CT Scan of the Head/Brain (without contrast): what it covers and what it costs
What does a CT Scan of the Head/Brain (without contrast) cost? Across 39 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a Head CT (CPT 70450) runs from about $91 in Indianapolis, IN to $1,835 in San Jose, CA, 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 Head CT price actually covers
A head CT without contrast uses X-ray to build cross-sectional images of the skull and brain in seconds. Its speed is why it is the standard imaging study in urgent settings, and why it appears on most hospitals' published price lists.
Code scope. 70450 = head/brain CT without contrast (most common). With contrast 70460; without/with 70470. Often also performed in the ER setting.
What is — and isn't — in the price
The hospital price typically covers the scan and facility overhead. A radiologist's interpretation is usually billed separately. When a head CT is performed during an emergency department visit, it is generally billed in addition to the ER facility charge rather than included in it.
Why Head CT prices differ so much between hospitals
The setting drives the price far more than the equipment does. The same non-contrast head CT ordered from an emergency department, a hospital outpatient department and a freestanding centre commonly carries three quite different prices. Contrast, when added, changes the code.
What else usually lands on the bill
Commonly billed alongside an emergency department facility charge and a physician fee. CT angiography of the head or neck, if added, is a separate and considerably more expensive study.
What to ask before you book
If the scan is part of an emergency visit, ask how the imaging charge appears relative to the visit's facility level — they are separate charges and both land on the bill.
Where the money actually moves
Little can be shopped when the scan is part of an emergency visit, and none of it should delay care. Ordered electively from a clinic, an outpatient imaging centre is generally the cheaper route for the same code.
What the Head CT numbers show nationally
A Head CT costs 20.1× as much in San Jose as in Indianapolis
Across the 39 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $91 in Indianapolis, IN to $1,835 in San Jose, CA — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1909% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Head CT prices
Lowest: SHARP MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (San Diego, CA) at $1; ALLIANCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM (Memphis, TN) at $1; HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $44. Highest: SAN ANTONIO REGIONAL HOSPITAL (Riverside, CA) at $4,926; RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER (Kansas City, MO) at $4,112; PIEDMONT FAYETTE HOSPITAL (Atlanta, GA) at $2,887. 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 Head CT price
Cheapest published cash price: $272 (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 Head CT
Across the 33 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 87% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Riverside: $6,063 list against $127 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a Head 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 70450 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Head CT price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Head 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 | $91 | $67–$116 | $435 | 4 |
| Detroit, MI | $94 | $44–$348 | $646 | 6 |
| Cleveland, OH | $100 | $99–$501 | $477 | 8 |
| Memphis, TN | $114 | $1–$341 | — | 4 |
| Baltimore, MD | $116 | $74–$139 | — | 4 |
| Riverside, CA | $127 | $101–$4,926 | $2,177 | 6 |
| Portland, OR | $139 | $124–$2,354 | — | 8 |
| Sacramento, CA | $153 | $145–$153 | $2,682 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $153 | $153–$913 | $2,682 | 7 |
| Raleigh, NC | $154 | $154–$451 | $821 | 3 |
| Buffalo, NY | $174 | $130–$182 | — | 3 |
| Tampa, FL | $177 | $120–$214 | — | 6 |
| New York, NY | $184 | $132–$346 | $272 | 7 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $197 | $113–$988 | $286 | 10 |
| Orlando, FL | $220 | $195–$648 | — | 3 |
| Seattle, WA | $227 | $125–$1,803 | $436 | 8 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $236 | $236 | $677 | 3 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $249 | $117–$2,144 | $2,288 | 5 |
| Nashville, TN | $256 | $207–$563 | — | 9 |
| St. Louis, MO | $261 | $176–$884 | $860 | 7 |
| Kansas City, MO | $280 | $245–$4,112 | — | 7 |
| Hartford, CT | $283 | $125–$286 | — | 4 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $323 | $285–$327 | — | 3 |
| Houston, TX | $360 | $245–$772 | — | 6 |
| Atlanta, GA | $383 | $108–$2,887 | $1,083 | 9 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $442 | $120–$1,876 | $1,130 | 15 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $541 | $141–$1,128 | $1,091 | 8 |
| Denver, CO | $559 | $368–$836 | $1,795 | 10 |
| Washington, DC | $588 | $88–$1,048 | $628 | 8 |
| Austin, TX | $748 | $141–$2,219 | $1,347 | 9 |
| Birmingham, AL | $750 | $49–$1,649 | — | 10 |
| Dallas, TX | $792 | $138–$1,619 | $1,766 | 10 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $885 | $876–$2,754 | — | 6 |
| San Diego, CA | $913 | $1–$2,600 | $2,786 | 6 |
| Miami, FL | $1,055 | $213–$2,190 | — | 4 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $1,160 | $112–$1,347 | $1,950 | 5 |
| Chicago, IL | $1,392 | $1,123–$1,848 | $855 | 3 |
| San Antonio, TX | $1,819 | $97–$2,119 | — | 3 |
| San Jose, CA | $1,835 | $153–$1,889 | — | 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 Head CT cost?
- Across 39 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $261, ranging from $91 in Indianapolis to $1,835 in San Jose. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 70450.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- The hospital price typically covers the scan and facility overhead. A radiologist's interpretation is usually billed separately. When a head CT is performed during an emergency department visit, it is generally billed in addition to the ER facility charge rather than included in it.
- Why do Head CT prices differ so much between hospitals?
- The setting drives the price far more than the equipment does. The same non-contrast head CT ordered from an emergency department, a hospital outpatient department and a freestanding centre commonly carries three quite different prices. Contrast, when added, changes the code.