- Jan 14
- 3 min read
NN explores the cost of private health care in Hungary.
Women are generally more health-conscious than men in Hungary: 36% of them regularly attend doctor-recommended screening tests, while only 23% of men do so. But how much does it cost to protect women’s health? NN Biztosító’s Women’s Private Medical Price Index* shows that today the national average price of a private gynecological examination or a screening test carried out at a private healthcare facility is 33,612 HUF. This amount is more than 8% of the latest net monthly median salary published by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (397,400 HUF, September), meaning it represents a fairly substantial share. NN’s Women’s Private Medical Price Index also found that a gynecological examination can range between 25,000 and 46,000 HUF, while private clinics charge 24,000 to 42,000 HUF for a mammogram. There is also a striking price difference between Budapest and the countryside: in rural areas, the same specialist examination can be 5,000–10,000 HUF cheaper than in the capital.
Recommended at Every Age, but the Cost Varies
The range and frequency of examinations recommended by medical protocols differ by age group, so NN’s experts were also interested in how deeply healthy women of different ages would need to dig into their pockets each year if they had the minimally recommended diagnostic tests performed by a private healthcare provider. For this, they used as a basis the screening tests recommended by the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy and provided in the public system based on age and exclusively for women, along with their recommended frequency**. The results show that, on average, a healthy 30-year-old woman may spend 74,647 HUF, a 45-year-old 54,836 HUF, and a 60-year-old 60,102 HUF on these examinations at private institutions.
In addition, there are further examinations linked to different ages and life situations (for example fertility tests, menopause laboratory panels, endometriosis diagnostics), meaning a woman may spend a significant amount on gynecological care if she has everything done privately.
“Private healthcare has expanded even more rapidly in recent years; we are spending more and more on our health, and therefore solutions that ease financial burdens—such as employer-sponsored group health insurance—are becoming increasingly valuable. Benefits tailored to employees’ needs and supporting the protection of their health can also strengthen loyalty, support recruitment, and reduce lost working time. In this area, prevention is receiving increasing focus alongside diagnostics and treatment, which is why we have also made several different screening options available within our health insurance products,” said Bence Holló, Chairman and CEO of NN Biztosító.
At the same time, the overwhelming majority of people using private care (81%) still pay their private healthcare bills themselves, and 65% find this financially burdensome. One in five respondents uses an individual health savings fund account or health insurance for this purpose, while 6% used health insurance or health fund contributions paid entirely by their employer.
* During the survey, the prices of the 9 largest private healthcare providers in Budapest and 9 major private providers in the countryside (with significant revenue) were collected into a database. Only providers whose prices were available online or who provided prices upon phone inquiry were included. The range of services included in the research: gynecological examination, gynecological examination including cervical cancer screening, mammography, breast ultrasound, bone density (ODM) test, complex breast diagnostics, HPV screening.
** The calculation was carried out based on the following tests:
30-year-old woman: gynecological examination annually, complex examination with cervical cancer screening every three years, breast ultrasound annually, HPV screening every three years;
45-year-old woman: gynecological examination annually, complex examination with cervical cancer screening every three years, mammography every two years;
60-year-old woman: gynecological examination annually, complex examination with cervical cancer screening every three years, mammography every two years, bone density test every two years. Data collection took place in November 2025.
