Lower back MRI with contrast cost in South Carolina
In South Carolina, 19 hospitals publish a cash price for MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye: from $1,187.00 to $8,657.30, with a median of $2,265.90. The lowest price is at MUSC Health Black River Medical Center (Cades). The highest price is 7.3× the lowest.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 72158. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Sep 23, 2026.
Lowest$1,187.00MUSC Health Black River Medical Center
Median$2,265.90half pay less
Highest$8,657.30in South Carolina
Lowest saves$1,078.90vs the median
Hospitals in South Carolina, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Health Black River Medical Center lowest Cades · Cades, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,187.00 | $2,374.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Medical Center Charleston · Charleston-North Charleston, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,275.50 | $2,551.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Medical University Hospital Authority Orangeburg · Orangeburg, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,275.50 | $2,551.00 | — source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,380.50 | $2,761.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast Columbia · Columbia, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,525.00 | $3,050.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Musc Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown Columbia · Columbia, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $1,525.00 | $3,050.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Bon Secours St Francis Xavier Hospital Charleston · Charleston-North Charleston, SC HC MRI-Spine Lumbar WO & W Cont | $2,265.90 | $3,486.00 | — source file |
| Roper Hospital Charleston · Charleston-North Charleston, SC HC MRI-Spine Lumbar WO & W Cont | $2,265.90 | $3,486.00 | — source file |
| Roper St Francis Hospital Berkeley Summerville · Charleston-North Charleston, SC HC MRI-Spine Lumbar WO & W Cont | $2,265.90 | $3,486.00 | — source file |
| Roper St Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital Mount Pleasant · Charleston-North Charleston, SC HC MRI-Spine Lumbar WO & W Cont | $2,265.90 | $3,486.00 | — source file |
| St Francis Hospital Greenville · Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC HC MRI-Spine Lumbar WO & W Cont | $2,517.60 | $4,196.00 | — source file |
| Kershaw Medical Center Camden · Columbia, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $2,561.50 | $5,123.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Beaufort Memorial Hospital Beaufort · Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC LUMBAR SPINE WWO CONT | $2,859.60 | $4,766.00 | — source file |
| MUSC Health Marion Medical Center Mullins · Mullins, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $3,227.50 | $6,455.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center Lancaster · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $4,366.50 | $8,733.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Health Florence Medical Center Florence · Florence, SC HB MRI L-SPINE W/WO CONTRAST | $4,449.00 | $8,898.00 | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO/W CM | $5,721.75 | $7,629.00 | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MRI SPINE LUMBAR WO/W CM | $5,721.75 | $7,629.00 | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Shriners Childrens - Greenville Greenville · Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC MRI LUMBAR SPINE W/O & W/DYE | $8,657.30 | $8,657.30 | — source file |
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 5 | $1,275.50 | $2,265.90 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 4 | $1,380.50 | $5,044.12 |
| Columbia, SC | 3 | $1,525.00 | $1,525.00 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 2 | $2,517.60 | $5,587.45 |
| Cades, SC | 1 | $1,187.00 | $1,187.00 |
| Florence, SC | 1 | $4,449.00 | $4,449.00 |
| Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 1 | $2,859.60 | $2,859.60 |
| Mullins, SC | 1 | $3,227.50 | $3,227.50 |
| Orangeburg, SC | 1 | $1,275.50 | $1,275.50 |
What it is
This MRI of the lumbar spine takes one set of pictures without contrast dye and a second set after the dye is injected into a vein. The dye helps tell scar tissue from a new disc problem after back surgery and can show infection, inflammation or tumors.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers both sets of images; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line on some bills. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.
MRI of the lower back, without and then with contrast dye in other states
- Alabama$3,949.76
- Alaska$3,428.10
- Arizona$1,098.94
- Arkansas$902.85
- California$3,783.24
- Colorado$1,512.80
- Connecticut$2,411.27
- Delaware$3,788.10
- Florida$3,659.37
- Georgia$2,370.03
- Hawaii$2,037.60
- Idaho$2,263.00
- Illinois$2,767.50
- Indiana$1,527.41
- Iowa$2,413.35
- Kansas$3,053.70
- Kentucky$4,317.77
- Louisiana$1,252.26
- Maine$2,591.25
- Maryland$826.38
- Massachusetts$3,158.25
- Michigan$2,638.00
- Minnesota$1,861.38
- Mississippi$1,753.29
- Missouri$2,496.33
- Montana$2,787.34
- Nebraska$1,966.02
- Nevada$2,926.43
- New Hampshire$2,814.63
- New Jersey$476.54
- New Mexico$2,105.08
- New York$1,557.00
- North Carolina$2,656.05
- North Dakota$2,884.67
- Ohio$2,123.55
- Oklahoma$1,537.48
- Oregon$2,757.88
- Pennsylvania$2,915.10
- Puerto Rico$985.00
- Rhode Island$1,823.70
- South Dakota$4,207.60
- Tennessee$953.70
- Texas$3,196.33
- Utah$2,845.91
- Vermont$3,957.52
- Virginia$3,315.50
- Washington$3,206.98
- West Virginia$1,949.50
- Wisconsin$2,700.06
- Wyoming$1,841.03
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.