Chest CT scan with contrast cost in Charlotte, NC — inpatient
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for diagnostic CT scan of the chest, with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,125.50 to $4,034.00, with a median of $1,608.98. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center — $483.48 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $1,608.98 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 cities for code 71260, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 1, 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 | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center lowest Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB CT CHEST W/CONTRAST | $1,125.50 | $2,251.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 CT Thorax W Cntrst | $1,279.53 | $4,739.00 | $552.04–$1,543.78 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 CT Thorax W Cntrst | $1,279.53 | $4,739.00 | $1,379.05–$1,634.96 | 73% | — source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$2,896.16 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $1,078.01–$2,960.51 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$2,960.51 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$2,960.51 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$3,057.05 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$2,896.16 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$2,960.51 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $997.56–$2,831.80 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $1,078.01–$2,960.51 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$3,057.05 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $922.59–$3,057.05 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC CT CHEST W/ CONTRAST | $1,608.98 | $3,217.95 | $975.04–$3,057.05 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill, SC CT THORAX WITH CONTRAST | $3,376.50 | $4,502.00 | $1.00–$3,421.52 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill, SC CT THORAX WITH CONTRAST | $3,376.50 | $4,502.00 | $1.00–$3,421.52 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB CT CHEST W/CONTRAST | $3,596.00 | $7,192.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC · (704) 834-4891 HCHG CT CHEST W CONT DIAGNOSTIC | $4,034.00 | $4,034.00 | $2,622.10–$3,832.30 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC HCHG CT CHEST W CONT DIAGNOSTIC | $4,034.00 | $4,034.00 | — | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC HCHG CT CHEST W CONT DIAGNOSTIC | $4,034.00 | $4,034.00 | $2,622.10–$3,832.30 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,125.50, median $1,608.98, highest $4,034.00 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $1,608.98 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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 it is
A chest CT with contrast uses X-rays and dye injected into a vein to make detailed pictures of the lungs, blood vessels, lymph nodes and other chest tissues. It is used to look at masses, enlarged lymph nodes, infections and for cancer staging.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line on some bills. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.