Heart test cost without insurance
The median cash price for Echocardiogram is $1,601.57 across 1,446 US hospitals that publish a self-pay price. Most hospitals (the middle 80%) charge between $501.99 and $3,633.31.
Heart tests range from a quick ECG (93000) to an echocardiogram (93306), an exercise stress test (93015) and imaging stress tests such as a stress echo (93351) or a nuclear scan (78452). The price depends on which test is ordered and on what the code covers, since some codes include the doctor's interpretation and others do not. If you have chest pain, severe shortness of breath or fainting right now, call 911 instead of scheduling a test.
Collected Sep 25, 2026 One price per hospital, from each hospital's own price file
Heart test prices by type
Match the code on your order: 93015 is an exercise ECG stress test without imaging, 93351 adds echo images, and 78452 is only the imaging part of a nuclear stress test. 75571, the coronary calcium score, is a screening CT for people without symptoms; the state table uses the echocardiogram, 93306.
| Procedure | Hospitals | Most charge | Median | Medicare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EKG Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) with interpretation · code 93000 | 385 | $19.86–$176.26 | $54.75 | $60.27median 0.9× |
| Echocardiogram Echocardiogram through the chest wall, complete, with Doppler · code 93306 | 1,446 | $501.99–$3,633.31 | $1,601.57 | $558.25median 2.9× |
| Stress echocardiogram Stress echocardiogram, complete, including the stress test and supervision · code 93351 | 970 | $447.90–$3,376.41 | $1,513.00 | $558.25median 2.7× |
| Nuclear stress test Nuclear stress test imaging (SPECT), rest and stress studies · code 78452 | 1,346 | $972.41–$5,972.80 | $3,168.00 | $1,322.69median 2.4× |
| Treadmill stress test Treadmill or drug stress test with ECG, supervision and report · code 93015 | 269 | $86.20–$724.32 | $233.00 | $220.60median 1.1× |
| Coronary calcium score CT CT of the heart without contrast dye to measure coronary calcium · code 75571 | 1,182 | $38.42–$826.50 | $124.98 | $88.91median 1.4× |
| EKG tracing Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG), tracing only, the hospital charge · code 93005 | 1,519 | $57.00–$380.80 | $184.60 | $60.27median 3.1× |
| Stress test (hospital charge) Exercise stress test, tracing only, the hospital charge · code 93017 | 1,436 | $262.58–$1,669.80 | $786.30 | $220.60median 3.6× |
| Holter monitor Holter monitor, heart rhythm recording up to 48 hours, with report · code 93224 | 195 | $95.05–$558.75 | $253.60 | — |
| Cardiac catheterization Cardiac catheterization with coronary angiogram · code 93458 | 1,029 | $2,666.50–$19,574.02 | $9,256.95 | — |
| Coronary CT angiography CT angiography of the heart arteries with contrast dye (coronary CTA), including calcium score · code 75574 | 1,152 | $375.00–$3,134.68 | $1,190.26 | $356.43median 3.3× |
“Most charge” is the middle 80% of hospitals (10th to 90th percentile), so one mistyped line in a hospital file cannot stretch it. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price for the code. “Medicare” is Medicare's 2026 national base rate for the same service outside a hospital stay, including the patient's share (the hospital outpatient, lab or hospital clinic rate); “median 3×” means the median cash price is three times that rate.
Echocardiogram: median by state
States with at least two hospitals, cheapest median first. Pick a state for its heart test prices and cheapest hospitals.
- Maryland$394.78
- Tennessee$448.35
- Louisiana$636.32
- New Jersey$645.71
- Arizona$673.74
- Connecticut$727.00
- Iowa$727.00
- New York$727.00
- Mississippi$793.20
- North Dakota$818.96
- Vermont$825.00
- Oklahoma$856.37
- Arkansas$857.85
- Rhode Island$884.50
- West Virginia$1,137.00
- Minnesota$1,154.78
- Hawaii$1,281.60
- Michigan$1,315.20
- New Hampshire$1,348.74
- Montana$1,356.40
- Wisconsin$1,359.50
- Illinois$1,443.56
- Nevada$1,453.15
- Wyoming$1,455.64
- Nebraska$1,481.34
- Oregon$1,531.17
- Kansas$1,551.55
- New Mexico$1,564.11
- South Carolina$1,593.75
- Maine$1,659.30
- Washington$1,682.53
- Ohio$1,688.25
- Indiana$1,701.20
- Virginia$1,726.00
- Massachusetts$1,751.70
- North Carolina$1,780.05
- Georgia$1,835.34
- Colorado$1,842.86
- Alaska$1,874.24
- Pennsylvania$1,905.60
- Alabama$1,997.17
- Missouri$2,038.40
- South Dakota$2,185.20
- Utah$2,287.82
- Florida$2,507.90
- Texas$2,589.56
- California$2,688.40
- Idaho$2,729.00
- Delaware$2,776.20
- Kentucky$3,656.79
Paying cash: what to do
- For a nuclear stress test, ask for the total including the tracer, the stress portion and the interpretation, since the imaging code is only one piece.
- Ask whether the cardiologist's interpretation is included; in hospitals an ECG is often split into the tracing (93005) and the reading (93010).
- Insurance often does not cover a coronary calcium score, so many imaging centers set a flat self-pay price; compare several.
Questions
What is the difference between a stress test and a stress echo?
A standard stress test (93015) records the heart's electrical activity during exercise. A stress echo (93351) adds ultrasound pictures at rest and after exercise, and a nuclear stress test adds images taken after a tracer injection, which is why imaging stress tests are priced higher.
Can I get a heart test without a doctor's order?
Echocardiograms, stress tests and nuclear scans require an order from a licensed provider. Some imaging centers accept self-referral for a coronary calcium score, though rules differ by state and facility.
Why does the ECG price vary so much between hospitals?
Some hospitals list 93000, which includes both the tracing and the reading, while others bill the tracing (93005) and the interpretation (93010) as separate codes. The listed price for 93000 may therefore not match what you are billed.