Knee MRI cost in San Antonio, TX
In San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, 13 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of knee or other lower-limb joint, no contrast dye: from $412.50 to $6,645.88, with a median of $6,645.88. The lowest listed price is at University Health System — $6,233.38 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $2,203.76 at 272 hospitals.
- The median here, $6,645.88, is 259% above the US median of $1,852.45.
- That is 27.3× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- San Antonio, TX ranks 4th of 4 metro areas in Texas by median, cheapest first.
- 9 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 5 cities for code 73721, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 4, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 13, 2026 and Oct 7, 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 Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Health System one side lowest San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI JNT OF LWR EXTRE W/O DYE - MRI HIP RT WO CONT+5 more lines at this price File of Oct 7, 2026 · source file | $412.50 | $1,650.00 | $210.84–$4,125.00 | 75% |
| Santa Rosa Hospital - Westover Hills San Antonio, TX · (210) 703-8211 HC 73721 MRI LWR EXTR,JNT W/O CONTRAST File of Jan 13, 2026 · source file | $537.57 | $1,629.00 | $113.49–$2,372.00 | 67% |
| Guadalupe Regional Medical Center Seguin, TX · (830) 379-2411 MRI LWR EXT ANY JT W/O CM File of May 21, 2026 · source file | $1,475.50 | $2,951.00 | $190.19–$2,951.00 | 50% |
| Santa Rosa Hospital - Westover Hills San Antonio, TX · (210) 703-8211 HC 73721 MRI ANKLE WO CONTRAST File of Jan 13, 2026 · source file | $1,703.46 | $5,162.00 | $113.49–$4,903.90 | 67% |
| Medina Regional Hospital Hondo, TX · (830) 426-7700 MRI LWR XTREM JOINT WO CONTRA File of Jul 29, 2026 · source file | $2,237.76 | $2,486.39 | $294.24–$2,486.39 | 10% |
| Methodist Hospital Westover Hills one side San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $1,634.89–$5,649.00 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Atascosa one side Jourdanton, TX · (830) 769-3515 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $332.29–$5,649.00 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Landmark one side San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $1,634.89–$5,649.00 | — |
| Methodist Texsan Hospital one side San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $332.29–$5,649.00 | — |
| Methodist Hospital Stone Oak one side Spring Branch, TX · (210) 638-2101 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $332.29–$5,649.00 | — |
| Methodist Hospital one side San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $332.29–$6,645.88 | — |
| Metropolitan Methodist one side San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT LT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $332.29–$5,649.00 | — |
| Methodist Specialty and Transplant one side San Antonio, TX · (210) 575-4000 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $3,256.48–$4,452.74 | — |
| Northeast Methodist one side San Antonio, TX · (210) 638-2101 MRI LW JNT W/O CONT RT+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $6,645.88 | $6,645.88 | $332.29–$5,649.00 | — |
| University Health System both sides San Antonio, TX · (210) 358-2000 HC MRI JNT OF LWR EXTRE W/O DYE - MRI KNEE BILATERAL WO CONT+2 more lines at this price File of Oct 7, 2026 · source file | $525.75 | $2,103.00 | $210.84–$5,257.50 | 75% |
Outpatient: lowest $412.50, median $6,645.88, highest $6,645.88 — a 16.1× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $525.75, median $525.75, highest $525.75.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,475.50. 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 4 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 knee MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Knee MRI explained.