An abortion in Singapore costs roughly S$800 to S$5,000 in 2026, and where you land in that range depends on three things: the method (pill or surgical), the setting (public hospital, private hospital or licensed private clinic), and how many weeks pregnant you are. A medical abortion with pills, done early, is the cheapest route at around S$500 to S$1,000 all-in at a clinic. A first-trimester surgical abortion at a private clinic typically starts around S$1,500 to S$2,000. At a public hospital like KKH, SGH or NUH, a subsidised Singapore Citizen often pays less and can use MediSave towards a surgical termination, within the standard surgical withdrawal limits (around S$900 is commonly cited). The cost is only half the story. Singapore law adds a fixed process on top: mandatory pre-abortion counselling, a compulsory 48-hour wait after it, residency rules that exclude tourists, and a legal limit of 24 weeks. This guide gives the 2026 price by method and setting, what MediSave does and does not pay, and the legal steps, so you can budget for time as well as money.
The headline range is wide because two procedures with very different price tags both count as abortion. A medical abortion uses two drugs (mifepristone then misoprostol) to end an early pregnancy with no surgery. A surgical abortion is a short day procedure under sedation or anaesthesia, usually a suction evacuation. The pill route is cheaper but only works in early pregnancy. The surgical route costs more and stays available up to the legal limit.
Setting matters as much as method. Public hospitals (KKH, SGH and NUH) price by patient class: a subsidised Singapore Citizen pays the least, then a PR, then a foreigner at the full unsubsidised rate, where GST is added on top. For subsidised patients the government absorbs the 9 percent GST. Licensed private clinics quote a flatter fee that already bundles the consultation, the scan and the procedure, and that fee is the same whether you are a citizen or a foreigner who meets the residency rule.
Treat any single quoted number as a starting price. The figure rises with gestational age because a later procedure needs more time, more medication and sometimes an overnight stay. Always ask whether the quote includes the mandatory consultation and ultrasound scan, the counselling, the anaesthesia, and any follow-up visit, because a low headline that excludes those is not the real bill.
| Route | Typical 2026 cost | When it applies | MediSave? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical abortion (pills), private clinic | S$500 to S$1,000 all-in | Early pregnancy, usually up to about 9 weeks | No (not a surgical procedure) |
| Surgical abortion, private clinic (1st trimester) | From ~S$1,500 to S$2,500 | Up to ~12 weeks; rises with weeks | Yes (surgical withdrawal limit) |
| Surgical abortion, public hospital (subsidised SC) | Roughly S$800 to S$2,000 | Up to legal limit; needs qualified O&G doctor | Yes (surgical withdrawal limit) |
| Surgical abortion, private hospital | S$2,500 to S$5,000+ | Up to legal limit; higher comfort and fees | Yes (surgical withdrawal limit) |
| Second-trimester surgical (13 to 24 weeks) | S$2,500 to S$5,000+ | More complex; specialist only; may need a night | Yes (surgical withdrawal limit) |
| Mandatory consultation + ultrasound scan | ~S$200 to S$300 | Required first visit before any procedure | No |
A medical abortion is the budget option, but only because it is restricted to early pregnancy. Clinics give mifepristone first, then misoprostol 24 to 48 hours later, and the pregnancy passes at home over the following hours. At a licensed private clinic, the consultation and ultrasound scan run around S$200 to S$300, and the medication adds a few hundred more, so the all-in cost lands near S$500 to S$1,000. Clinics generally recommend the pill method only up to roughly 9 weeks; one Singapore clinic advises that beyond about 7 weeks from your last period the success rate starts to drop, after which a surgical procedure is the safer choice.
A surgical abortion costs more because it is a procedure, not a prescription. At a private clinic, a first-trimester surgical termination commonly starts around S$1,500 and rises with gestational age, with some clinics quoting from S$1,750 upward. At a public hospital a subsidised Singapore Citizen can pay less than the private rate, often in the S$800 to S$2,000 band once subsidies apply. A private hospital sits at the top end, S$2,500 to S$5,000 or more, because you are paying for a named specialist and private-room comfort.
Second-trimester procedures (13 to 24 weeks) are the most expensive of all. By law a termination after 16 weeks can only be carried out by an authorised medical practitioner who holds the prescribed surgical or obstetric qualifications (in practice, an O&G specialist), the procedure is more involved, and it may require an overnight stay. Budget toward the top of the range, S$2,500 to S$5,000 plus, and expect a public hospital rather than a small clinic for anything that late.
