How much does an X-ray cost?
What an X-ray costs depends on who is paying. Without insurance, the figure to use is a hospital's cash price, and the hospitals below publish theirs. For people on Medicare, what Medicare pays for a chest X-ray, two views in 2026 averages $121 in total at a hospital outpatient department, of which the patient pays about $23, or $55 at an ambulatory surgical center with the patient paying about $10, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; that is the government's rate for Medicare patients, and a private plan or a cash payer is charged its own price. There is no national figure for what private insurance pays: FAIR Health's consumer cost lookup, the nearest thing to one, gives estimates only for a ZIP code you enter, so it is not quoted here. An X-ray is billed by how many pictures are taken, and almost nobody tells you that before you have it. At Boston Medical Center a chest X-ray is filed at $414.00 for one view, $551.00 for two, $688.00 for three and $863.00 for four or more, with cash prices of $186.30, $247.95, $309.60 and $388.35. Franklin Memorial Hospital files the same four steps at $183.25, $253.35, $337.05 and $374.70, and The University of Chicago Medical Center at $345.00, $681.00, $765.00 and $849.00. The same happens on a knee: one or two views is $586.00 at Boston Medical Center and three views is $705.00. So the useful question before an X-ray is not which hospital but how many views are planned, and whether the hospital files a cash price at all. One of these three does.
$414.00 to $863.00
a chest X-ray at one hospital, from one view to four or more, on 13 March 2026
$186.30 cash
the same hospital, single-view chest X-ray, CPT 71045
$183.25 to $374.70
the same four chest codes at a second hospital, which files no cash discount
$121
what Medicare pays in total, Medicare patients only, a chest X-ray, two views, hospital outpatient, 2026
$55
what Medicare pays in total, Medicare patients only, a chest X-ray, two views, ambulatory surgical center, 2026
Cost breakdown
Each table below comes from one source, named underneath it, with the date that source last revised the figures. Everything is a United States figure in USD.
A chest X-ray, priced by the number of views, at all three hospitals
| CPT | Views | Boston Medical Center | Franklin Memorial | University of Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71045 | One view | $414.00 | $183.25 | $345.00 |
| 71046 | Two views | $551.00 | $253.35 | $681.00 |
| 71047 | Three views | $688.00 | $337.05 | $765.00 |
| 71048 | Four or more views | $863.00 | $374.70 | $849.00 |
Boston Medical Center, by CPT code, from its file last updated 13 March 2026
| CPT | Description, as the file prints it | Gross charge | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71045 | HC Chg Radiologic Exam Chest Single View | $414.00 | $186.30 |
| 71046 | HC Chg Radiologic Exam Chest 2 Views | $551.00 | $247.95 |
| 71047 | HC Xray Chest 3 Views | $688.00 | $309.60 |
| 71048 | HC Xray Chest 4+ Views | $863.00 | $388.35 |
| 73560 | HC Chg Radiologic Examination Knee 1/2 Views | $586.00 | $263.70 |
| 73562 | HC Chg Radiologic Examination Knee 3 Views | $705.00 | $317.25 |
| 73610 | HC Chg Radex Ankle Complete Minimum 3 Views | $503.00 | $226.35 |
| 73630 | HC Chg Radex Foot Complete Minimum 3 Views | $585.00 | $263.25 |
| 73110 | HC Chg Radex Wrist Complete Minimum 3 Views | $651.00 | $292.95 |
| 73130 | HC Chg Radex Hand Minimum 3 Views | $538.00 | $242.10 |
| 73030 | HC Chg Radex Shoulder Complete Minimum 2 Views | $569.00 | $256.05 |
| 73090 | HC Chg Radex Forearm 2 Views | $519.00 | $233.55 |
| 72110 | HC Chg Radex Spine Lumbosacral Minimum 4 Views | $777.00 | $349.65 |
| 70140 | HC Chg Radex Facial Bones < 3 Views | $558.00 | $251.10 |
Franklin Memorial Hospital, facility charges, from its file last updated 9 September 2025
| CPT | Description, as the file prints it | Facility gross | Facility cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71045 | HC X-RAY EXAM CHEST 1 VIEW | $183.25 | $183.25 |
| 71046 | HC X-RAY EXAM CHEST 2 VIEWS | $253.35 | $253.35 |
| 71047 | HC X-RAY EXAM CHEST 3 VIEWS | $337.05 | $337.05 |
| 71048 | HC X-RAY EXAM CHEST 4+ VIEWS | $374.70 | $374.70 |
| 73560 | HC XRAY EXAM OF KNEE 1 OR 2 VIEWS | $235.85 | $235.85 |
| 73562 | HC XRAY EXAM OF KNEE 3 VIEWS | $295.20 | $295.20 |
