How much does an MRI cost, and how to check your MRI bill

Your doctor wants you to get an MRI, and you want to know what it will cost. Or the scan is done, and the bill is higher than you expected. Either way, the answer depends on more than the scan itself.

This guide gives sourced price ranges, explains why MRI prices vary so much, and shows how to check your bill. For denials, prior authorization, and the rules that protect you, see our hub on MRI and CT scan denials and bills.

How much does an MRI cost?

Prices vary by body part, by place, and by plan. Here are 3 ways to see the range.

Medicare's rates. Medicare's Procedure Price Lookup shows national averages for 2026 at hospital outpatient departments. These include the facility fee and the doctor's fee. Private plans usually pay more.

Private insurance prices. A Peterson-KFF analysis of 2018 large employer claims found an average price of $861 for an outpatient lower back MRI. That includes what the plan paid and what patients paid. Average prices ranged from $404 in the Las Vegas area to $1,106 in the Houston area.

How private prices compare. A 2026 Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) brief found that MRI prices in 2022 employer plans averaged 307% of Medicare's rates.

These are averages, not your bill. What you owe depends on your plan's rate, your deductible, and your coinsurance.

Why MRI prices vary

Several things move the price of the same scan.

• Where you get it. In the HCCI data, imaging at hospital outpatient departments cost 2 to 4 times more than at doctor's offices. Hospitals may also add a facility fee. See facility fees on a medical bill.
• Your plan's negotiated rate. Each plan sets its own rate with each provider. 2 people with different plans can pay very different amounts for the same scan.
• Your deductible and coinsurance. Before you meet your deductible, you may pay the full allowed amount. After that, you pay a share.
• Network status. An out-of-network imaging center can bill you more than your in-network share for a planned scan.
• Contrast and complexity. A scan done without and then with contrast dye is a different test with a higher price.
• 2 bills, not 1. The facility bills for taking the images, and a radiologist bills for reading them. Some imaging centers bill both together.

How to find your price before the scan

A few minutes of checking can save a lot.

1. Use your insurer's cost estimator. Federal rules require most health plans to offer an online tool with personal cost estimates for covered services. Search it by the scan your doctor ordered.
2. Compare places. Ask your doctor whether you can safely get the scan at a stand-alone imaging center instead of a hospital. Then compare your share at each.
3. Check hospital prices. Hospitals must post their prices online, including a consumer-friendly list of common services. See hospital price transparency.
4. Ask for a cash price if you're paying yourself. Ask for a good faith estimate too. If the bill is $400 or more above that provider's estimate, you can dispute it within 120 days of the first bill. See good faith estimate disputes.
5. Confirm prior authorization. Many plans need to approve an MRI first. See prior authorization denied if it was turned down.

How to check your MRI bill

When the bills arrive, wait for your explanation of benefits (EOB) before you pay. Then follow these steps.

1. Match each bill to its EOB. Expect 1 from the facility and 1 from the radiologist, unless an imaging center billed both together. Our guide to comparing your medical bill vs. EOB shows how.
2. Look at the code and modifier. A facility line may end in -TC, for the technical part. A radiologist's line may end in -26, for the reading. A line with no modifier is a global bill that covers both.
3. Check for the same part twice. A global bill plus a separate -26 bill for the same scan is worth asking about. So is the same scan listed twice.
4. Check that the scan matches. The bill should show the body part and contrast you actually had.
5. Compare what you owe. If an in-network provider asks for more than your EOB shows, call and ask why. Ask them to hold the bill while they check.
6. Ask for an itemized bill if a bill shows only a total. See how to get an itemized bill.

Say Maya has a lower back MRI at an in-network imaging center. She has met her deductible and pays 20% coinsurance. She gets 2 bills and 2 EOBs.

Bill	Code	Charge	Allowed amount	Plan paid	Bill asks for
Imaging center	72148 (global)	$900	$500	$400	$100
Radiology group	72148-26	$250	$80	$64	$16
Total		$1,150	$580	$464	$116

The imaging center's global bill already includes the radiologist's reading. So the second bill looks like the same reading charged twice. Maya's share on the first bill is 20% of $500, which is $100.

She calls the radiology group and asks whether the imaging center already billed for the reading. The group finds the error and asks Maya's plan to take back its $64 payment. Maya pays the imaging center $100 and owes the radiology group $0.

If a call doesn't fix it, our guide to duplicate charges on a medical bill explains what to do next.

When to get help

You can fix most MRI bill questions with a call to the billing office or your insurer. It's worth getting help when:

• Your plan denied the MRI and your doctor's office can't fix it.
• A provider won't correct a bill that doesn't match your EOB.
• An out-of-network bill looks like one the No Surprises Act should limit. The No Surprises Help Desk answers questions at 1-800-985-3059.

Your insurer's member services team can explain how a claim was paid. A medical bill advocate can make the calls for you. If the bill is correct but too much to pay at once, ask about self-pay discounts or medical payment plans.