Imaging · Published rates

MRI of the brain (without contrast) cost in New York, NY

What MRI of the brain (without contrast) costs across 3 New York-area hospitals, taken straight from each hospital's official price file.

Typical price range $1,043–$2,514 median of hospital ranges
Published span $298–$5,379 full published range
Hospitals 3 with a published price
Updated

Based on published cash prices where available, otherwise de-identified negotiated rates.

What this scan is

An MRI of the brain without contrast uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed images of the brain. "Without contrast" means no dye is injected. It is one of the most commonly ordered diagnostic imaging scans, and a frequent reason people look up hospital prices ahead of time.

Cost without insurance in New York

Most hospitals publish de-identified negotiated rates rather than a single self-pay price. Those rates — shown per hospital below — are the best public signal of what MRI of the brain (without contrast) costs here, and a cash price is often negotiable toward them. Always ask the billing office about self-pay rates and financial assistance.

Hospital Published price Basis Setting Source
The Mount Sinai Hospital $298–$2,514 Negotiated Outpatient file · 2026-06-17
NYU Langone Hospitals (Tisch Hospital) $1,043 Cash price Both file · 2026-06-17
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital $5,379 Cash price Outpatient file · 2026-06-17

What affects the price

  • Facility vs. physician fees. A scan can be billed as a facility charge, a radiologist's reading fee, or both. Published cash prices usually cover the facility component.
  • With or without contrast. Adding contrast dye is a different billing code and costs more; the prices here are for the scan without contrast.
  • Setting. The same scan can be priced differently for outpatient vs. inpatient care. We show the outpatient cash price where a hospital publishes one.
  • The hospital itself. Each hospital sets its own chargemaster, so cash prices for the identical code can vary several-fold across town.

How to use this data

Use the range as a planning estimate, then call the hospitals near the lower end and ask for their cash or self-pay price for billing code 70551, plus any financial-assistance options. Bring the figure you see here as a reference. These are published rates, not a quote — confirm before you book.

Frequently asked questions

How much does MRI of the brain (without contrast) cost in New York, NY?
Across 3 hospitals in the New York area, the published price for MRI of the brain (without contrast) typically runs $1,043–$2,514, and spans $298–$5,379 across all 3. These figures are published prices (cash where available, otherwise de-identified negotiated rates) taken directly from each hospital's price file.
How much does MRI of the brain (without contrast) cost without insurance?
Most hospitals don't publish a single self-pay price, so we show the de-identified rates they do publish — roughly $1,043–$2,514 in New York. A cash price is often negotiable toward that range: ask the hospital's billing office for its self-pay rate and whether financial assistance is available.
Why does the price vary so much between hospitals?
Published rates reflect each hospital's own chargemaster, facility and physician fees, and local market. For the same billing code, rates can differ several-fold between nearby hospitals — which is exactly why comparing them is useful.
Are these prices a guarantee of what I'll pay?
No. These are figures drawn from each hospital's published price file on the dates shown — not a quote. Your final bill can differ. Confirm directly with the provider and your insurer. See our methodology for how we source and compute these numbers.

Sources

Every price on this page traces to a hospital's official machine-readable file:

See our methodology for how the typical range is computed.

Informational only. Prices are estimates from published hospital data and may not reflect your final bill. Not medical, legal, or insurance advice. Confirm with the provider and your insurer.