Abdominal MRI cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the abdomen without contrast: from $1,052.42 to $4,167.00, with a median of $3,449.60. The lowest listed price is at Hayward Sisters Hospital — $2,397.18 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,652.00 at 100 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 cities for code 74181, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA MR kidney wo con | $1,052.42 | $3,508.05 | $273.80–$3,508.05 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA MR abdomen wo con | $1,052.42 | $3,508.05 | $273.80–$2,981.84 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital lowest Hayward, CA MR MRCP | $1,052.42 | $3,508.05 | $273.80–$2,981.84 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL | $3,449.60 | $6,160.00 | $323.00–$1,010.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA MRI Abdomen WO Contrast | $3,724.80 | $9,312.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Chinese Hospital Association San Francisco, CA MRI scan of abdomen without contrast | $4,167.00 | $4,167.00 | $260.90–$7,500.60 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,052.42, median $3,449.60, highest $4,167.00 — a 4.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $3,449.60. 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 2 of 11 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
An abdominal MRI without contrast images the liver, pancreas, kidneys and bile ducts. It is used, for example, to look at bile ducts (MRCP) or liver fat, without radiation.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the scan. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.