IVF Cost Per Cycle: China vs the US, UK, Canada and Australia

Most people start by asking for one number, and most soon learn that the advertised price of IVF is not the price of a cycle. Here is how one patient in the US summed up paying without insurance:

This guide sets out what one cycle usually costs in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and China, where medications and frozen transfers fit in, and what a headline price tends to leave out. It covers standard IVF and ICSI for legally married couples. It does not cover egg freezing, donor eggs or sperm, surrogacy or sex selection, which we do not arrange.

How much does one IVF cycle cost?

One IVF cycle typically costs USD 15,000–30,000 in the US with drugs and testing included, about GBP 6,000 at a private UK clinic once drugs and ICSI are added, CAD 15,000–20,000 in Canada, and CNY 30,000–40,000 (≈ USD 4,500–5,950) at a public hospital in China. The figures below come from different kinds of sources, so treat them as typical ranges rather than quotes.

Prices also vary a great deal inside each country. The UK fertility regulator, the HFEA, says the same treatment can be two or even three times more expensive depending on the clinic you choose. In Australia, Medicare rebates of roughly AUD 2,800–3,200 per cycle bring a full fee of AUD 8,000–15,000 down to an average out-of-pocket cost of about AUD 5,748, according to a 2026 comparison of 29 accredited clinics (another page from the same site gives AUD 6,898).

How much do IVF medications cost?

Medications usually add several thousand to a cycle, and they are often billed separately from the clinic fee. In the US, a commonly cited base figure from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine is USD 12,400 for a cycle without drugs, while cost guides put the all-in figure at USD 15,000–30,000 (2025–26). Drugs, testing and add-ons make up the difference.

In Canada, the Ontario government notes that its funded cycle does not cover fertility drugs, which cost about CAD 5,000 per IVF cycle. In China, a 2022 cost breakdown quoted in Chinese news put a cycle at about CNY 40,000 (≈ USD 5,950): around CNY 12,000 (≈ USD 1,800) for treatment, CNY 12,000–15,000 (≈ USD 1,800–2,250) for drugs and about CNY 10,000 (≈ USD 1,500) for tests. Drugs are often the largest single part.

The real amount depends on your protocol and how your ovaries respond, so nobody can give an exact drug cost before seeing your tests. A patient from North America who had treatment in China described how this worked day to day:

How much does IVF cost in China for foreign patients?

There is no official price list for foreign patients, but public hospital prices give a useful guide: a transfer cycle typically costs CNY 30,000–40,000 (≈ USD 4,500–5,950) in total (People's Daily, 2024). Foreign patients pay the full amount, because China's medical insurance only covers people insured locally, and international or VIP departments may charge more than standard public prices.

Shanghai publishes maximum prices for each IVF procedure at public hospitals. These caps cover the procedures only. Drugs, ultrasound scans, blood tests, freezing, storage and the laboratory part of any genetic test are charged on top.

One cross-border couple treated in Guangzhou in 2025–26 reported about CNY 30,000 (≈ USD 4,500) for one complete cycle. A patient in Guangdong described her own total:

Who can be treated matters as much as price. Assisted reproduction in China is open only to legally married couples of a man and a woman. China's 2003 national technical rules say foreign patients must show passports and proof of marriage. Single women and same-sex couples cannot be treated. Hospitals confirm eligibility case by case, so this is settled before you travel.

How much does a frozen embryo transfer cost?

A frozen embryo transfer costs much less than a full cycle because there is no stimulation and no egg retrieval. At Shanghai public hospitals the transfer is capped at CNY 2,500 (≈ USD 370), with a CNY 1,240 (≈ USD 190) add-on for a frozen-thawed embryo, plus drugs to prepare the womb and any scans. Storage fees are set by each hospital. For comparison, a Czech clinic's 2026 price list shows CZK 11,000 for a frozen transfer against CZK 39,000 for a full IVF cycle, both before drugs.

Embryo testing adds more. In China, genetic testing of embryos (PGT) is allowed only for medical reasons such as a known inherited condition or a chromosomal problem, and it needs a separate licence. It is not offered as a general screening tool. Where it is indicated, the Shanghai cap for biopsy is CNY 1,560 (≈ USD 230) for the first embryo and CNY 780 (≈ USD 120) for each further one, up to CNY 6,240 (≈ USD 930), and the test itself is extra. In Beijing, a single-embryo test for a single-gene condition was priced at CNY 5,050 (≈ USD 750) in 2022. Moving frozen embryos between countries is a separate legal and practical question, so ask both clinics before you plan around it.

How much does IVF cost in Canada?

One IVF cycle in Canada costs about CAD 15,000–20,000, a figure given by British Columbia government officials, but what you pay depends heavily on your province. Ontario funds one cycle per lifetime for people under 43 with a valid health card, though drugs are not covered and clinics manage their own waiting lists. Quebec restored public coverage in November 2021 for one IVF cycle per lifetime, starting before age 41. British Columbia began one-time funding of up to CAD 19,000 for one standard cycle, including drugs, in July 2025. Other provinces differ, so check your own before comparing with treatment abroad.

What does an advertised IVF price usually leave out?

An advertised price usually covers the core procedures and leaves out drugs, ICSI, freezing, storage and embryo testing. A UK clinic group's 2026 price list, for example, starts at GBP 3,795 for IVF and lists drugs, ICSI (from GBP 1,395), freezing, storage and PGT separately. The Shanghai caps and the Czech list above work the same way.

If you are comparing with treatment abroad, time is a cost too. The HFEA says one cycle of IVF takes three to six weeks. Agency guides suggest 8–18 days in China, but one cross-border couple treated in Guangzhou spent about three months in the country and made seven or eight hospital visits. Both partners need to be involved, and short visa-free stays may not cover a full cycle, so check the visa route for your stay.