The Pharmacist launches travel vaccine price comparison tool and new travel health hub
The Pharmacist has launched a new resource comparing travel vaccine prices across the UK as part of a new travel health hub.
The travel vaccine price comparison tool gives pharmacists and other clinicians providing travel vaccines a single, easily accessible snapshot of what providers are charging. It covers 21 travel vaccines, with prices gathered in October 2026 from ten independent providers across the UK and five major chains with hundreds of sites nationwide.
There is no standardised pricing for travel vaccines, and providers can charge what they consider fair. The tool is designed to help readers benchmark their own pricing against the market.
The update launches alongside The Pharmacist’s new travel health hub, home to all of the title’s travel health coverage.
Key findings from the analysis
Prices from independent providers were far less predictable than those from large multiples. The diphtheria, tetanus, polio and pertussis vaccine cost £46 at an independent clinic in Scotland, compared with £130 at an independent provider in London. On average, prices ranged by around £43.55 between the cheapest and most expensive independent providers, compared with £9.95 among large multiples.
Independent providers typically charged around 5% more per dose than multiples across the 21 vaccines, and were more expensive on average for 15 of them. Chikungunya was the highest-priced vaccine overall, at an average of £204.14 among independents and £177.60 among multiples.
The lowest average prices were concentrated among routine vaccines and those available free on the NHS for travel purposes, such as typhoid, at £38.60 among multiples and £43.00 among independents.
The analysis also looked at what shapes pricing. Independent providers most commonly cited the wholesaler price as the biggest factor, alongside staffing, insurance, registrations, advertising and vaccine wastage.
Rising demand for travel health services
The launch comes as international travel continues to grow. UK residents made 94.6 million visits abroad in 2024, above the pre-pandemic peak of 93 million in 2019, while UK Health Security Agency data show chikungunya cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland rose to 160 in 2025, up from 112 the previous year. Most of these infections were travel related.
Victoria Vaughan, Editor of The Pharmacist, said: ‘Travel clinics are a great service provided by many community pharmacies and we hope this tool, which we will update regularly, will keep them abreast of the Market across the UK.
‘Following the pandemic, we are all aware of how quickly diseases can spread through international travel and the importance vaccination plays in keeping people safe, so I’m glad we are supporting this area of our reader’s work.
‘We’ve also gathered our great content on the latest developments and emerging diseases in our dedicated travel health hub to make it easy for readers to find this expert led content.’
Cahal McQuillan, who compiled the analysis, said: ‘I hope that this comparison tool can serve as an effective resource for clinicians who offer travel vaccines.
‘Travel health services are essential, but running a business that operates in this space can be challenging. Demands on vaccines can fluctuate and with costs and overheads rising, profit margins can be tight.
‘Competition with other providers plays a major role in price setting and knowing what competitors are charging should help readers to benchmark their prices and stay in step with the market.’
Read the full analysis and explore the travel vaccine price comparison tool here.
For further details about The Pharmacist’s vaccine price comparison tool, travel health hub and sponsorship opportunities, please contact us today.