A single headline price for a surgical abortion is really a stack of separate charges, and clinics differ in which ones they fold into the quote. The doctor's professional fee is the biggest piece, but the consultation, the ultrasound scan, the anaesthetic, the day-surgery facility and ward charge, any tissue test, the medication and a follow-up review each carry their own line. At a private clinic an early surgical termination is built from a consultation around S$150, an ultrasound near S$100, an anaesthetic fee around S$250, the procedure fee itself (often the S$1,200 to S$1,400 bracket for an early pregnancy), plus facility and ward charges in the low hundreds, the medication, and a post-procedure review near S$200. Add those up and you reach the S$1,500-plus figure clinics advertise.
Two line items catch people out. The first is the consultation clock: some clinics charge extra once a first consultation runs past about 15 minutes, so a longer counselling conversation can nudge the bill up. The second is the booking deposit. Clinics commonly ask for a deposit of around S$200 to hold the surgery slot, refundable if you cancel far enough ahead (one Singapore clinic refunds it for cancellations made at least 48 hours before the appointment) and otherwise credited toward the procedure. Ask whether the deposit is refundable and on what notice before you pay it.
When you compare two clinics, compare the all-in total, not the procedure fee alone. A clinic quoting S$1,300 for the procedure but billing the scan, anaesthetic, facility and review on top can land higher than one quoting a flat S$1,800 that already includes them. Get the quote in writing with every line spelled out, and confirm what the doctor's professional fee covers, before you commit.
| Line item | Typical 2026 charge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation | ~S$150 | May cost more if it runs past ~15 minutes |
| Ultrasound scan | ~S$100 | Dates the pregnancy; required before any procedure |
| Anaesthetic fee | ~S$250 | Sedation or light anaesthesia for the day procedure |
| Doctor's procedure fee | ~S$1,200 to S$1,400 | Larger for later pregnancies (up to ~S$3,000 to S$4,000 near 24 weeks) |
| Facility and day-surgery ward | ~S$350 to S$450 | Use of the procedure room and recovery bay |
| Tissue test and medication | ~S$60 to S$140 | Pathology check plus take-home medicine |
| Post-procedure review | ~S$200 | Follow-up visit to confirm recovery |
| Booking deposit | ~S$200 | Refundable on enough notice; otherwise credited to the bill |
The method is not a free choice; it is set by how many weeks pregnant you are, and the method drives the price. In the earliest window, from about 4 to 6 weeks (the earliest most clinics will act) up to roughly 9 weeks, the pill route is on the table at S$500 to S$1,000. Past that point a surgical procedure takes over, and which surgical technique applies again depends on the weeks.
Up to around 12 to 14 weeks, the standard surgical method is vacuum aspiration: a short suction procedure, usually under local anaesthesia or light sedation, done as day surgery with no overnight stay. This is the first-trimester surgical abortion that starts near S$1,500 at a private clinic. Beyond about 14 weeks the procedure changes to a dilation and evacuation (D&E), which is more involved, typically needs general anaesthesia, and can require a one to two day hospital stay. That added complexity and the inpatient time are why second-trimester care climbs toward the S$2,500 to S$5,000-plus end and concentrates in hospitals.
Reading the method against the weeks shows why timing is the lever on cost. Each step later moves you from a few hundred dollars of medication to a day-surgery suction procedure, then to an inpatient operation with anaesthesia and a ward bill. Confirming the pregnancy and deciding early keeps you in the cheapest method for as long as possible.
MediSave is the only government help that touches an abortion bill, and it is narrow. Singapore Citizens and PRs can use MediSave for a surgical termination of pregnancy, drawn from your own MediSave account (or your spouse's). The claimable amount follows MediSave's standard surgical withdrawal limits, which run from S$240 to S$5,290 depending on how the operation is classified. A surgical evacuation of the uterus sits in the 2A or 2B band of the Table of Surgical Procedures, which carries a withdrawal limit of roughly S$760 to S$1,160 depending on whether the case is simple or complex. On top of that, MediSave allows up to S$830 a day for day-surgery hospital charges. For most early terminations the cash you can draw lands near the S$900 figure that is commonly cited. Because the exact limit depends on the procedure, confirm the claimable amount and that they will help you file the claim with the clinic or hospital before you book.
