Lower back MRI cost in San Francisco, CA

MRI of the lumbar spine without contrast dye. Prices below are cash prices published by 11 hospitals within 25 miles of San Francisco.

Lowest published price$487
Typical price (median)$2,245
Highest published price$6,698
See every hospital, the map and your all-in estimate

Lowest prices near San Francisco

  • UCSF Mission Bay

    San Francisco · 1.2 mi · Same price at 3 other locations

    $487

    cash · Hospital fee only

  • UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

    Oakland · 9.5 mi

    $1,713

    cash · Hospital fee only

  • Alameda Hospital

    Alameda · 8.5 mi

    $2,151

    cash

  • Highland Hospital

    Oakland · 11.6 mi

    $2,151

    cash

  • San Leandro Hospital

    San Leandro · 16.9 mi

    $2,151

    cash

  • John Muir Health Walnut Creek Medical Center

    Walnut Creek · 23.7 mi

    $2,245

    cash

  • UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital

    San Francisco · 1.2 mi

    $3,206

    cash

  • UCSF Health St. Mary's Hospital

    San Francisco · 1.2 mi

    $3,453

    cash

  • Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area

    San Leandro · 14.8 mi

    $4,857

    cash · Hospital fee only

  • Chinese Hospital

    1.8 mi

    $4,961

    cash

How to use these prices

A cash price is what the hospital says it charges patients who pay for themselves. An insured average is what insurance plans pay on average, which is a useful guide when a hospital doesn’t list a cash price. Ask the hospital for its self-pay price before you book, and for a written Good Faith Estimate.

For your doctor’s office: these prices are for billing code CPT 72148.

Other imaging in San Francisco

All prices in San Francisco, CA

Lower back MRI in other cities

Lower back MRI prices in every city

These are estimates from prices hospitals publish under federal price transparency rules, from files dated Feb 2026. They are not a quote or a bill, and the hospital may charge a different amount. “Lowest” means the lowest published price we found, not a guaranteed price.

If you are uninsured or paying cash, you have the right to a written Good Faith Estimate from the provider before you schedule care, and you can dispute a bill that comes in $400 or more above it.

Your provider may bill a different code for the same visit. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. More about these prices