Without Insurance CostSelf-pay prices, sourced and dated

X-ray cost

How much is an X-ray without insurance?

An X-ray without insurance typically costs $40–$120 at a doctor's office, urgent care or imaging center and $200–$590 at a hospital outpatient department. A two-view chest X-ray, the most common one, is about $65 outside a hospital and $330 in one.

Without Insurance Cost editorial teamUpdated 8 sources

Estimator

X-ray cost estimator

Select the X-ray, the setting and your area

Where
Typical self-pay price$65range $40–$95
Medicare pays here$32allowed amount, office or independent center
Self-pay price range
  • Low $40
  • Typical $65
  • High $95
  • Medicare $32
What Medicare pays for each part
71046 Chest X-ray, 2 views$32
Medicare total$32

Self-pay range = Medicare amount × 1.2 (low), 2.0 (typical) and 3.0 (high): the multipliers for imaging at an independent center or doctor's office, documented on our methodology page.

How it is calculated. "Independent imaging center" also covers a doctor's office or urgent care that takes the X-ray on site: we use Medicare's 2027 global payment for the X-ray code. "Hospital outpatient" uses the hospital's 2027 facility payment plus the radiologist's reading fee. The total is adjusted for your locality, then multiplied by the self-pay range for that setting (methodology).

X-ray cost without insurance, by body part

Outside a hospital, a single X-ray exam typically costs $65–$80 without insurance; the price depends a little on the body part and the number of views, and a lot on whether a hospital bills it. The table shows typical and full-range self-pay prices for eight common exams.[1][2]

X-ray cost without insurance, national average (Medicare CY 2027 base)
X-rayViewsOffice or center, typicalOffice or center rangeHospital, typicalHospital range
Chest 710462 views$65$40–$95$330$200–$500
Lower back 721002–3 views$75$45–$110$390$240–$590
Neck 720402–3 views$75$45–$110$330$200–$500
Shoulder 730302 or more views$70$40–$100$330$200–$490
Wrist 731103 or more views$80$50–$120$320$200–$490
Hand 731303 or more views$70$45–$110$320$200–$490
Knee 735623 views$80$45–$120$330$200–$490
Ankle 736103 or more views$70$40–$100$320$200–$490

A "view" is one picture from one angle. Codes are defined by how many views are taken, so an exam with more views is a different code with a slightly higher price. If your doctor orders the other side too, that is a second exam.

Why a hospital X-ray costs 4.0–5.2 times the office price

For X-rays the hospital's facility fee drives the gap: for every exam in the table, Medicare's payment to the hospital for the facility alone is larger than its entire payment to an office for the same X-ray, reading included.[2] Here is a chest X-ray (71046):

Medicare allowed amounts for a two-view chest X-ray (national)
Office or imaging centerHospital outpatient
Taking the X-ray$32.30 (one global fee)$96.23 (APC 5521)
Radiologist's reportin the global fee$9.79
Total$32.30$106.02

Medicare places 7 of these 8 exams in its lowest hospital imaging level (APC 5521). Private prices show the same pattern, magnified:

  • The Health Care Cost Institute found that employer plans paid hospitals 314% of Medicare for outpatient X-rays in 2022, the highest ratio among X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound, and that at the simplest imaging level hospital outpatient prices averaged $227 against $61 in physician offices.[3]
  • Hospitals' posted cash prices in July 2021 had a median of $329 for a lower-spine X-ray series of four or more views.[4]

We apply a separate hospital multiplier for X-rays, smaller than the one for hospital MRI and CT; the methodology page shows each one and its evidence.

X-ray at urgent care or the ER

An urgent care visit with an X-ray usually costs far less than the same X-ray in an emergency room, because urgent care bills like a doctor's office. A new-patient urgent care visit plus a three-view ankle X-ray typically comes to $220 ($150–$370), of which the visit is about $170. In a hospital emergency department a level 3 visit is about $650 before any imaging; add a hospital ankle X-ray and the typical total is around $970.

More on both: urgent care cost without insurance and ER visit cost. If an injury looks serious, go to the ER: emergency departments must screen and stabilize patients whether or not they can pay.[5]

What affects the price of an X-ray

What changes an X-ray bill
FactorEffectWhy
Hospital vs office, urgent care or center4.0–5.2× higher in a hospitalThe facility payment alone exceeds the office fee
Number of viewsSmall increase per extra viewEach view count has its own code
Both sidesTwo examsLeft and right are billed separately
Emergency roomAdds the ER visitFacility and emergency physician fees on top
Visit to get the orderAdds a visit feeAn X-ray usually follows a visit that orders it
Your areaModerateMedicare's geographic indexes; the estimator applies them

Dental X-rays are priced differently, on dental fee schedules; see the dental exam and X-ray cost page.

Ways to pay less for an X-ray

  1. Get non-urgent X-rays outside the hospital. Urgent care centers and some doctors' offices take X-rays on site and bill at office rates. Call ahead to ask whether X-ray is available that day.
  2. Ask for the hospital's discounted cash price. Hospitals are required to post one for shoppable services.[6] Compare it with the hospital range above.
  3. Request a written estimate. For scheduled imaging an uninsured patient can get a good faith estimate.[7] See how to ask for one.
  4. Check the radiologist bill. In a hospital the reading is billed separately. If it seems high, compare it with the Medicare amount from the fee schedule lookup and negotiate.
  5. Use pre-tax money. X-rays for medical reasons are an eligible medical expense, so HSA or FSA funds can cover them.[8]

When an X-ray is not enough, your doctor may order a scan; compare ultrasound, CT scan and MRI prices.

Frequently asked questions

How much is a chest X-ray without insurance?

About $40–$95 at a doctor's office, urgent care or imaging center, typically $65, and $200–$500 at a hospital outpatient department, at national prices for a two-view exam.

What is the X-ray cost without insurance at urgent care?

The X-ray is billed at office rates, but you also pay for the visit. A new-patient visit plus an ankle X-ray typically totals $220.

Do I get a separate bill from the radiologist?

At a hospital, usually yes: the hospital bills the facility fee and the radiologist bills the reading. At an office or imaging center the single global fee normally includes the reading, but confirm when you ask for the price.

Can I use an HSA or FSA to pay for an X-ray?

Yes. The IRS lists X-rays for medical reasons as a medical expense, which is the test HSA and FSA plans use.[8]

Sources

  1. PFS Relative Value Files: RVU27A (PPRRVU2027_Jan), released November 10, 2026 · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, November 10, 2026
  2. CY 2027 OPPS/ASC final rule with comment period (CMS-1850-FC) and Addenda A and B · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Federal Register 91 FR 70284, November 6, 2026
  3. Imaging Services are the Second Most Common Outpatient Service (issue brief) · Health Care Cost Institute, March 2026
  4. Comparison of US Hospital Cash Prices and Commercial Negotiated Prices for 70 Services (Jiang, Makary, Bai) · JAMA Network Open 4(12):e2140526, December 21, 2021
  5. Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, March 10, 2026
  6. 45 CFR Part 180: Hospital Price Transparency (§180.20 definitions, §180.60 shoppable services) · Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, current as of November 2026 (last amended effective January 1, 2026)
  7. Good faith estimate guide (No Surprises Act, uninsured and self-pay patients) · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, October 5, 2026
  8. Publication 502 (2025), Medical and Dental Expenses · Internal Revenue Service, page last reviewed April 30, 2026