How Much Does an MRI Machine Cost in Australia? Prices, Site Works, Running Costs and Finance

MRI machine cost in Australia runs from roughly $150,000 to $300,000 for an entry-level system to $2 million to $3 million or more at the high end, according to one Australian industry guide (March 2025, no currency stated). Shielding, installation and a service contract of 8% to 12% of the price a year (US dealer, June 2026) come on top.

This guide, part of the medical professionals series, is for a practice, radiology group or hospital pricing a scanner: what drives the price, what the site works and running costs add, the Medicare eligibility and accreditation rules that decide whether the machine attracts rebates, and how the purchase is financed. If you are a patient pricing a scan rather than a scanner, the medical loans page covers personal medical loans from 5.67% through Emu Money for $2,000 to $75,000.

MRI machine cost at a glance

The figures below come from one Australian industry guide (March 2025), two US dealer guides (January 2026, and a buyer's FAQ dated June 2026 in its page data) and one government release. The Australian guide does not state a currency, and the US dealers state none either, so their figures are printed as US$ on the basis that they are US-based; treat every band as indicative and get a written quote for the system, the coils, the installation and the service contract together.

The public-hospital figure is the useful reality check on MRI machine cost: the release announced a 3 tesla (3T) replacement project at $9 million without splitting the machine from the works, and an installed MRI is what a buyer actually pays for. A private practice is unlikely to spend that, but the gap between the MRI machine price and the installed price is the first thing to budget for.

What drives MRI machine cost: field strength, condition and coils

Field strength is one of three levers. A 3T system typically costs 30% to 60% more than a comparable 1.5T, according to the June 2026 US dealer FAQ, and the January 2026 US guide says a 3T price tag could easily be double what you would pay for a 1.5T. The Australian guide describes its entry-level band as lower field strength, around 1.5T.

Condition is the second lever, covered in the next section, and the third is what comes with the magnet. Coils are priced separately: a new 4 to 8 channel coil runs US$12,000 to US$80,000 and a 16 to 32 channel coil US$40,000 to US$120,000 in the January 2026 guide, with refurbished 4 to 8 channel coils averaging US$8,000 to US$25,000. The Australian guide adds software packages and updates at around $10,000 to $50,000 and gives a standard warranty of 1 to 5 years; on the coil figures alone, two quotes for the same magnet can differ widely.

New versus refurbished MRI machines

A refurbished or certified pre-owned system typically costs 40% to 60% less than new, often US$400,000 to US$900,000, in the June 2026 US FAQ, and the January 2026 US guide prices refurbished 1.5T systems at US$150,000 to US$500,000 by generation, with the top tier at US$400,000 and up. Both guides are from dealers who sell refurbished systems, so read the discounts as the sales pitch as well as the market.

The trade-off is remaining life. The Australian guide gives an MRI a lifespan of 10 to 15 years with proper maintenance, and the US FAQ says manufacturers typically support systems for 10 to 15 years after production, so the older the refurbished unit, the less of either window is left. In Australia there is a second clock, the Medicare capital sensitivity rule covered below, which makes the age of a refurbished magnet the first question to ask.

Installation and site costs: shielding, the magnet room and the quench pipe

An MRI needs a room built around it. The Australian guide puts the room at 30 to 50 square metres with 1.5 to 2 metres of clearance around the scanner, a machine weight of 3 to 10 tonnes, and a temperature held around 18°C to 22°C. The US FAQ prices the works, printed here as US: radiofrequency (RF) shielding at US\150,000 to US$500,000 depending on room size and existing structure, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and chiller at US$20,000 to US$80,000, electrical at US$15,000 to US$40,000, and the quench pipe and pad at US$10,000 to US$25,000.

Those are US construction costs and Australian trades will price differently, but the two US guides put RF shielding (US$150,000 to US$500,000) and a refurbished 1.5T magnet (US$150,000 to US$500,000) in the same band.

Timing matters for the finance too. The US FAQ gives a lead time of 3 to 6 months from order to first patient scan for a new system and says refurbished installations often complete in 2 to 4 months depending on site readiness, with the physical install at 2 to 4 weeks once the room is ready. The room is paid for before the machine bills anything.

On the finance side the works and the machine are different assets. Through Emu Money, the machine sits on equipment finance and the shielding and room works sit on the fit-out finance routes, where Emu Money's product pages note that fit-out finance may require additional security for items that become fixtures. Some specialist medico lenders publicly offer up to 100% finance for practice build loans covering commercial property, construction and fit-out, with staged payment support, subject to eligibility and credit approval.

Running costs: service contracts, helium, power and software

The service contract is the largest recurring equipment line in both guides. The June 2026 US FAQ puts service contracts at 8% to 12% of the equipment cost per year, so a US$1.5 million system carries US$120,000 to US$180,000 a year in service. The Australian guide's own band for maintenance and service is $10,000 to $100,000 a year depending on the type and frequency, with routine maintenance every 3 to 6 months.

Helium is the next line: the US FAQ puts cryogen at US$5,000 to US$20,000 a year depending on the system. The Australian guide adds power at $5,000 to $30,000 a year depending on machine size and usage, consumables at $2,000 to $10,000 a year, and the big one-off risk, a magnet replacement, at upwards of $200,000 to $1 million. At purchase, training can add US$5,000 to US$20,000 in the US FAQ.

