MRI of the brain, with and without contrast in Santa Maria, CA costs $5,277. Here's every hospital's price.
1 hospitals in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, 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 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, 1 hospitals list a cash price for mri of the brain, with and without contrast (CPT 70553). The lowest is $5,277 at Marian Regional Medical Center, the median is $5,277 and the highest is $5,277.
The Santa Maria, CA median of $5,277 is 144% above the national median of $2,163 across 1518 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.
1 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $356 to $6,613. 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 September 2026. 4 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.
Sorted by cash price
Hospital facility fee onlySanta Maria · 36 mi · File Sep 2026
What's in the price
The hospital facility fee for CPT 70553. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.
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.
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 Santa Maria, CA without a price for this procedure
Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.
- Goleta Valley Cottage HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Lompoc Valley Medical CenterNo price file found
- Santa Barbara Cottage HospitalWebsite blocks automated reading
- Santa Ynez Valley Cottage HospitalNo website on record