| 73610 | HC XRAY EXAM OF ANKLE MIN 3 VIEWS | $262.90 | $262.90 |
| 73630 | HC XRAY EXAM OF FOOT MIN 3 VIEWS | $260.15 | $260.15 |
| 73110 | HC XRAY EXAM OF WRIST MIN 3 VIEWS | $300.55 | $300.55 |
| 73130 | HC XRAY HAND MIN 3 VIEWS | $262.90 | $262.90 |
| 73030 | HC XRAY EXAM OF SHOULDER MIN 2 VIEWS | $248.05 | $248.05 |
| 73090 | HC XRAY EXAM OF FOREARM 2 VIEWS | $229.15 | $229.15 |
| 72110 | HC XRAY EXAM L-2 SPINE 4/> VIEWS | $461.00 | $461.00 |
| 70140 | HC XRAY EXAM OF FACIAL BONES <3 VIEWS | $261.50 | $261.50 |
The University of Chicago Medical Center, facility charges, from its file last updated 1 April 2026
| CPT | Description, as the file prints it | Gross charge | Cash price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71045 | Hc X-Ray Exam Chest 1 View | $345.00 | $345.00 |
| 71046 | Hc X-Ray Exam Chest 2 Views | $681.00 | $681.00 |
| 71047 | Hc X-Ray Exam Chest 3 Views | $765.00 | $765.00 |
| 71048 | Hc X-Ray Exam Chest 4+ Views | $849.00 | $849.00 |
| 73560 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Knee; 1 Or 2 Views | $439.00 | $439.00 |
| 73562 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Knee; 3 Views | $550.00 | $550.00 |
| 73610 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Ankle; Complete, Minimum 3 Views | $562.00 | $562.00 |
| 73630 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Foot; Complete, Minimum 3 Views | $570.00 | $570.00 |
| 73110 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Wrist; Complete, Minimum 3 Views | $555.00 | $555.00 |
| 73130 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Hand; Minimum Of 3 Views | $552.00 | $552.00 |
| 73030 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Shoulder; Complete, Minimum 2 Views | $521.00 | $521.00 |
| 72110 | Hc Radiologic Examination, Spine, Lumbosacral; Minimum 4 Views | $721.00 | $721.00 |
Where else an X-ray gets done, and why those prices are not here
| Where | What that means for a published price |
|---|---|
| An urgent care clinic | Two urgent care chains hold the first page of results for this search. They are not hospitals, so no federal rule requires them to publish anything, and their prices can be lower and are not checkable the same way |
| A free-standing imaging centre | Same position: often cheaper, often a bundled self-pay offer, and under no publication obligation |
| A hospital emergency department | The X-ray is one line on a much larger bill, and the facility fee for the visit is separate from the codes on this page |
| A hospital outpatient department | What this page measures. Three named hospitals, their own filings, the code and the date each attested to |
What Medicare pays for X-ray, 2026, for Medicare patients only: the total and the patient's share
| Procedure | Code | Hospital outpatient total | Patient pays | Surgical center total | Patient pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chest, two views | 71046 | $121 | $23 | $55 | $10 |
A bar for each row of the table above, 4 of them, drawn to the same scale so the spread is visible at a glance. The figure beside each bar is the one the table prints.
What changes the price
- How many views are taken
- The single biggest factor and the one nobody mentions. At Boston Medical Center a chest X-ray runs $414.00, $551.00, $688.00 and $863.00 for one, two, three and four or more views. At The University of Chicago Medical Center the same four are $345.00, $681.00, $765.00 and $849.00.
- Which body part
- It chooses the code family. At Boston Medical Center a lumbosacral spine series is $777.00 and a forearm is $519.00, on the same list on the same day.
- Whether anyone is paying on your behalf
- Boston Medical Center files a cash price below its list price on every X-ray row, $186.30 against $414.00 on the single-view chest code. Franklin Memorial Hospital and The University of Chicago Medical Center file the same figure in both columns.
- Which hospital, and the gap is wide
- A single-view chest X-ray is filed at $183.25 by Franklin Memorial Hospital, $345.00 by The University of Chicago Medical Center and $414.00 by Boston Medical Center, whose cash price for it is $186.30.
- Whether you are in a hospital at all
- Two urgent care chains hold page one for this search. They are not hospitals and are under no rule requiring them to publish a price, so their figure can be lower and cannot be checked against a filing.
