The Real Cost of a Medical Elective Abroad in 2026: Full Price Data

Data checked 5 September 2026. Journalists and student publications are welcome to reuse the figures on this page with attribution and a link.

Ask what a medical elective abroad actually costs and you will mostly get “request a quote”. So we are publishing our full price list instead — every programme, every duration, in one place — along with the extra costs students often forget to budget for. All figures below are our published prices for placements in 2026, including the booking deposit.

Key findings

• A four-week hospital placement abroad costs between £1,114 (Kenya) and £2,913 (Greece) in programme fees — a 2.6× spread between the cheapest and most expensive of our 12 countries.
• The average four-week fee is £1,577 (median £1,389) across the 12 countries.
• The cheapest entry point is a one-week placement in Kenya at £604.
• Extending a placement costs far less than starting one: extra weeks from about £140, because the fixed costs are already covered.
• Typical UK elective bursaries — usually £250 to £750 per award, as listed publicly by medical schools and royal colleges — cover less than a third of the average four-week fee, and roughly a fifth of the real all-in trip cost.

Four-week programme fee by country

Cheapest published medical track per country, including accommodation, breakfast and dinner, airport pickup, medical insurance, supervision and university sign-off support:

What the fee includes — and why that matters

Comparing headline prices is misleading unless you know what is inside them. Our placement fees include the hospital placement itself with a named supervisor, accommodation, breakfast and dinner, airport pickup, medical insurance, 24/7 support from our in-country teams, and the paperwork universities require for sign-off. In other words, the fee covers most of what you would otherwise pay for as living costs — which is why a £1,114 month in Kenya is closer to the total cost of the trip than it first appears. Flights and visas are the main items on top.

Full 2026 price table (all programmes)

Prices per person, including the £179 booking deposit. Group programmes excluded. Current prices always on each programme page.

The costs on top: what else to budget

These are indicative ranges, not quotes — fares and fees change, so treat them as budgeting guidance and check current prices for your dates:

• Return flights from the UK — Greece £120–£250; Morocco £150–£350; East Africa £450–£750; West Africa £500–£800; South Asia £450–£750; Southeast Asia £550–£900; Peru £750–£1,100.
• Visas — most of our destinations are e-visa or visa-on-arrival for UK passport holders, typically £0–£130. Greece is visa-free for short stays.
• Vaccinations and antimalarials — £0–£300 depending on your destination and vaccination history; see a travel clinic 6–8 weeks before departure.
• Spending money — £10–£30 a day is a realistic range in most of our destinations, less where meals are already included.

Three worked examples (4 weeks, all-in)

• Budget — Kenya: £1,114 fee + ~£600 flights + ~£100 visa and vaccinations + ~£420 spending money ≈ £2,200.
• Mid-range — Thailand: £1,977 fee + ~£725 flights + ~£80 extras + ~£420 spending money ≈ £3,200.
• Europe — Greece: £2,913 fee + ~£185 flights + ~£560 spending money ≈ £3,650.

The funding gap

Set those totals against what is actually available. Elective bursaries listed publicly by UK medical schools, royal colleges and charities are typically worth £250 to £750, with many capped at £500 — and most are competitive, single awards. A student who wins a typical bursary still has to find four-fifths of the money for even a budget elective. That gap is rarely spelled out anywhere, which is one reason we publish our prices and run an annual £1,000 elective grant.

Five ways students keep the cost down

• Pick the destination by budget first. The same clinical exposure costs half as much in East Africa or South Asia as in Europe.
• Extend rather than upgrade. Extra weeks from about £140 are the cheapest clinical time you will ever buy.
• Book flights early. The difference between a £450 and £750 fare is booking three months out versus three weeks.
• Stack small bursaries. Royal college, medical school and charity awards can be combined — apply for several.
• Check what is included before comparing prices. A cheaper headline fee that excludes accommodation, meals and insurance usually is not cheaper.

Methodology and notes

Programme fees are our published 2026 prices as shown on medtrips.co.uk on 5 September 2026, per person, including the £179 booking deposit, converted at the site’s standard USD–GBP rate. Fees include accommodation, breakfast and dinner, airport pickup, medical insurance, placement supervision and university sign-off support; exact inclusions are listed on each programme page and vary slightly by destination. Flight, visa, vaccination and spending figures are indicative estimates for budgeting only. Averages are calculated across the cheapest published medical track in each of the 12 countries. Prices are subject to change; the live programme pages are always current.

Press enquiries and data requests: saurabh@medtrips.co.uk. We are happy to break the data down further — by discipline, duration or destination — for journalists on request.