Lower back MRI cost in California

In California, 209 hospitals publish a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $232.00 to $22,182.83, with a median of $3,060.69. The lowest price is at County of Monterey (Salinas). The highest price is 95.6× the lowest.

• The median here, $3,060.69, is 61% above the US median of $1,902.72.
• That is 12.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
• California ranks 45th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 60 of 209 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 72148. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map