How Much Does a CT Scan Cost? A Data Analysis of 287 U.S. Hospitals

National CT Scan Cash Prices by Scan

Cash-pay (self-pay) prices for four common CT scans, filtered to a $150–$20,000 plausibility window. Each row shows the range across hospitals in our sample. Click a scan to compare every hospital's price side by side.

Values below $150 were excluded as copay fragments, deposits, or single line-item component fees (8 hospitals posted such values). Note how much cheaper the low-dose chest CT (CPT 71271, median $431) — the lung-cancer screening scan — is than a contrast-enhanced study; see below.

The Transparency Paradox

The federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule took effect in 2021 to make hospital prices comparable. Five years on, a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast — the same CPT, 74177 — is posted at $152 at Summers County ARH Hospital in Hinton, West Virginia and at $19,203 at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. That is a 127x gap for the identical scan, published publicly by both hospitals under the same rule.

We call this the Transparency Paradox: the data is now public, but it didn't narrow what hospitals charge. The spread between the cheapest and most expensive hospital for a given CT code hasn't meaningfully closed, and it is widest in metro markets dominated by large for-profit hospital networks — the most expensive scans in our data cluster in Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Nashville. Posted prices are now a public fact; what hospitals actually charge is still a patient's problem to shop around. The winners of the transparency rule are the patients who know the rule exists and use the data — which, five years in, still isn't most of them.

Why CT Scan Cost Varies So Much

• Contrast or no contrast. A contrast-enhanced CT injects an iodine-based dye through an IV to highlight blood vessels, organs, and tumors, and it requires extra staff time and materials. In our data the median abdomen/pelvis CT runs about $2,514 with contrast versus $2,008 without — and a doctor will sometimes order "with and without," which bills as two studies. Ask whether the contrast is clinically necessary for your question.
• The scan type itself. Not all CTs cost the same. A low-dose CT chest (CPT 71271) — the scan used for lung-cancer screening — has a median cash price of about $431 in our data, a fraction of a contrast-enhanced study, because it uses far less radiation and no dye. For eligible long-term smokers ages 50–80, this screening scan is covered by Medicare and most insurance at no cost-sharing.
• The hospital facility fee. Hospitals bill a facility fee on top of the scan itself, which is the single biggest reason hospital CTs cost multiples of what freestanding centers charge. Large for-profit hospital systems post the highest prices; rural and critical-access hospitals post the lowest.
• Hospital vs. freestanding imaging center. Our dataset covers hospitals, not freestanding outpatient imaging centers — but those centers are typically 40–60% cheaper for the same scan because they don't carry the hospital facility fee. For a non-urgent CT, calling a freestanding center for a cash price is often the single biggest money-saver available.
• The radiologist's read is a separate bill. The posted price almost always covers only the technical component — the machine and the room. A radiologist (who may be an outside contractor, and may be out of network even when the hospital is in-network) reads the images and bills a separate professional fee. Always ask whether the read is included.
• ER-ordered vs. scheduled outpatient CT. The same scan ordered in an emergency room is dramatically more expensive than one scheduled a few days later as an outpatient, because the ER layers its own emergency-department facility fee (often $1,500+ on its own) on top of the scan. If your CT isn't clinically urgent, getting an outpatient order is one of the highest-impact decisions you can make on price.
• Geography and ownership. Urban markets with concentrated hospital ownership charge well above rural markets for the identical scan. The cheapest CTs in our data sit at rural and critical-access hospitals; the most expensive sit at metro for-profit facilities.

The 10 Most Expensive and 10 Cheapest CT Scans

Posted cash prices for CPT 74177 (CT abdomen/pelvis with contrast), one row per hospital (lowest posted cash price each). Click any hospital to see its full price and compare cash vs. gross vs. insurance-negotiated rates. Remember the posted figure is usually the technical fee only — the radiologist's read is typically billed separately.

10 Most Expensive (CPT 74177)

10 Cheapest (CPT 74177)

A patient at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, NV would pay 127x what a patient at Summers County ARH Hospital in Hinton, WV pays for the identical CT scan. Both hospitals publish these prices publicly under the same federal transparency rule — and the posted figure typically excludes the radiologist's separate read.

How to Pay Less for a CT Scan

1. Ask for the cash-pay or self-pay price — even if you have insurance. At hospitals where the cash rate is lower than your deductible contribution, paying out of pocket and skipping the insurance claim can save money. Always get both quotes first.
2. Call a freestanding imaging center. Outpatient imaging centers typically charge 40–60% less than hospital imaging departments for the same CT, because they don't carry the hospital facility fee. Your doctor's referral doesn't bind you to the hospital — you can take the order anywhere.
3. Confirm whether contrast is necessary. A contrast-enhanced CT costs more and carries a small added risk. Ask your doctor whether a non-contrast study would answer the clinical question — sometimes it will, and it's cheaper.
4. Confirm whether the read is included. The posted price is usually the technical fee only. Ask whether the radiologist's interpretation is part of the quote or a separate bill, and whether that radiologist is in your insurance network.
5. Get a written good-faith estimate before the scan. Under the No Surprises Act, self-pay and uninsured patients are entitled to a good-faith estimate before a scheduled service. If the final bill exceeds it by more than $400, you can dispute it.
6. Avoid the ER for non-urgent imaging. A CT ordered in an emergency room carries the ED facility fee on top of the scan — often a $3,000–$8,000 swing versus the same scan scheduled as an outpatient. If it isn't clinically urgent, get an outpatient order.

What to Ask When You Schedule

• What is the CPT code for the scan my doctor ordered? (The code determines the price.)
• Is this with or without contrast — or both? (Contrast costs more; both bills as two studies.)
• What is the cash-pay (self-pay) price, and what is the price through my insurance?
• Is the radiologist's read included, or billed separately? Is that radiologist in my network?
• Are there facility fees on top of the scan price?
• Is there a lower-cost freestanding imaging center that takes the same order?
• Can I get a written good-faith estimate before I come in?

Frequently Asked Questions

References & Further Reading

• CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR 180) — the federal requirement that produces the underlying data on this page.
• American College of Radiology: ACR Appropriateness Criteria — evidence-based guidance on when a CT scan is clinically indicated.
• RadiologyInfo.org: CT Scan of the Body — patient-friendly background on how body CT works and what to expect.
• CMS: No Surprises Act — Good-Faith Estimates — your right to a written cost estimate before a scheduled procedure.
• USPSTF: Lung Cancer Screening Recommendation — who qualifies for the covered low-dose CT chest screening (ages 50–80, significant smoking history).

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