SelfPayRates — hospital cash prices, from the source

MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

Cash prices at 8 facilities across 6 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 Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.

HospitalCash price List priceOffFile date
Paradise Valley Hospital NATIONAL CITY, CA
MRI BRAIN W/WO CON
$446.00 $4,559.94 90% Sep 1, 2026
file
KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL - SAN DIEGO - CLAIREMONT MESA SAN DIEGO, CA
MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL
$3,068.00 $5,900.00 48%
file
KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL - SAN DIEGO - ZION SAN DIEGO, CA
MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL
$3,068.00 $5,900.00 48%
file
KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL - SAN MARCOS SAN MARCOS, CA
MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL
$3,068.00 $5,900.00 48%
file
Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center CORONADO, CA
HC MRI BRAIN COMBO - MRI BRAIN W WO CONTRAST
$4,562.25 $6,083.00 25%
file
Sharp Memorial Hospital SAN DIEGO, CA
HC MRI BRAIN COMBO - MRI BRAIN W WO CONTRAST
$4,562.25 $6,083.00 25%
file
Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center CHULA VISTA, CA
HC MRI BRAIN COMBO - MRI BRAIN W WO CONTRAST
$4,562.25 $6,083.00 25%
file
Grossmont Hospital Corporation LA MESA, CA
HC MRI BRAIN COMBO - MRI BRAIN W WO CONTRAST
$4,562.25 $6,083.00 25%
file

Outpatient: lowest $446.00, median $3,815.13, highest $4,562.25 — a 10.2× difference within the same market.

As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $4,562.25. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.

Other markets for this procedure