Breast MRI, both breasts cost in Boston, MA — inpatient
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 3 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of both breasts, without and then with contrast dye as an inpatient: from $1,180.20 to $2,448.60, with a median of $1,667.40. The lowest listed price is at Lowell General Hospital — $487.20 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $2,793.69 at 6 hospitals.
Cash prices at 7 facilities across 5 cities for code 77049, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowell General Hospital lowest Lowell, MA HC MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilatera | $1,180.20 | $1,686.00 | $276.41–$2,456.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA HC MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilatera | $1,667.40 | $2,382.00 | $385.88–$2,382.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA HC MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilatera | $2,448.60 | $3,498.00 | $192.94–$3,498.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center both sides Boston, MA HC MRI Breast C-+ W/Cad Bi | $767.70 | $1,706.00 | $278.86–$1,450.10 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton both sides Boston, MA HC MRI Breast C-+ W/Cad Bi | $929.99 | $2,066.64 | $278.86–$1,565.07 | 55% | — source file |
| Boston Medical Center South both sides Brockton, MA HC MRI Breast C-+ W/Cad Bi | $929.99 | $2,066.64 | $278.86–$1,549.98 | 55% | — source file |
| Cambridge Health Alliance both sides Cambridge, MA HC MRI Breast Without&With Contrast W/Cad Bilateral | $2,795.00 | $2,795.00 | $564.09–$2,795.00 | — | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,180.20, median $1,667.40, highest $2,448.60 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
Both sides : lowest $767.70, median $929.99, highest $2,795.00 — a 3.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $1,667.40 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 3 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 breast MRI takes pictures of both breasts before and after contrast dye is injected into a vein, and the code includes computer-aided analysis of the images. It is used to screen women at high risk of breast cancer and to check the extent of a cancer that has already been found.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the imaging of both breasts and the computer analysis; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.