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PricedCare

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in San Francisco, CA costs $2,810 to $6,946. Here's every hospital's price.

7 hospitals in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area publish a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, 7 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $2,810 at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, the median is $5,499 and the highest is $6,946 at Chinese Hospital. The most expensive hospital lists 2.5 times the cheapest for the same code.

The San Francisco, CA median of $5,499 is 152% above the national median of $2,183 across 554 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

6 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $261 to $12,503. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between April 2026 and July 2026. 31 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$2,810
lowest cash price in San Francisco, CA
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland · 4 mi
$2,689 below the median
$5,499
median cash price
7 hospitals
2.5×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
7/38
hospitals with a cash price
31 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Oakland · 4 mi · File Apr 2026

$2,810
list $9,367
2
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley

Pleasanton · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$3,596
list $8,991 · lowest of 4 lines
3
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco

South San Francisco · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$5,499
list $9,820 · lowest of 2 lines
4
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont

Fremont · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$5,499
list $9,820 · lowest of 2 lines
5
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch

Antioch · 30 mi · File Apr 2026

$5,499
list $9,820 · lowest of 6 lines
6
Washington Hospital

Fremont · 22 mi · File Apr 2026

$5,939
list $7,614 · lowest of 7 lines
7
Chinese Hospital

San Francisco · 7 mi · File Jul 2026

$6,946
list $6,946
1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for CPT 70553. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for CPT 70553, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About mri of the brain, with and without contrast

CPT 70553 is a brain MRI done twice in one session: first without and then with a contrast injection. It is used for tumors, multiple sclerosis, infections and unexplained neurological symptoms. Plan for 45 to 60 minutes in the scanner.

What the price covers

The hospital's price is the technical fee: the MRI machine, the technologist, the contrast agent and the room. The radiologist's reading is billed separately. Sedation, if you need it for claustrophobia, is another separate charge.

The three brain MRI codes

  • 70551: without contrast
  • 70552: with contrast only
  • 70553: with and without contrast (this page)

70553 is the most expensive of the three because it takes longest. If the ordering doctor only needs a non-contrast study, 70551 is usually 20 to 40 percent cheaper.

Why prices vary

MRI pricing at hospitals routinely spans three to eight times within a single metro. Hospital-owned outpatient imaging centers list lower than the main campus, and freestanding imaging centers are typically lower still. Cash prices at hospitals are often close to what insurers pay, and sometimes below.

Questions to ask

  • What is the self-pay price for 70553, technical fee only?
  • What does the radiologist reading cost?
  • Is a non-contrast study (70551) sufficient for what my doctor is looking for?
  • Do you have an outpatient imaging location with a lower price?

Hospitals in San Francisco, CA without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask