospital estimate based on DRG and GOÄ. Even the same DRG group costs different amounts in different federal states: the case weight is national, the base rate is set by each state. Compare only estimates drawn up for your diagnosis.
Imaging and tests — guide prices
A scan costs from around €130–150 for ultrasound to €900–1,000 for MRI with contrast, depending on the region, contrast and urgency. A larger region, such as the whole spine, means more scanner and reporting time. Contrast adds the agent and a preliminary kidney blood test. Urgency affects the consultation: in the evening, at night or at the weekend, the GOÄ fee scale adds a surcharge.
- CT (head, chest, abdomen, skeleton) — around €500, with contrast around €550
- MRI (a region of the skeleton, head, chest) — around €800, with contrast €900–1,000; MRI of the whole spine around €950
- Ultrasound — around €130–150
- Consultation with a doctor on the results — from €130
Examination almost always comes first because the plan depends on it: the doctor needs a complete, recent picture before proposing surgery or treatment, so the clinic usually repeats or adds some tests. Recent, good-quality scans you bring are not wasted. A “test everything” package makes no sense: tests that answer no question produce incidental findings, which lead to more scans, anxiety and cost. How diagnostics in Germany work is explained separately.
Check-up programmes — guide prices
A check-up programme is a pre-arranged package of consultations and tests in one specialty, completed in one or two days. A cardiology programme, for example, combines an appointment with the lead doctor, an ECG, an exercise test and a heart ultrasound, and ends with a final consultation and a written report. Content and price are agreed before the trip; see also check-up in Germany.
- General medical assessment (1–2 days) — around €1,650
- Gastroenterological assessment (2 days) — around €700–2,200
- Gynaecological check-up (1 day) — around €1,500
- Urological assessment (1–2 days) — around €1,650
- Cardiological assessment (1–2 days) — around €2,000
A programme differs from single tests in price and purpose. A single test answers one question and is paid for on its own, with the consultation on its results charged separately; a programme bundles consultations, tests and the report into one sum, and its purpose is a doctor’s verdict on what to do next. If it finds something that needs treatment, such as narrowed heart vessels, treatment often starts on the same trip, after a new estimate and the patient’s consent.
Procedures and surgery — guide prices
Surgery prices vary more than test prices because the sum depends on the extent of the procedure, the consumables and the length of stay. Stenting with one stent and with three are different bills, and bypass surgery means a much longer stay than angiography, partly in intensive care. Anaesthesia, the surgical team and unforeseeable complications add their share.
- Coronary angiography — from €3,000
- Stenting of the coronary vessels — from €5,000 (depending on the number of stents); a single stent around €1,550–2,500
- Coronary bypass surgery — around €30,000–40,000
- Nasal surgery, including correction of the shape — from €4,000
These figures are neither a price list nor an offer. They give an idea of the order of magnitude for typical procedures, but the real cost depends on the complexity of the case, the equipment of the particular hospital and what turns out to be needed in the course of treatment. Guide figures for oncology, joint replacement, spine treatment, dentistry, ophthalmology and rehabilitation are on the section’s pages linked below this text — cancer treatment costs, for example.
What the estimate covers and what may be added
The estimate covers the main, planned part of the costs: tests, treatment, the hospital stay and medication during it. But medicine does not always follow the plan exactly: if the assessment turns up something requiring further procedures, the extent and the cost may change. In that case the hospital agrees the new items separately — in a transparent arrangement there should be no surprises after the fact.
Costs outside the treatment itself are budgeted separately from the clinic’s estimate: accommodation between stages of treatment and for relatives, travel, an interpreter and escort, and medication after discharge, bought from a pharmacy on prescription. If medical interpreters and escort are needed at appointments, budget for them from the start.
Read the invoice side by side with the estimate. A doctor’s bill under GOÄ must by law state the date, number and description of each service, its amount and the multiplier. A multiplier above 2.3, or 1.8 for technical services, must be justified in writing in understandable terms and, on request, explained in more detail. Optional services may only be charged if agreed in writing beforehand. If an item is unclear or missing from the estimate, ask the clinic for a breakdown before paying.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a private doctor’s appointment cost in Germany?
A private appointment with a doctor in Germany is billed under the GOÄ fee scale, and the price depends on what the visit includes: conversation, examination, tests. Each item’s price is multiplied by a factor, usually no higher than 2.3. A consultation on test results costs from €130, and a patient without German insurance always pays as a private patient. In 2026 the 1996 fee scale, as amended, still applies; a new one could take effect from 2028.
What do medical services cost in Germany?
The cost of medical services in Germany is made up of doctors’ items under the GOÄ fee scale with their multiplier, tests, the DRG-based hospital stay and consumables; check-up programmes are priced as one sum. Guide figures: ultrasound around €130–150, CT around €500, a cardiological assessment around €2,000, coronary bypass surgery around €30,000–40,000. Other specialties have their own price pages below this text.
Why does the clinic ask for prepayment?
Prepayment is the normal procedure for a patient without German insurance: the law allows a hospital to ask for a reasonable advance payment if insurance cover has not been proven. The clinic states the sum in advance, and the final invoice follows the care actually given. During a long stay, the hospital may also request an interim payment from the eighth day.
What happens if treatment costs more than the estimate?
If more turns out to be needed than planned, the clinic agrees the new items separately, and the final invoice follows the care actually given. An estimate is a calculation based on what was known in advance, not a promise of an exact sum, so differences either way are possible. Ask about any change of plan straight away and request a revised calculation in writing. Optional services not agreed in writing cannot be charged.
How AlenMed obtains the estimate from the clinic
AlenMed requests the estimate by sending your medical records to the clinic: discharge summaries and doctors’ reports, recent test results, CT or MRI images with their reports, and a list of your medication. We work with 86 partner hospitals in 38 cities in Germany and 345 doctors; the company’s office is in Munich. The department that treats your condition reviews the records and proposes a plan, and the estimate comes from the clinic in the patient’s name.
Once the plan and estimate are agreed, we translate the medical records, help obtain the clinic’s invitation for the visa and arrange a medical interpreter for appointments.
This material is for information only and is not a public offer. The sums given are indicative and stated in euros. The exact cost is set by the estimate of the particular hospital, drawn up in the patient’s name after study of the medical documents; payment is made directly to the hospital. The treatment plan is decided by a doctor at an in-person consultation.
