Cash pricing

Radiology cash prices — national and regional.

Transparent up-front price bands for X-ray, MRI, CT, and ultrasound — the same numbers an imaging center charges a self-pay patient at the desk. Use a ZIP to compare against your local market, or read across the national band as a fallback.

Last updated July 15, 2026Sources: CMS hospital chargemasters (public) · Imaging-center transparent cash pricing listings

By modality

Four scans. One transparent price.

The bands below are national midpoints. Cash prices at imaging centers vary by region — enter a ZIP below to compare.

X-ray

National

Single-view plain films — chest, extremity, spine. Walk-in, same-day, no prep.

$50–$200per study, cash

Range covers one-area scans without contrast. Add contrast (when clinically appropriate) and pricing shifts within the band.

MRI

National

Single-area scan, no contrast — one joint, brain, lumbar spine. Add contrast for ~$150–$300 more.

$400–$700per study, cash

Range covers one-area scans without contrast. Add contrast (when clinically appropriate) and pricing shifts within the band.

CT scan

National

Single-area scan, no contrast — head, chest, abdomen-pelvis, sinus.

$300–$900per study, cash

Range covers one-area scans without contrast. Add contrast (when clinically appropriate) and pricing shifts within the band.

Ultrasound

National

Single-area diagnostic — abdominal, pelvic, vascular, soft-tissue.

$150–$400per study, cash

Range covers one-area scans without contrast. Add contrast (when clinically appropriate) and pricing shifts within the band.

Compare by ZIP

Five digits, numbers only — we prefix-match the first three digits against regional cash-pay bands. Anything we can't match falls back to the national band.

X-raySingle-view plain films — chest, extremity, spine. Walk-in, same-day, no prep.
$50–$200
National
MRISingle-area scan, no contrast — one joint, brain, lumbar spine. Add contrast for ~$150–$300 more.
$400–$700
National
CT scanSingle-area scan, no contrast — head, chest, abdomen-pelvis, sinus.
$300–$900
National
UltrasoundSingle-area diagnostic — abdominal, pelvic, vascular, soft-tissue.
$150–$400
National

Fallback table

The full picture at a glance.

Same data, no ZIP filter — a regional sample per modality next to the national band, for visitors who reached this page without JavaScript.

Modality	National band	Regional examples
X-raySingle-view plain films — chest, extremity, spine. Walk-in, same-day, no prep.	$50–$200	NYC metro$75–$240 SF Bay Area$90–$260 Chicago metro$55–$190 DFW / North Texas$45–$170
MRISingle-area scan, no contrast — one joint, brain, lumbar spine. Add contrast for ~$150–$300 more.	$400–$700	NYC metro$550–$900 SF Bay Area$600–$1100 Chicago metro$425–$750 DFW / North Texas$375–$650
CT scanSingle-area scan, no contrast — head, chest, abdomen-pelvis, sinus.	$300–$900	NYC metro$425–$1100 SF Bay Area$475–$1250 Chicago metro$325–$950 DFW / North Texas$275–$825
UltrasoundSingle-area diagnostic — abdominal, pelvic, vascular, soft-tissue.	$150–$400	NYC metro$200–$475 SF Bay Area$225–$525 Chicago metro$160–$410 DFW / North Texas$130–$360

Three quick answers

The questions people ask before they book.

What counts as a "cash price" here?

A cash price is the up-front number an imaging center charges a self-pay patient for one specific study — no claim, no EOB, no balance bill later. It is the same rate available to Blue Line Health members, who route to the imaging center and pay at the desk.

Why is the cash price often lower than running it through insurance?

Imaging centers set a "chargemaster" rate several times higher than what they accept in cash because insurer contracts negotiate down from there. The cash-pay patient skips the negotiation: one number, paid the same day. The blog post "Cash prices beat your copay" walks through the same arithmetic for labs and primary care.

How do I use this page when I need a scan?

When your clinician writes the order, open this page, find the modality, and either share the band with your Blue Line Health care team or call the imaging center directly and ask for the cash rate. Add the ZIP filter to compare against your local market; the national band is the fallback when we have no local sample.

Ready when you are

Looking for the membership?

Cash-price routing for scans is a default service of every Blue Line Health membership. Pair it with virtual primary care and a care navigator who books the imaging-center visit at the rate above.

See the membership