What MRI, CT and X-ray machines cost in Australia

Diagnostic imaging machines in Australia run from about $15,000 for a used dental cone beam unit to $3 million or more for a high-end MRI. Published guides put MRI at $150,000 to $3 million, multi-slice CT at $500,000 to $1.5 million new, and a fixed digital X-ray room at $100,000 to $500,000. Shielding, service and licences cost extra.

Imaging equipment prices are quoted, not listed, so the same scanner can differ by hundreds of thousands of dollars between suppliers. The size of the machine, whether it is new or refurbished, and how much room work it needs all move the number. This guide sets out the published price bands for MRI, CT, general X-ray, OPG and cone beam units, two public purchases that give a real MRI and CT price, the costs around the machine that buyers miss, the licensing rules, and how clinics and practices fund the purchase.

What diagnostic imaging machines cost in Australia

Imaging machines are sold on quote, so Australian suppliers rarely publish list prices. The most useful public numbers are buying guides from MedicalSearch, a quote-matching marketplace that is paid by suppliers, plus what governments say they paid for scanners. Treat the table as indicative market data, not Ventas offers. None of the sources say whether prices include GST, so normalise every quote before you compare. No dealer listing with a published Australian price for a refurbished MRI turned up, and we have left out overseas estimates.

Three things stand out. First, the spread inside each type is huge: an entry-level MRI at $150,000 to $300,000 and a high-end unit at $2 million to $3 million are different businesses. Second, two public purchases land inside the guide bands, which supports them: Bairnsdale's $1.5 million MRI sits at the top of the mid-range, Tamworth's 2018 $2.5 million 3T unit sits between the mid-range and high-end bands, and Casey's $1.7 million CT sits inside the multi-slice band. Dubbo's $2 million is from a 2020 report and Tamworth's from 2018, so prices today may differ. Canberra's $9 million bundles the machine with installation and the building work around it, so it is not a machine price. Third, the refurbished market is genuine for CT and X-ray. Comparing bands, refurbished multi-slice CT runs $300,000 to $800,000 against $500,000 to $1.5 million new, and a refurbished DR room $40,000 to $120,000 against $100,000 to $500,000 or more (our arithmetic). Governments also bundle costs: Queensland describes an $8.6 million investment at Charters Towers Health Service, and that covers a CT scanner, a purpose-built facility and staff, so it is not a machine price.

The costs around the machine

The scanner is one line on the quote. The magnet room, the power, the shielding and the service contract decide whether the project works. These are the published figures, and where nothing is published the table says so.

For MRI and CT the missing numbers matter most. Shielding, structural work and power upgrades are quoted per site, so ask the supplier for a site survey before you sign, and ask whether the quote includes room set-up, shielding assessment, calibration and PACS integration. MedicalSearch gives the MRI service range as $10,000 to $100,000 a year. For scale, the annual service line on a $1.5 million machine at that top figure is about 6.7 per cent of the purchase price (our arithmetic). Put the service contract, the warranty term and the cost of replacing key parts in writing at purchase.

Licences, listing and Medicare

The machine must be on the ARTG. Imaging equipment must be listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods before it can be legally supplied, so ask the supplier for the ARTG entry before you pay a deposit. This matters most when you import a used unit.

Radiation licensing is state by state. In Victoria the 2026-27 management licence fees per source are below, with a $155.40 application fee. The Department of Health also charges use licences for people operating equipment: $86.40 for one year, with a $77.70 application fee.

In NSW, ADA NSW guidance says premises that own and operate X-ray units need a Radiation Management Licence, each unit needs an RRM ID number, and a dental practitioner using cone beam equipment needs an IA24 licence. Fees in other states differ, so check your regulator.

Medicare eligibility for MRI is changing. A Department of Health notice on MBS Online (last updated 16 September 2024) covers MRI machines in Modified Monash 1 (metropolitan) areas. It says that, subject to legislation, equipment-based licences were to be replaced by practice-based licences from 1 July 2025, and the requirement for MRI equipment to hold a Commonwealth licence is to be removed from 1 July 2027. It also lists conditions: an accredited imaging practice that meets the department's practice definition, the machine on the Location Specific Practice Number Register, and the machine within its applicable life age. That notice predates both dates, so check the current Department of Health page and ask your radiology adviser before you buy, especially a used machine.

Who buys what

Dental, chiropractic and general practices usually buy at the small end: an OPG, a cone beam unit or a digital X-ray. Those are the equipment-led purchases. Our dental practice setup cost guide covers the surgeries around them, and the medical practice fitout cost guide covers the rooms. Radiology groups and regional hospitals buy the CT and MRI end, where the contract with referrers and the room works dominate the cost. If you are weighing a different capital-heavy health purchase, compare it with our hyperbaric chamber cost guide and the shorter answer on financing an ultrasound or imaging machine.

Financing a diagnostic imaging machine

Lenders like imaging equipment at the small end and treat the big end as a project. A cone beam unit or digital X-ray has a known resale market and sits inside a practice with revenue, so it funds like other medical equipment. An MRI or a CT is different: the lender is underwriting a business case as well as a machine. It wants referrer relationships or a radiologist contract, a view on Medicare eligibility, and a plan for the room, because shielding, joinery and site works have little resale value and are harder to fund. Old refurbished units usually mean shorter terms or more of your own funds. Ventas is a broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates here. They change with the lender, the asset and the file.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. A dental practice adds a combined OPG and cone beam unit:

And how it is typically funded:

The equipment finance is secured on the machine and valued on what it would resell for. The room works and compliance costs sit with you, or with a property-backed loan if you own a home or another property to put up. For a CT or MRI, the same structure scales up, but expect the lender to ask for the quote, the site survey and the room costs together.

What makes an imaging deal fundable:

• Revenue. Existing billings, referrers or a signed contract for the new scans.
• A clean quote. Supplier, model, age, ARTG listing, installation and what the service contract covers.
• The room. A costed plan for shielding, power and fit-out, and who pays.
• Your experience. Operating licensed imaging, or the staff to do it.
• Security. Property, cash or other assets behind the loan.

To get a number from Ventas, send the quote, whether the machine is new or refurbished, the room costs, how the practice will use it and the security you can offer. Start at medical finance or equipment finance. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.