MediSave does not cover a medical (pill) abortion, because the claim limit is tied to a surgical procedure rather than a prescription. If you take the pill route, expect to pay the full clinic fee in cash or by card. Given the pill route is already the cheapest, this rarely changes which method makes financial sense.
Health insurance mostly stays out of this. MediShield Life explicitly excludes abortion and maternity charges, so it never pays for the termination itself, and the same exclusion carries through to the Integrated Shield Plan add-ons that sit on top of it. The one grey area is a complex, high-risk pregnancy that needs an inpatient admission: there, an Integrated Shield Plan that covers hospitalisation may pick up part of the ward and treatment bill even though it will not cover the abortion procedure on its own. If it does, the post-2019 rules mean you still pay a minimum 5 percent co-payment on the claimable amount, so the plan never wipes the bill to zero. For a straightforward day-surgery termination, assume your hospital plan pays nothing.
The realistic plan for most people is MediSave for the surgical procedure (within the standard withdrawal limits, commonly around S$900), and your own cash or emergency fund for the rest. If you are weighing the total cash hit, our budget calculator helps you see what a one-off S$1,000 to S$3,000 expense does to your month, and our guide to insurance in Singapore explains why maternity and termination sit outside standard medical cover.
The Termination of Pregnancy Act limits who an authorised doctor may treat. You qualify if you are a Singapore Citizen or the wife of one, a holder of a valid work pass or employment pass (or the wife of one), or any person who has been resident in Singapore for at least 4 months immediately before the procedure. A temporary work permit on its own is not enough; the pass must be a proper work pass issued under the relevant law.
Tourists and short-term social-visit pass holders do not qualify unless the abortion is immediately necessary to save the woman's life. So someone flying in purely for the procedure cannot legally get one here. If you are a foreigner who has lived in Singapore for four months or more, bring proof: your passport showing the entry date, plus your work pass, student pass, dependant's pass or marriage certificate as relevant.
Age does not block access, but it adds a step. There is no minimum age and no legal requirement for parental consent. An unmarried girl below 16, however, must be referred to the Health Promotion Board Counselling Centre for pre-abortion counselling and must obtain a Certificate of Attendance (COA) before any clinic can perform the procedure. Without that COA the termination cannot legally go ahead.
Singapore allows abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, dated by ultrasound scan (in practice, up to 23 weeks and 6 days). Beyond 24 weeks a termination is only permitted when it is immediately necessary to save the woman's life or to prevent grave permanent injury to her physical or mental health. There is no on-demand abortion in the late second or third trimester.
Within that window, the rules tighten as the weeks pass. Up to 16 weeks, any authorised medical practitioner may perform the procedure. After 16 weeks (and up to 24), it may only be carried out by an authorised medical practitioner who holds the prescribed surgical or obstetric qualifications, or who has acquired the special skill required, which in practice means an O&G specialist. That is one reason later procedures cost more and are concentrated in hospitals rather than small clinics.
The cheapest path is also the earliest one. Clinics will usually act from about 4 to 6 weeks, once a scan can confirm and date the pregnancy, and catching it that early keeps the pill route open at S$500 to S$1,000. Wait, and you move into surgical territory at S$1,500 plus, and then into more expensive second-trimester care. The mandatory 48-hour cooling-off period after counselling means you cannot compress the timeline at the end either, so deciding early is the single biggest thing that keeps the bill down.
Since 17 April 2015, pre-abortion counselling is mandatory for every woman seeking a termination in Singapore, regardless of nationality, education level or number of children. Before that date, counselling was only required for certain groups; the rule now applies to all. The counselling is meant to make sure the decision is informed, and it usually happens at your first clinic or hospital visit alongside the consultation and the ultrasound scan.
After counselling the law requires at least 48 hours to pass before you can give written consent to the procedure. This cooling-off period is non-negotiable and it means no clinic can perform an abortion on the same day you first walk in. Plan for a minimum of two visits: one for counselling, consultation and the scan, and a second, at least two days later, for the procedure itself.
For unmarried girls under 16, the counselling step is more involved: it must take place at the HPB Counselling Centre rather than the clinic, and produces the Certificate of Attendance the clinic needs on file. For everyone else, the clinic's own trained counsellor handles it. After the procedure, every authorised practitioner must also provide post-abortion counselling, usually during the same admission.
