Brain MRI cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 17 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, no contrast dye: from $316.55 to $3,223.44, with a median of $1,828.00. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital St Louis — $1,511.45 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $1,546.35 at 66 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,828.00, is about the same as the US median of $1,840.20.
- That is 7.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- St. Louis, MO has the lowest median of 2 metro areas in Missouri with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 2 of 17 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 15 cities for code 70551, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 6, 2026 and Jun 10, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital St Louis lowest Saint Louis, MO · (314) 251-6000 MRI Brain WO for Tysabri Screen File of Jun 4, 2026 · source file | $316.55 | $487.00 | $234.45–$537.72 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 MRI Brain WO for Tysabri Screen File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $323.05 | $497.00 | $560.00 | 35% |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 MR-BRAIN WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $429.59 | $715.99 | $715.99 | 40% |
| Touchette Regional Hospital Cahokia Heights, IL · (618) 332-3060 Magnetic resonance (eg, proton) imaging, brain (including brain stem); without contrast material File of Apr 13, 2026 · source file | $889.08 | $1,434.00 | $251.97–$1,614.00 | 38% |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 MRI Brain WO Cont File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $1,265.55 | $1,947.00 | $560.00–$679.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO · (636) 239-8000 MRI Brain WO for Tysabri Screen File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $1,524.90 | $2,346.00 | $560.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO · (636) 933-1000 MRI Brain WO Cont File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $1,567.80 | $2,412.00 | $560.00–$775.00 | 35% |
| Community Hospital of Staunton Staunton, IL · (618) 635-2200 MRI BRAIN/BRAIN STEM W/O File of Feb 9, 2026 · source file | $1,659.00 | $3,318.00 | $959.30–$3,019.38 | 50% |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO · (636) 239-8000 MRI Brain WO Cont File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $1,677.00 | $2,580.00 | $560.00 | 35% |
| Jersey Community Hospital Jerseyville, IL · (618) 498-6402 MRI Brain w/o Contrast+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 10, 2026 · source file | $1,828.00 | $1,828.00 | $816.00–$1,553.80 | — |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 MRI BRAIN STEM W/O DYE File of Mar 18, 2026 · source file | $1,935.50 | $1,935.50 | $166.04–$604.30 | — |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 251-6000 MRI Brain WO Cont File of Jun 4, 2026 · source file | $2,096.25 | $3,225.00 | $206.06–$574.77 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 MRI Brain WO Cont File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $2,120.30 | $3,262.00 | $560.00 | 35% |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO · (636) 933-1000 MRI Brain WO for Tysabri Screen File of Jun 10, 2026 · source file | $2,274.35 | $3,499.00 | $351.00 | 35% |
| Anderson Hospital Maryville, IL · (618) 288-5711 MRI BRAIN/BRAIN STEM W/O File of Feb 6, 2026 · source file | $2,393.80 | $4,787.60 | $152.29–$4,308.84 | 50% |
| Carlinville Area Hospital Carlinville, IL · (217) 854-3141 MRI BRAIN WO CONTRAST File of Mar 21, 2026 · source file | $2,622.20 | $3,746.00 | $1,348.56–$5,351.43 | 30% |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,026.16 | $4,203.00 | $219.59–$4,203.00 | 28% |
| Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 MRI Brain w/o Contrast File of Apr 24, 2026 · source file | $3,092.32 | $3,865.40 | — | 20% |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,219.12 | $4,471.00 | $209.13–$4,471.00 | 28% |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,221.28 | $4,474.00 | $486.73–$4,474.00 | 28% |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL · (618) 234-2120 HC MRI BRAIN W/O CONTRAST File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $3,223.44 | $4,477.00 | $209.13–$4,477.00 | 28% |
Outpatient: lowest $316.55, median $1,828.00, highest $3,223.44 — a 10.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $2,824.18. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 16 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What brain MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Brain MRI explained.