MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 10 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye: from $1,376.46 to $7,258.50, with a median of $4,322.75. The lowest listed price is at DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 9 cities for code 70553, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 5, 2025 and Sep 1, 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL lowest Mooresville, NC MRI Brain Wow Cntrst | $1,376.46 | $5,098.00 | 73% | — source file |
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL Mooresville, NC HC MRI BRAIN WOW CNTRST | $1,376.46 | $5,098.00 | 73% | — source file |
| DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, INC. Doing Business As: DUKE HEALTH LAKE NORMAN HOSPITAL Mooresville, NC MRI Brain Wow Cntrst | $1,376.46 | $5,098.00 | 73% | — source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC MRI BRAIN W & W/O CONTRAST | $2,659.03 | $5,318.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC MRI BRAIN W & W/O CONTRAST | $2,659.03 | $5,318.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC HB MRI BRAIN W/WO CONTRAST | $3,850.50 | $7,701.00 | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC HB MRI BRAIN W/WO CONTRAST | $4,795.00 | $9,590.00 | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG MRI BRAIN W/WO CONT | $6,909.00 | $6,909.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG MRI BRAIN W/WO CONT | $6,909.00 | $6,909.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC HCHG MRI BRAIN W/WO CONT | $6,909.00 | $6,909.00 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina, Inc. Fort Mill, SC MRI BRAIN WO/W CONTRAST | $7,258.50 | $9,678.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina, Inc. Rock Hill, SC MRI BRAIN WO/W CONTRAST | $7,258.50 | $9,678.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,376.46, median $4,322.75, highest $7,258.50 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $4,795.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
What it is
This brain MRI is done in two parts: first without contrast dye, then again after a gadolinium contrast dye is injected into a vein. The contrast helps show tumors, infection, inflammation and conditions such as multiple sclerosis more clearly.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers both sets of images. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately, and the contrast agent may appear as its own pharmacy charge.