Brain MRI cost in Austin
MRI brain without contrast (CPT 70551): the cash price and what insurers pay at 19 hospitals in the Austin area, from each hospital’s own price file.
- Prices from each hospital’s official price file
- Checked October 30, 2026
- Outpatient facility prices
- The most expensive hospital charges 5.3× the cheapest for the same code, CPT 70551. Children’s hospitals, and hospitals whose cash price is just their list price, are left out of these figures.
- At 1 of 11 hospitals that publish both, the cash price is lower than the hospital’s median employer-plan rate, which is what a plan member pays in full before meeting the deductible. Cash or insurance?
Outpatient facility charge only. These are the hospital’s own published prices for the facility part of the visit. The doctor’s or radiologist’s fee is billed separately and isn’t included, and your final bill can differ (extra tests, contrast, supplies). Not medical or insurance advice.
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers paylowest–highest | Publishedprice file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hospital at Westlake Medical CenterAustin | $482 | $2,197 | $219–1,593median $2749 insurers | Sep 2, 2024 over a year old |
| Ascension Seton Medical Center AustinAustin | $611–1,493 | $1,698–4,148 | $204–1,969median $1,0429 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Ascension Seton NorthwestAustin | $611–1,493 | $1,698–4,148 | $204–1,969median $1,0429 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Ascension Seton SouthwestAustin | $611–1,493 | $1,698–4,148 | $204–1,969median $1,0429 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of TexasAustin | $611–1,493 | $1,698–4,148 | $204–1,969median $1,4105 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Ascension Seton Cedar Park HospitalCedar Park | $521–2,198 | $1,447–6,106 | $204–1,969median $1,4105 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - BudaBuda | $2,557 | $4,261 | $228–3,196median $1,1289 insurers | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round RockRound Rock | $2,557 | $4,261 | $228–3,835median $1,4509 insurers | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center -TaylorTaylor | $2,557 | $4,261 | $607–3,409median $1,7219 insurers | Jun 12, 2026 |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center PflugervillePflugerville | $2,557 | $4,261 | $228–3,835median $1,7119 insurers | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- AustinAustin | $2,557 | $4,261 | $228–3,196median $1,1589 insurers | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Dell Children's Medical CenterAustin · children’s hospital | $1,100–2,904 | $1,572–4,148 | $204–1,969median $1,4105 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| Texas Children's Hospital North Austin CampusAustin · children’s hospital | $2,783 | $4,153 | $2,367–3,945median $2,6588 insurers | Mar 5, 2026 |
| North Austin Medical CenterAustin | $1,333–4,594same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $1,333–4,594 | $67–3,905median $7337 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| St David's Medical CenterAustin | $4,903same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $4,903 | $222–4,168median $7417 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| St David's South Austin Medical CenterAustin | $7,204same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $7,204 | $222–6,123median $9938 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Round Rock Medical CenterRound Rock | $9,405same as list price: no self-pay discount in the file | $9,405 | $222–7,994median $8977 insurers | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Austin Center for Outpatient Surgery LPAustin | not published | – | $204–1,969median $1,4105 insurers | Jan 1, 2026 |
| CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital - San MarcosSan Marcos | not published | – | $234–2,251median $36410 insurers | Jan 13, 2026 |
Cash price = the hospital’s published “discounted cash price” for self-pay patients. List price = its gross charge. Insurers pay = the rates negotiated with each insurer plan in the same file (employer, marketplace and Medicare Advantage plans). Where a hospital has several lines for the code, the range is shown. Each row shows the date the hospital published its price file. 2 hospitals in the area aren’t listed yet (no file we could read); see data status.
Cash or your insurance plan?Your plan pays a different rate at each hospital. See your plan’s own rate at every hospital nearby, next to the cash price, and what you would pay after your deductible. See an example report.
See what your plan paysWhat the price covers
The scanner time, the technologist and the facility. The radiologist’s reading is usually billed separately by a physician group.
Before you book
- Call the hospital’s scheduling or price-estimate line and quote the code: CPT 70551, and ask whether the order is with or without contrast, since that changes the code.
- If you pay cash, ask for the self-pay price in writing (a Good Faith Estimate). Uninsured and self-pay patients have a right to one under the No Surprises Act.
- If you use insurance, check the hospital is in network for your exact plan; your share depends on your deductible and coinsurance. Cash or insurance?
Questions
How much does a brain MRI cost in Austin without insurance?
At the 11 Austin hospitals (not counting children’s hospitals) that publish a cash price, the outpatient facility charge for a brain MRI (CPT 70551) runs from $482 at The Hospital at Westlake Medical Center to $2,557 at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center- Austin. The doctor’s or radiologist’s fee is extra.
Why do prices differ so much between hospitals?
Each hospital sets its own list price and its own cash discount, and negotiates a different rate with each insurer plan. The same CPT code can cost several times more at one hospital than at another a few miles away.
Is the cash price the final price?
No. It is the hospital’s published discounted cash price for the facility part of the visit. Ask the hospital to confirm it before you book, and ask whether the reading physician bills separately.
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