Updated June 2026
An MRI of the Brain in Chicago costs a median of $3,365 in cash at 40 hospitals reporting as of June 2026. Prices at those hospitals run from $372 to $5,422, and the numbers come from the hospitals' own federally required price files.
What this price includes: This is the hospital's actual posted cash price from its federal transparency file (45 CFR Part 180), not an estimate. As with any hospital price, the physician performing or interpreting the procedure may bill separately, so confirm what's included when you book.
Typical imaging-center benchmark
about $315 national Medicare benchmark
What Medicare pays an independent, non-hospital imaging center for this scan.
2026 national Medicare physician fee schedule. A public benchmark, not a cash quote. Cash prices vary by center.
The price range across 40 hospitals. A narrow range means prices are consistent; a wide range means they vary significantly.
Cheapest in Chicago
Before You Schedule
These prices are a starting point for your research, not a final quote. We recommend calling the hospital's billing department with your insurance information for a personalized estimate. Knowing the typical price range puts you in a stronger position to ask the right questions.
The same outpatient procedure can cost several times more at one hospital than another in the same metro, based on cash-discount prices across our dataset. In some cases the spread is 8x or wider, and at the top of the distribution the gap can be far more extreme. We track this across more than 1,100 procedure-and-metro combinations so you can see where the spread is widest before you book.
Sorted by cheapest first. Select any hospital to see full pricing and contact info.
Before You Schedule
These prices are a starting point for your research, not a final quote. We recommend calling the hospital's billing department with your insurance information for a personalized estimate. Knowing the typical price range puts you in a stronger position to ask the right questions.
Call HospitalCash pay prices for mri of the brain in the Chicago metro area range from $372 to $5,422 based on data from 40 hospitals reporting under federal price transparency rules. The median price is $3,365. Prices vary based on the type of facility, whether additional services are included, and the complexity of your specific case.
If you're paying out of pocket, call the hospital's billing department and ask for their self-pay or cash discount rate. Many hospitals offer 30-60% discounts for upfront cash payment. You can also request a Good Faith Estimate, which hospitals are required to provide under the No Surprises Act.
Every price here comes from the machine-readable file each hospital published for June 2026, the file federal rules require them to post. We pull those files monthly, translate the billing codes into plain English, and link the raw file on every row so you can check any number yourself. Read how we build these numbers, or go deeper in the methodology whitepaper.
Pricing data sourced from federally mandated hospital Machine-Readable Files.
Disclosure required by 45 CFR Part 180.
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