Peripheral bone density scan cost in Austin, TX
In Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 15 hospitals list a cash price for DEXA bone density scan of the wrist, heel or finger (peripheral): from $185.59 to $1,115.00, with a median of $244.97. The lowest listed price is at Texas Children's Hospital - Austin — $59.38 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $220.43 at 148 hospitals.
- The median here, $244.97, is 27% above the US median of $192.36.
- That is 2.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($88.91).
- Austin, TX ranks 2nd of 3 metro areas in Texas by median, cheapest first.
- 7 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 10 cities for code 77081, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 11, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 5, 2026 and Oct 30, 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Children's Hospital - Austin lowest Austin, TX · (832) 824-1100 TC DEXA BONE DENSITY STUDY, APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Mar 5, 2026 · source file | $185.59 | $277.00 | $31.74–$263.15 | 33% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Pflugerville Pflugerville, TX · (512) 654-6100 HC XR DXA PERIPHERAL APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $235.55 | $392.58 | $31.74–$353.32 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Austin Austin, TX · (512) 654-2100 HC XR DXA PERIPHERAL APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $235.55 | $392.58 | $31.74–$294.44 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Buda Buda, TX · (737) 999-6200 HC XR DXA PERIPHERAL APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $235.55 | $392.58 | $31.74–$294.44 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Emergency Medical Center - Cedar Park Cedar Park, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC XR DXA PERIPHERAL APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Jun 3, 2026 · source file | $235.55 | $392.58 | $91.79–$255.18 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Round Rock Round Rock, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC XR DXA PERIPHERAL APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $235.55 | $392.58 | $31.74–$353.32 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Lakeway Lakeway, TX · (512) 509-0401 HC XR DXA PERIPHERAL APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Jun 13, 2026 · source file | $235.55 | $392.58 | $31.74–$353.32 | 40% |
| Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Taylor Taylor, TX · (512) 352-7611 HC XR DXA PERIPHERAL APPENDICULAR SKELETON File of Oct 30, 2026 · source file | $244.97 | $408.28 | $77.57–$326.62 | 40% |
| St. David's North Austin Medical Center Austin, TX · (512) 901-1000 DXA BONE DENSITY PERIPHL+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $751.00 | $751.00 | $32.04–$675.90 | — |
| St. David's Georgetown Hospital Georgetown, TX · (512) 476-7111 DXA BONE DENSITY PERIPHL+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $955.00 | $955.00 | $32.04–$643.67 | — |
| St. David's Medical Center Manor, TX · (512) 476-7111 Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bone density study, 1 or more sites; appendicular skeleton (peripheral) (eg, radius, wrist, heel) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $955.00 | $955.00 | $32.04–$859.50 | — |
| Heart Hosp of Austin at St. David's Round Rock Round Rock, TX Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), bone density study, 1 or more sites; appendicular skeleton (peripheral) (eg, radius, wrist, heel) +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $955.00 | $955.00 | $32.04–$811.75 | — |
| Heart Hosp of Austin Austin, TX DXA BONE DENSITY PERIPHL+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $955.00 | $955.00 | $32.04–$811.75 | — |
| Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Round Rock Round Rock, TX DEXA BONE DENSITY WRIST/HEEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $985.00 | $985.00 | — | — |
| St. David's Round Rock Medical Center Leander, TX · (512) 341-1000 DXA BONE DENSITY PERIPHL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,115.00 | $1,115.00 | $779.38 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $185.59, median $244.97, highest $1,115.00 — a 6.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 9 facilities here, median $235.55. 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 8 of 14 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 peripheral bone density scan is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Peripheral bone density scan explained.