An X-ray is the cheapest thing in diagnostic imaging to buy for cash, published between $39 and $137.78 across the four centers on this page. At that level the differences are small in dollars and large in proportion, and the variable that moves the figure is how many views the referral asks for and which part of the body they are of.
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How much does an X-ray cost at these four centers?
Excel Medical Imaging publishes chest X-rays and KUBs of two views at $39, all other general X-rays at $49 and a skeletal survey of five or more views at $95. California Medical Imaging publishes a flat cash rate of $75. Independent Physicians Medical Center publishes $100 for a chest, KUB, abdominal, pelvic or orbits film and $120 for all others. Diagnostic Imaging Centers prices by CPT code with reading and technical fees included: a chest X-ray, CPT 71046, at $89.10; a knee, ankle, elbow, foot, hand, wrist or shoulder film at $84.15; and a complete lumbar spine, CPT 72110, at $137.78.
How much are X-rays without insurance? Views are the variable
Excel Medical Imaging prices views explicitly: $39 for two, $49 for a general study, $95 once five or more are needed. Independent Physicians Medical Center splits the difference by naming the cheap films and charging $120 for everything else. Diagnostic Imaging Centers goes furthest and publishes each CPT code separately, which is why its list can show $84.15 for a knee and $137.78 for a lumbar spine on the same page. All four approaches are published; what you need to know is how many views and which regions your referral asks for.
Cheap x rays exist, and $39 is the floor in this record
The lowest X-ray figure on any list read here is $39, for a chest X-ray or KUB of two views at Excel Medical Imaging. That is the floor of this record rather than the floor of the market, and it is a published list price rather than a promotion. The honest way to read it is as a benchmark: an outpatient X-ray in the United States is a double-digit purchase at a center that publishes, and the dearest single film in this whole record is $137.78. A three-figure or four-figure quote for a plain film is worth questioning.
The spine is the exception that explains the rest
Spine films cost more everywhere they are itemised, and the reason is view count rather than anatomy. Diagnostic Imaging Centers publishes a complete lumbar spine, CPT 72110, at $137.78 and a cervical spine, CPT 72050, at $106.43, against $84.15 for a knee. A complete lumbar series is several projections, and a center that prices per view will always show it above a two-view extremity film. At a flat-rate center such as California Medical Imaging, at $75 for an X-ray, it is the same price as anything else.
How much is an xray with the radiologist's read inside the figure?
It matters proportionally more on a cheap exam than on an expensive one, because a professional fee that is a small fraction of an MRI can be a large fraction of a plain film. Diagnostic Imaging Centers states that all its prices include both the reading and the technical fees,. Where a list does not say, a $39 chest film with a separately billed read is not a $39 chest film, and it is worth one question before booking.
What this page is not
A price record. It does not say whether an X-ray is the right study, what a film shows or whether a finding matters; this site states no clinical claim on any page. Every figure here is quoted from the center's own published list, read on 10 September 2026.
Questions people ask about x ray cost
Why is a chest X-ray priced separately from other X-rays?
Because it is the commonest study and usually two views. Excel Medical Imaging publishes chest X-rays and KUBs of two views at $39 against $49 for all other general X-rays, and Diagnostic Imaging Centers publishes CPT 71046 at $89.10. At the centers charging one flat rate it is the same as any other film.
Does a cheap X-ray price include the radiologist?
Diagnostic Imaging Centers states that its prices include both the reading and the technical fees. The other lists here do not say, and at this price level a separately billed read changes the total proportionally more than it would on an MRI.
Why does a lumbar spine X-ray cost more than a knee?
View count. Diagnostic Imaging Centers publishes a complete lumbar spine, CPT 72110, at $137.78 and a knee at $84.15. A complete spine series is several projections; a knee is usually three.
How much is an X-ray without insurance at an outpatient centre?
$39 to $137.78 on the four lists here. At that level the differences are small in dollars and large in proportion.
How much is a chest X-ray without insurance?
$39 for two views at Excel Medical Imaging, the floor of this record, and $89.10 for CPT 71046 at Diagnostic Imaging Centers.
How much does an xray cost for more than two views?
At Excel Medical Imaging, $49 for a general study and $95 for a skeletal survey of five or more views.