MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA — inpatient
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the brain, with and without contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,157.31 to $5,499.20, with a median of $5,499.20. The lowest listed price is at Hayward Sisters Hospital.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 11 cities for code 70553, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 23, 2026 and Apr 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA MR head/brain wo/w con | $1,157.31 | $3,857.70 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA MRI Brain WO/W Contrst | $4,922.40 | $12,306.00 | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA MRI BRAIN BRAIN STEM W/O W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $5,499.20 | $9,820.00 | 44% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,157.31, median $5,499.20, highest $5,499.20 — a 4.8× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $5,499.20 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
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.