MRI of the Brain (without contrast): what it covers and what it costs
What does a MRI of the Brain (without contrast) cost? Across 40 major U.S. metros, the typical insurer-negotiated price for a Brain MRI (CPT 70551) runs from about $199 in Detroit, MI to $3,151 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 Brain MRI price actually covers
A brain MRI without contrast uses a magnetic field and radio waves — no ionising radiation — to produce cross-sectional images of brain tissue. The billed study covers the scan itself and a radiologist's written interpretation.
Code scope. 70551 = brain MRI without contrast (most common outpatient study). With contrast is 70552; without-and-with is 70553 - those are separate procedures/pages.
What is — and isn't — in the price
Hospital pricing for MRI is usually split in two: a technical or facility charge for the scanner, the technologist and the room, and a separate professional fee for the radiologist who reads the images and issues the report. A price quoted by a hospital's billing office is frequently the technical half only, so the professional read can arrive later as a second bill from a physician group.
Why Brain MRI prices differ so much between hospitals
The largest swing is where the scan happens. Freestanding imaging centres typically price well below hospital outpatient departments for an identical study, because the facility overhead differs. Scanner strength matters less to the price than people expect; 1.5T and 3T studies are billed under the same code. Adding contrast moves the study to a different code entirely and a higher price.
What else usually lands on the bill
Ordered alongside or instead of this study: MRA of the head, which images blood vessels and is a separate code; a brain MRI with contrast, or the combined without-and-with study, both priced above this one. If sedation is needed the sedating provider bills separately.
What to ask before you book
Confirm whether the quote includes the radiologist's interpretation, and whether the order is specifically for a study without contrast — a request changed to "with and without" at the scanner is billed differently.
Where the money actually moves
The single biggest saving on this study is site of service: an accredited freestanding imaging centre performs the identical scan under the identical code. Ask the ordering clinician whether the referral can go anywhere accredited rather than to a named hospital department.
What the Brain MRI numbers show nationally
A Brain MRI costs 15.9× as much in San Antonio as in Detroit
Across the 40 metros priced here, the typical negotiated rate runs from $199 in Detroit, MI to $3,151 in San Antonio, TX — the same billing codes, the same procedure, 1485% apart.
The individual hospitals reporting the lowest and highest Brain MRI prices
Lowest: CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ALABAMA (Birmingham, AL) at $49; HARPER UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (Detroit, MI) at $84; BETHESDA HOSPITAL EAST (Miami, FL) at $120. Highest: SENTARA PRINCESS ANNE HOSPITAL (Virginia Beach, VA) at $5,370; RESEARCH MEDICAL CENTER (Kansas City, MO) at $5,076; PAM SPECIALTY HOSPITAL OF NEW BRAUNFELS (San Antonio, TX) at $3,742. These are the figures each hospital published in its own file, not an assessment of the care.
23 of 40 metros have a hospital publishing a self-pay Brain MRI price
Cheapest published cash price: $431 (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 83% below the list price for a Brain MRI
Across the 33 metros publishing both, the chargemaster list price is typically 83% above what insurers negotiate. The widest gap is in Riverside: $8,142 list against $292 negotiated.
How many hospitals actually publish a Brain MRI price
249 hospital price-file entries across 40 metros feed this page. A hospital appears only where its own file lists a rate for CPT 70551 — where it does not, it is absent from the table rather than filled in with a guess.
Brain MRI price by metro
The typical insurer-negotiated price for a Brain MRI, by metro — lowest first. 23 of these 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI | $199 | $84–$780 | $984 | 6 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $207 | $148–$265 | $567 | 4 |
| Memphis, TN | $243 | $221–$676 | — | 3 |
| Raleigh, NC | $285 | $285–$765 | $1,347 | 3 |
| Riverside, CA | $292 | $190–$1,547 | $2,600 | 6 |
| Buffalo, NY | $296 | $185–$402 | — | 3 |
| Portland, OR | $304 | $284–$2,655 | — | 8 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $320 | $258–$1,277 | $431 | 10 |
| Tampa, FL | $334 | $220–$411 | — | 6 |
| Sacramento, CA | $339 | $273–$339 | $3,629 | 4 |
| San Francisco, CA | $339 | $339–$1,518 | $3,629 | 7 |
| St. Louis, MO | $390 | $346–$1,336 | $1,382 | 7 |
| New York, NY | $493 | $302–$570 | $528 | 7 |
| Nashville, TN | $498 | $406–$636 | — | 9 |
| Orlando, FL | $503 | $395–$1,725 | — | 3 |
| Baltimore, MD | $506 | $339–$583 | — | 4 |
| Seattle, WA | $515 | $236–$2,636 | $764 | 8 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $525 | $525 | $1,127 | 3 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $568 | $270–$2,228 | $2,600 | 5 |
| Washington, DC | $601 | $293–$2,030 | $834 | 8 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $620 | $610–$710 | — | 3 |
| Houston, TX | $648 | $518–$1,646 | — | 6 |
| Cleveland, OH | $663 | $226–$1,059 | $1,084 | 8 |
| Hartford, CT | $755 | $289–$1,222 | — | 4 |
| Kansas City, MO | $803 | $558–$5,076 | — | 7 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $816 | $246–$3,394 | $2,065 | 8 |
| Denver, CO | $824 | $546–$1,349 | $2,532 | 10 |
| Atlanta, GA | $828 | $247–$3,313 | $1,343 | 9 |
| Birmingham, AL | $945 | $49–$2,375 | — | 10 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $954 | $259–$2,967 | $1,822 | 15 |
| Boston, MA | $973 | $338–$1,270 | — | 3 |
| San Jose, CA | $1,073 | $339–$1,548 | — | 3 |
| Dallas, TX | $1,084 | $304–$1,859 | $2,028 | 10 |
| Austin, TX | $1,482 | $309–$2,170 | $1,221 | 9 |
| Miami, FL | $1,492 | $120–$2,097 | — | 4 |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $1,865 | $1,849–$5,370 | — | 6 |
| Chicago, IL | $2,198 | $1,742–$2,513 | $1,350 | 3 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $2,455 | $527–$2,848 | $4,125 | 5 |
| San Diego, CA | $2,710 | $307–$3,117 | $3,036 | 6 |
| San Antonio, TX | $3,151 | $220–$3,742 | — | 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 Brain MRI cost?
- Across 40 U.S. metros the typical insurer-negotiated price is about $620, ranging from $199 in Detroit to $3,151 in San Antonio. Every figure is read from a named hospital's own price-transparency file for CPT 70551.
- Does the price include the doctor's fee?
- Hospital pricing for MRI is usually split in two: a technical or facility charge for the scanner, the technologist and the room, and a separate professional fee for the radiologist who reads the images and issues the report. A price quoted by a hospital's billing office is frequently the technical half only, so the professional read can arrive later as a second bill from a physician group.
- Why do Brain MRI prices differ so much between hospitals?
- The largest swing is where the scan happens. Freestanding imaging centres typically price well below hospital outpatient departments for an identical study, because the facility overhead differs. Scanner strength matters less to the price than people expect; 1.5T and 3T studies are billed under the same code. Adding contrast moves the study to a different code entirely and a higher price.