Chest X-ray (2 views): what it covers and what it costs
What does a Chest X-ray (2 views) cost? Across 39 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a Chest X-ray (CPT 71046) runs from about $47 in Raleigh, NC to $457 in San Antonio, TX, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 22 of those metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price. This page explains what the billing code covers, what the quoted price does and does not include, and what actually drives the spread between hospitals. These are price references from public data — not a quote, a bill, or medical or financial advice.
These figures are aggregated from hospitals' public price-transparency files — not a quote, a bill, an insurance benefit determination, or medical advice. Your actual out-of-pocket cost depends on your insurance plan (deductible, copay, coinsurance, network), the exact service and any complications, and which hospital you use. Always confirm price and coverage with the hospital and your insurer before care.
What a Chest X-ray price actually covers
A two-view chest X-ray takes images from the front and the side. It is among the most commonly performed imaging studies anywhere in medicine and one of the least expensive lines on most hospitals' price files.
Code scope. 71046 = chest X-ray, 2 views (most common). Single view 71045; 3 views 71047; 4+ views 71048.
What is — and isn't — in the price
The published price generally covers the images and facility use. A radiologist's interpretation may still be billed separately even on a study this routine, which is why a small quoted figure can be followed by a second small bill.
Why Chest X-ray prices differ so much between hospitals
A single-view study is a different, cheaper code than the two-view examination, and some published prices refer to one rather than the other. Because the absolute figures are small, the proportional spread between hospitals often looks dramatic even where the dollar difference is modest.
What else usually lands on the bill
A single-view study is a cheaper separate code. If the X-ray leads to a CT the same day, both appear on the bill. In an emergency department the imaging sits on top of the facility level charge.
What to ask before you book
Confirm whether the quote is for the one-view or two-view study, and whether the radiology read is included.
Where the money actually moves
The amounts are small enough that shopping rarely repays the effort. The more useful question is whether the radiology interpretation will arrive as a second bill, and from which group.
What the Chest X-ray numbers show nationally
A Chest X-ray costs 9.7× as much in San Antonio as in Raleigh
Across the 39 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $47 in Raleigh, NC to $457 in San Antonio, TX — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 872% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Chest X-ray prices
Lowest: ALLIANCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (Memphis, TN) at $1; ABINGTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (Philadelphia, PA) at $11; CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ALABAMA (Birmingham, AL) at $23. Highest: CEDARS-SINAI MEDICAL CENTER (Los Angeles, CA) at $2,141; DENVER HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER (Denver, CO) at $836; REDLANDS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL (Riverside, CA) at $779. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
22 of 39 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Chest X-ray price
Cheapest published cash price: $75 (Phoenix). A cash price is what the hospital will accept from someone paying directly; it is not required and many never publish one.
Insurers pay about 76% below the list price for a Chest X-ray
Across the 32 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 76% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Houston: $2,020 list against $105 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a Chest X-ray price
247 hospital price-file entries across 39 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 71046 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Chest X-ray price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Chest X-ray, by metro — lowest first. 22 of these 39 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 33 publish a chargemaster list price. Open a metro for its full hospital-by-hospital breakdown and who those hospitals are.
| Metro | Typical negotiated | Range | Cash | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh, NC | $47 | $47–$59 | $176 | 3 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $53 | $30–$75 | $166 | 4 |
| Atlanta, GA | $57 | $34–$305 | $155 | 9 |
| Memphis, TN | $61 | $1–$472 | — | 4 |
| Nashville, TN | $84 | $46–$85 | — | 9 |
| Detroit, MI | $87 | $40–$147 | $127 | 6 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $94 | $56–$212 | $75 | 10 |
| Orlando, FL | $97 | $94–$106 | — | 3 |
| Tampa, FL | $98 | $65–$102 | — | 6 |
| Buffalo, NY | $99 | $61–$108 | — | 3 |
| New York, NY | $104 | $23–$115 | $91 | 7 |
| Houston, TX | $105 | $100–$131 | — | 6 |
| Riverside, CA | $107 | $27–$779 | $336 | 6 |
| Portland, OR | $112 | $80–$127 | — | 8 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $116 | $11–$657 | $229 | 15 |
| St. Louis, MO | $117 | $43–$262 | $274 | 7 |
| Sacramento, CA | $124 | $76–$124 | $504 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $124 | $124–$126 | $504 | 7 |
| Kansas City, MO | $128 | $128–$588 | — | 7 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $128 | $99–$2,141 | — | 5 |
| Austin, TX | $138 | $80–$350 | $298 | 8 |
| Hartford, CT | $148 | $81–$191 | — | 4 |
| Denver, CO | $172 | $100–$836 | $414 | 10 |
| Seattle, WA | $176 | $101–$339 | $168 | 8 |
| San Jose, CA | $182 | $124–$420 | — | 3 |
| Baltimore, MD | $188 | $163–$247 | — | 4 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $195 | $88–$195 | $142 | 3 |
| Washington, DC | $197 | $120–$313 | $247 | 8 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $200 | $135–$281 | — | 3 |
| Cleveland, OH | $201 | $82–$223 | $395 | 8 |
| Dallas, TX | $220 | $57–$482 | $365 | 10 |
| Birmingham, AL | $245 | $23–$452 | — | 10 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $252 | $63–$408 | $182 | 8 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $270 | $37–$313 | $457 | 5 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $278 | $277–$284 | — | 6 |
| San Diego, CA | $312 | $112–$639 | $533 | 6 |
| Chicago, IL | $395 | $230–$435 | $268 | 3 |
| Miami, FL | $421 | $37–$652 | — | 4 |
| San Antonio, TX | $457 | $80–$512 | — | 3 |
Source: hospitals' own machine-readable Standard Charges files, published under the U.S. Hospital Price Transparency rule (45 CFR §180.50). Most recent hospital file in this dataset: July 2026. Prices are references, not quotes or bills, and never medical or financial advice — where a hospital reports no price, nothing is shown rather than a guess.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Chest X-ray cost?
- Across 39 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $128, ranging from $47 in Raleigh to $457 in San Antonio. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 71046.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- The published price generally covers the images and facility use. A radiologist's interpretation may still be billed separately even on a study this routine, which is why a small quoted figure can be followed by a second small bill.
- Why do Chest X-ray prices differ so much between hospitals?
- A single-view study is a different, cheaper code than the two-view examination, and some published prices refer to one rather than the other. Because the absolute figures are small, the proportional spread between hospitals often looks dramatic even where the dollar difference is modest.