- Whether the radiologist is in the number
- These are facility or unlabelled charges. Somebody reads the image and that reading is usually its own charge, so a quote for the X-ray may be one of two lines.
How to pay less
- Ask how many views are planned
- It is the question this page exists to prompt. The difference between one chest view and four is $414.00 against $863.00 at Boston Medical Center and $345.00 against $849.00 at The University of Chicago Medical Center.
- Ask for the cash price by name
- Boston Medical Center files $186.30 for a single-view chest X-ray against a gross charge of $414.00. The other two hospitals here file no discount at all, so it is worth asking rather than assuming.
- Ask whether an urgent care clinic can do it
- Much X-ray work is done outside hospitals, and the two urgent care chains on the first page of results for this search advertise exactly that. Their prices are not published under any rule, so ask them directly.
- Ask whether the reading is billed separately
- Every figure here is the facility or is unlabelled, and none includes the radiologist. A quote that covers the machine may not cover the person looking at the picture.
- Compare the same code between hospitals
- A chest X-ray is four different codes depending on views, so comparing "an X-ray" between two providers compares nothing until you know which of the four.
Questions
How much does an X-ray cost with Medicare?
Medicare's national average total for a chest X-ray, two views in 2026 is $121 in a hospital outpatient department, with the patient paying $23 on average, or $55 in an ambulatory surgical center, with the patient paying $10, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. With a private plan, your cost depends on its negotiated rate and your deductible; without insurance, ask for the cash price, which the hospital files on this page publish.
How much does an X-ray cost?
It depends on how many views are taken. At Boston Medical Center a chest X-ray is filed at $414.00 for one view and $863.00 for four or more, with cash prices of $186.30 and $388.35. Franklin Memorial Hospital files $183.25 and $374.70 for the same two, and The University of Chicago Medical Center $345.00 and $849.00.
Why does the number of views change the price?
Because each is a different CPT code. A chest X-ray is 71045, 71046, 71047 or 71048 for one, two, three or four-plus views, and every hospital on this page files a different price against each.
How much is an X-ray without insurance?
Where a hospital files a discounted cash price, that is the answer: $186.30 for a single-view chest X-ray at Boston Medical Center. Franklin Memorial Hospital and The University of Chicago Medical Center file the same figure for cash as for the list price.
Is an X-ray cheaper at urgent care?
Often, and two urgent care chains hold the first page of results for this search. They are not hospitals, so no rule requires them to publish a price, which means it can be lower and cannot be checked against a filing the way the figures here can.
Does the price include the radiologist?
No. Every figure here is a facility charge or an unlabelled one, and the reading of the image is usually charged separately.
Which body parts are on this page?
Chest at one to four-plus views, knee at one or two and at three, plus ankle, foot, wrist, hand, shoulder, forearm, lumbosacral spine and facial bones, each at the code and view count the file names.
Why does a hospital have to publish this?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requires every hospital operating in the United States to publish a comprehensive machine-readable file of all items and services and a consumer-friendly display of shoppable services, names imaging among those services, states that it audits a sample of hospitals and investigates complaints, and states that hospitals may face civil monetary penalties for noncompliance.
Where these figures come from
Every figure here is published by the hospital named beside it, in US dollars, in the United States, in its own machine-readable standard charges file under 45 CFR 180.50, and each file carries the attestation that the information encoded is true, accurate and complete as of the date in the file. The dates are the ones the files give themselves: 13 March 2026 for Boston Medical Center, attested by Christopher Abate, 9 September 2025 for Franklin Memorial Hospital, attested by Kenneth Olsen, and 1 April 2026 for The University of Chicago Medical Center, attested by Chris Allen. The Boston Medical Center and Franklin Memorial files were downloaded again on 25 September 2026; the University of Chicago file is the copy read on 23 September 2026 and carries the same last_updated_on. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pages linked below were read on 23 September 2026, and the two on what a hospital must publish again on 9 October 2026. BEFORE ANY CODE WAS QUOTED THE DISTINCT PUBLISHED PRICES FOR IT WERE COUNTED PER CODE AND PER BILLING CLASS, and every code at every hospital here carries exactly one. Boston Medical Center publishes no billing_class column, so its rows are labelled unlabelled rather than assumed to be facility charges; the other two are facility rows. None of these figures includes the radiologist who reads the image. The first table sets three hospitals side by side because they are the same four codes, and the three columns remain three separate filings rather than one measurement. Nothing here is averaged, turned into a ratio or restated as a typical cost.