CT Scan of the Chest: what it covers and what it costs
What does a CT Scan of the Chest cost? Across 39 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a Chest CT (CPT 71250) runs from about $89 in Indianapolis, IN to $1,819 in San Antonio, TX, read from hospitals' own price-transparency files. 23 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 CT price actually covers
A chest CT produces detailed cross-sectional images of the lungs, airways, mediastinum and chest wall — considerably more detail than a chest X-ray, at a correspondingly higher price.
Code scope. 71250 = chest/thorax CT without contrast (standard for lung/nodule eval). With contrast 71260; without/with 71270.
What is — and isn't — in the price
Hospital prices generally cover the scan and facility use, with the radiologist's interpretation billed separately. Low-dose CT performed specifically for lung cancer screening is a distinct code from a diagnostic chest CT and is priced differently.
Why Chest CT prices differ so much between hospitals
Whether the study is ordered with or without contrast is the main code-level driver. Beyond that, the usual site-of-service spread applies. Screening low-dose studies are often priced as a flat programme rate, sometimes well below the diagnostic equivalent.
What else usually lands on the bill
Frequently preceded by a chest X-ray, billed separately. CT pulmonary angiography, ordered when a clot is suspected, is a different and higher-priced code often confused with a routine chest CT.
What to ask before you book
Clarify whether the order is a diagnostic chest CT or a low-dose screening study — they are different codes with different prices, and hospitals publish both.
Where the money actually moves
If the purpose is lung cancer screening rather than diagnosis, ask specifically about the low-dose screening programme rate, which many hospitals price as a flat fee well below a diagnostic chest CT.
What the Chest CT numbers show nationally
A Chest CT costs 20.5× as much in San Antonio as in Indianapolis
Across the 39 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $89 in Indianapolis, IN to $1,819 in San Antonio, TX — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1954% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Chest CT prices
Lowest: ALLIANCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (Memphis, TN) at $1; CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ALABAMA (Birmingham, AL) at $49; HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $54. Highest: RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER (Kansas City, MO) at $5,833; ROUND ROCK MEDICAL CENTER (Austin, TX) at $3,603; SENTARA PRINCESS ANNE HOSPITAL (Virginia Beach, VA) at $2,754. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
23 of 39 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Chest CT price
Cheapest published cash price: $338 (New York). 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 87% below the list price for a Chest CT
Across the 33 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 87% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Riverside: $5,734 list against $164 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a Chest CT price
248 hospital price-file entries across 39 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 71250 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Chest CT price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Chest CT, by metro — lowest first. 23 of these 39 metros have at least one hospital publishing a self-pay cash price; 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis, IN | $89 | $67–$116 | $494 | 4 |
| Detroit, MI | $106 | $54–$440 | $715 | 6 |
| Memphis, TN | $131 | $1–$529 | — | 4 |
| Portland, OR | $139 | $124–$466 | — | 8 |
| Tampa, FL | $146 | $97–$177 | — | 6 |
| Riverside, CA | $164 | $127–$856 | $1,820 | 6 |
| Cleveland, OH | $168 | $99–$501 | $477 | 8 |
| Sacramento, CA | $190 | $183–$190 | $2,845 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $190 | $190–$1,132 | $2,845 | 7 |
| Baltimore, MD | $198 | $126–$239 | — | 4 |
| Raleigh, NC | $199 | $199–$322 | $791 | 3 |
| Buffalo, NY | $205 | $130–$440 | — | 3 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $207 | $113–$1,237 | $411 | 10 |
| Orlando, FL | $220 | $195–$840 | — | 3 |
| Seattle, WA | $227 | $154–$2,433 | $607 | 8 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $236 | $236 | $647 | 3 |
| New York, NY | $238 | $132–$364 | $338 | 7 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $249 | $146–$2,144 | $1,820 | 5 |
| Washington, DC | $267 | $151–$1,141 | $652 | 8 |
| Hartford, CT | $308 | $127–$612 | — | 4 |
| St. Louis, MO | $313 | $151–$768 | $709 | 7 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $319 | $80–$2,432 | $1,268 | 15 |
| Nashville, TN | $319 | $260–$563 | — | 9 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $327 | $323–$346 | — | 3 |
| Houston, TX | $360 | $245–$1,046 | — | 6 |
| Kansas City, MO | $362 | $245–$5,833 | — | 7 |
| Atlanta, GA | $383 | $108–$1,941 | $1,005 | 9 |
| Denver, CO | $565 | $431–$948 | $1,717 | 10 |
| Austin, TX | $636 | $119–$3,603 | $410 | 9 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $709 | $245–$1,999 | $1,181 | 8 |
| Dallas, TX | $750 | $138–$1,426 | $1,556 | 10 |
| Birmingham, AL | $750 | $49–$1,584 | — | 10 |
| Miami, FL | $1,055 | $71–$2,258 | — | 4 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $1,160 | $112–$1,347 | $1,950 | 5 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $1,176 | $1,166–$2,754 | — | 6 |
| Chicago, IL | $1,392 | $1,123–$1,848 | $855 | 3 |
| San Diego, CA | $1,587 | $134–$2,138 | $2,138 | 6 |
| San Jose, CA | $1,674 | $190–$2,290 | — | 3 |
| San Antonio, TX | $1,819 | $97–$2,119 | — | 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 CT cost?
- Across 39 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $308, ranging from $89 in Indianapolis to $1,819 in San Antonio. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 71250.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- Hospital prices generally cover the scan and facility use, with the radiologist's interpretation billed separately. Low-dose CT performed specifically for lung cancer screening is a distinct code from a diagnostic chest CT and is priced differently.
- Why do Chest CT prices differ so much between hospitals?
- Whether the study is ordered with or without contrast is the main code-level driver. Beyond that, the usual site-of-service spread applies. Screening low-dose studies are often priced as a flat programme rate, sometimes well below the diagnostic equivalent.