Prices: Australia comparison: Price on request, get quotes from clinics. Overseas: Price on request, get quotes from clinics. We haven’t found a verifiable, dated public AUD price source for this page.
Short answer: Proton therapy courses often involve weeks of daily fractions, so accommodation, companion travel and time away from work dominate the budget beyond the treatment quote. Medicare doesn’t cover treatment overseas (Department of Health (opens official site)). Basic travel insurance rarely covers medical tourism (Smartraveller (opens official site)). Do not delay Australian cancer care for an unverified overseas price.
Risks and limitations to understand first
- Clinical suitability is not guaranteed by a package price; ask your Australian radiation oncologist first (proton therapy overview)
- Side effects and outcomes depend on tumour type, dose and individual factors
- Interrupting Australian treatment plans without specialist advice can be harmful
- Continuity of planning data and follow-up across borders is difficult
- Medicare doesn’t cover you overseas; basic travel insurance rarely covers medical tourism (Smartraveller (opens official site))
- If something goes wrong, fixing it can cost more (Smartraveller (opens official site))
What affects the quote
- Number of fractions and whether adaptive replanning is included
- Immobilisation, imaging and peer-review processes
- Accommodation packages bundled with treatment
- Companion stay requirements
- What happens if the plan changes mid-course
Ask for a written, itemised quote in English with clinical inclusions and exclusions.
Medicare and insurance
- Medicare doesn’t cover treatment overseas (Department of Health (opens official site)). Ask your fund and oncology team what is available in Australia.
- Basic travel insurance rarely covers medical tourism (Smartraveller (opens official site)).
See health insurance gaps, travel insurance for surgery, medical tourism insurance and Medicare overseas.
Add these to any quote
| Cost | Notes |
|---|---|
| Flights | Patient plus often a companion. Price on request, get quotes from clinics |
| Accommodation | Often multi-week. Price on request, get quotes from clinics |
| Time off work | Your own estimate across the full course |
| Follow-up in Australia | Aftercare in Australia |
| Buffer for problems | Complications overseas |
Use the trip budget planner.
Paying for treatment
If you’re considering finance, our sister site surgeryloans.com.au has general information about financing medical and dental treatment. Disclosure: surgeryloans.com.au shares ownership with medicaltourism.com.au. See how we make money. Moneysmart has independent guidance on borrowing (Moneysmart (opens official site)).
What a complete quote should list
Ask for planning imaging, treatment fractions, housing support, medication and follow-up lines separately. Convert foreign currency carefully: currency converter, paying overseas clinics.
Full trip cost beyond the clinic line
Clinic tariffs rarely include everything Australians actually spend. Add:
- Flights (sometimes two trips for staged dental or implant work)
- Recovery nights before clearance to fly: flying after surgery
- Insurance premiums and excesses after you read the PDS: travel insurance for surgery, medical tourism insurance
- Time off work and companion costs
- Australian reviews and possible repair: aftercare in Australia, revision surgery in Australia
- Currency and card fees: paying overseas clinics
Worksheet: trip budget planner, trip cost calculator, savings calculator, currency converter. Browse other published guides on the costs hub. Figures on this site show price on request until verified against dated public sources.
Second opinions and record transfer
Ask how the overseas centre will share planning scans and treatment summaries with your Australian oncology team. Incomplete transfer makes follow-up harder. Related: proton therapy, aftercare in Australia.
Full trip cost beyond the procedure fee
Even when a hospital or clinic tariff is later verified, Australians should add:
- Flights (return; sometimes a second trip for staged work or bridge delivery)
- Hotel for the fly-safe window your clinician documents in writing
- Companion costs, time off work, garments, medications and follow-up visits
- Buffer for delayed healing, extra nights or a revision trip (Smartraveller (opens official site))
- Travel insurance that may still exclude elective or planned-procedure complications - read the PDS (travel insurance for surgery)
Use the trip budget planner and trip cost calculator for non-procedure travel maths only.
How to compare quotes without “best price” claims
- Same procedure labels and the same inclusions on every quote
- Named clinician and facility on the consent pathway
- Revision or remake policy in writing
- Total trip maths, not procedure-only marketing figures
- Soften “cheapest country” or “best country” searches - compare credentials, aftercare and risk, not inducements
We only publish AUD figures that sit in our verified price table with a source and access date. If status is pending, this page shows Price on request, get quotes from clinics.
Methodology note
We only publish AUD figures present in our verified price table with source URL and access date. Empty or pending rows show Price on request, get quotes from clinics. FX converts, when used elsewhere on this site, cite RBA indicative rates and must be rechecked on publish day. This page does not invent package discounts, holiday inducements or “cheapest country” crowns.
Related tools (non-procedure trip maths only): trip cost calculator · currency converter · savings calculator (educational; not a quote).
Guides: choosing a surgeon · questions to ask · complications overseas · aftercare in Australia · flying after surgery.
Frequently asked questions
How much does proton therapy cost overseas?
We only publish verified, dated prices. Price on request, get quotes from clinics.
Does Medicare cover proton therapy overseas?
No. Medicare doesn’t cover treatment overseas.
Should cost drive the decision?
No. Clinical indication and continuity of cancer care come first.
Do you recommend overseas centres?
No.
Where is the educational overview?
Where should I start on this site?
Matching procedure guide, then cost page, then trip budget planner and insurance PDS checks.
What should be in a written quote?
Itemised clinician and facility fees, anaesthetic, stay length, inclusions and exclusions, revision or remake policy, and what happens if you need a longer stay.
Why does the full trip cost matter more than the procedure fee?
Flights, hotel for the fly-safe window, companion costs, time off work, insurance and a revision buffer often exceed a low procedure-only figure (Smartraveller (opens official site)).
Does this site pick a best or cheapest country?
No. We soften those anchors. Compare named credentials, facility checks, aftercare at home and total trip maths.
Sources
All accessed 24 October 2026.
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Moneysmart, Personal loans: https://moneysmart.gov.au/loans/personal-loans
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Smartraveller, Going overseas for a medical procedure: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/travel-essentials/travel-health/medical-tourism
- Smartraveller, Medical tourism: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/medical-tourism
- Smartraveller, Sun, sand and surgery: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/news-and-updates/sun-sand-and-surgery
- RACS, Going overseas for surgery?: https://www.surgeons.org/-/media/Project/RACS/surgeons-org/files/patient-information-resources/medical-tourism-patient-fact-sheet.pdf
- Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, What Medicare covers: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/medicare/about/what-medicare-covers
Disclaimer: The information on medicaltourism.com.au is general in nature. It isn’t medical, legal, financial or insurance advice and doesn’t take your personal circumstances into account. Talk to a registered health practitioner before deciding on any procedure. See our editorial policy, medical disclaimer and how we make money.