Medicare eligibility, licences and accreditation

An MRI only attracts Medicare rebates if the unit is Medicare-eligible, the practice is an accredited comprehensive practice as the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) defines it, and the request rules are met. In the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing's definitions, fully Medicare-eligible MRI machines attract a rebate for all MRI services listed on the MBS, while partially eligible machines attracted a rebate for a smaller set of services, a category that predates the 2025 changes.

The eligibility rules have been loosening in steps. From 1 November 2022, any MRI equipment at accredited comprehensive practices in Modified Monash (MM) 2 to 7 areas can provide Medicare-eligible MRI services, while licence arrangements remained for machines in MM 1 areas.

From 1 July 2025, the June 2025 MBS factsheet says, equipment-based licences are replaced by practice-based licences and all partial and ineligible MRIs at practices with an existing licence become fully Medicare-eligible. Subject to the passage of legislation, from 1 July 2027 the requirement for MRI equipment to have a licence with the Commonwealth is removed and existing and new MRIs become fully Medicare-eligible.

Three rules survive all of that. First, accreditation: to provide Medicare-funded diagnostic imaging services, practices must be accredited to the Diagnostic Imaging Standards, starting with a Location Specific Practice Number (LSPN) from Services Australia, with entry-level accreditation lasting two years and full suite accreditation valid for four years. The standards are being renamed the National Medical Imaging Standards, with implementation expected in early 2028.

Second, the request rule: the October 2022 factsheet notes that most MRI services need to be requested by a specialist or consultant physician.

Third, and the one that bites on a refurbished purchase, is capital sensitivity. Under the MBS note, MRI equipment has an effective life age of 10 years for new equipment and a maximum extended life age of 20 years for upgraded equipment, and Medicare benefits are not payable for services rendered on equipment that has exceeded those ages. On the note's ages, a unit installed new in 2026 reaches its effective life age in 2036 and, if upgraded, its maximum extended life age in 2046.

How age is measured, what counts as an upgrade and the exemptions are set out in the Department's rules, so check them before signing for a used magnet.

Buy, lease or finance: how practices pay for an MRI

At these prices the finance is priced on the practice rather than at a product floor. Businesses trading for 2+ years with consistent revenue get the best pricing on Emu Money's equipment finance panel, and start-ups and businesses under 12 months old can still access finance, often through low doc pathways at slightly higher rates. The floors in the table are the lowest advertised rates through Emu Money rather than a quote.

The ceiling is the first thing to check. Emu Money's equipment finance runs to $2,000,000 with larger amounts available on application, which covers the Australian guide's entry and mid-range bands read as Australian dollars, while its high-end band at $2 million to $3 million or more sits partly or wholly above it. Some specialist medico lenders publicly offer equipment finance that lists MRI systems with low-start, upfront or stepped payment options, subject to eligibility and credit approval, and their guidance is a term matched to the equipment's lifespan and a residual matched to its end-of-term value.

The structure matters as much as the rate on an asset with a 10 to 15 year life. On Emu Money's equipment finance page, a chattel mortgage makes the machine yours from day one with the GST credit generally claimed upfront on the next business activity statement (BAS), and a hire purchase transfers ownership after the final payment. A finance lease leaves the lender owning the machine with a purchase option at the end and the lease payments generally fully deductible.

The same page warns that balloon payments are less suitable for technology or equipment that depreciates quickly, where the balloon may exceed the asset's value at term end, and a magnet approaching its Medicare effective life age may be that case; the residual is a question for the lender and the accountant.

Most Australian businesses with an active ABN can apply for a business loan through Emu Money, and low doc equipment finance lets a business under 2 years old apply on 6 to 12 months of bank statements, an ABN usually 6+ months registered and a quote or invoice for the equipment. Emu Money compares offers from 50+ lenders in one application, the service costs you nothing, and an enquiry has no impact on your credit score. For the rest of the practice budget, the setting up a medical practice guide covers the other steps.

Tax on an MRI purchase

An MRI is far above the $20,000 instant asset write-off threshold, so it is generally depreciated. A small business with aggregated turnover under $10 million using the simplified rules generally places assets of $20,000 or more in the small business pool at 15% in the first year and 30% thereafter. Other businesses generally depreciate the cost base over the asset's tax effective life, which is a different measure from the Medicare effective life age above.

On a chattel mortgage the GST component is generally claimed on the next BAS and the interest is deductible; under a finance lease the entire lease payment is generally deductible as an operating expense. Have the accountant model both against the practice's cash flow and the Medicare capital sensitivity dates before the structure is chosen.

How to compare finance for an MRI machine

Compare MRI machine cost on the installed figure, not the magnet. Ask every lender to quote against the same package of machine, coils, software, warranty, shielding and installation, and to say which items they will finance, because the shielding and room works may become fixtures and may require additional security.

Then match the term to the asset. Equipment finance through Emu Money runs to 7 years against a 10-year effective life age for Medicare, so the residual at the end of the term, set against what the magnet will be worth with its remaining Medicare life, is the number to test with the lender and the accountant.

Finally, check the Medicare position before signing. The 2027 removal of licences is subject to the passage of legislation, a machine in an MM 1 area sits on the practice-based licence rules in the meantime, and a used magnet is measured against the 10 and 20 year capital sensitivity ages under the Department's rules. A scanner that cannot attract Medicare rebates competes on full private fees, and the service contract does not pause while the paperwork catches up.

This page is general information only and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Prices, Medicare eligibility rules, accreditation arrangements and lender terms change; check the current figures with your supplier, the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, your accrediting agency and your accountant before relying on them. Subject to lender approval, terms, and conditions apply.