Public hospitals are the cheapest route for a Singapore Citizen because of subsidies, and they are the right setting for anything medically complex or later in pregnancy. KKH, SGH and NUH all perform terminations and have the O&G specialists required for procedures between 16 and 24 weeks. The trade-off is less scheduling flexibility and a more clinical, busier environment.
Licensed private clinics offer speed, privacy and a single bundled fee, which suits an early, straightforward case. The catch is that not every clinic is licensed for this, and only an authorised medical practitioner at an approved institution may perform an abortion. Performing or undergoing an illegal abortion outside that framework carries penalties of up to a S$3,000 fine and up to three years' imprisonment, so check that a clinic is licensed before you commit. Confidentiality is protected by law either way.
Cost is real, but so is safety and the emotional weight of the decision. Pick the legal, licensed setting that fits your gestational stage and budget, rather than the cheapest advertised number. If the procedure leaves your savings thin, rebuilding a small buffer should come before any new commitment; the financial health check is a quick way to see where you stand, and our guide to managing money covers how to rebuild a cushion after a one-off hit. Free, confidential support is also available from organisations like AWARE if you want to talk through the decision.
Roughly S$800 to S$5,000, depending on method and setting. A medical (pill) abortion runs about S$500 to S$1,000 all-in at a clinic. A first-trimester surgical abortion starts around S$1,500 at a private clinic, while a subsidised Singapore Citizen at a public hospital often pays S$800 to S$2,000. Private hospitals and second-trimester procedures sit at the top of the range.
Yes, for a surgical abortion. Singapore Citizens and PRs can use MediSave for a surgical termination, drawn from their own or a spouse's account, within the standard surgical withdrawal limits (the commonly cited figure is around S$900, though the exact amount depends on the procedure). MediSave does not cover a medical (pill) abortion. MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans exclude abortion entirely, so insurance will not pay.
Yes, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy (about 23 weeks 6 days, dated by ultrasound) for women who meet the residency rules. After 24 weeks it is only allowed when immediately necessary to save the woman's life or prevent grave permanent injury to her health.
No. There is no minimum age and no legal requirement for parental consent. An unmarried girl below 16 must, however, attend pre-abortion counselling at the HPB Counselling Centre and obtain a Certificate of Attendance before any clinic can perform the procedure.
Work pass and employment pass holders (and their wives) qualify, as does anyone who has been resident in Singapore for at least 4 months. Tourists and short-term social-visit pass holders do not qualify unless the procedure is immediately necessary to save the woman's life. Bring proof of residency, such as your passport entry date and work or student pass.
Plan for at least two visits. The law requires mandatory counselling, then a minimum 48-hour wait before you can give written consent, so no clinic can perform an abortion on the same day you first arrive. The first visit covers counselling, consultation and an ultrasound scan; the procedure happens at least two days later.
Yes, but only early. The pill route costs about S$500 to S$1,000 all-in and is generally offered up to around 9 weeks, with success rates dropping after roughly 7 weeks. A surgical abortion costs more, from about S$1,500 at a private clinic, but stays available up to the 24-week legal limit.
A surgical termination bill stacks several line items: the consultation (around S$150), the ultrasound scan (around S$100), the anaesthetic fee (around S$250), the doctor's procedure fee (the largest piece), the day-surgery facility and ward charge, a tissue test, medication and a follow-up review (around S$200). Some clinics fold these into one headline price; others bill them separately. When comparing clinics, ask for the all-in total in writing, not just the procedure fee, because a low headline that excludes the scan, anaesthetic and facility is not the real cost.
Usually, if you give enough notice. Clinics commonly take a deposit of around S$200 to hold the surgery slot. It is typically refundable if you cancel far enough ahead (one Singapore clinic refunds it for cancellations made at least 48 hours before the appointment) and otherwise credited toward the procedure cost rather than lost. Confirm the refund window before you pay.
Not the abortion procedure itself. MediShield Life and Integrated Shield Plans exclude abortion and maternity charges, so a straightforward day-surgery termination is not claimable. The exception is a complex, high-risk pregnancy needing an inpatient admission, where a plan that covers hospitalisation may pay part of the ward and treatment bill. Even then, the post-2019 rules mean you still pay a minimum 5 percent co-payment, so it never covers everything.
Most clinics perform the earliest terminations at around 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy, once an ultrasound can confirm and date the pregnancy. You cannot have one the same day you first arrive: mandatory counselling plus the compulsory 48-hour wait before written consent means at least two visits, so the practical earliest is a few days after your first appointment.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.