MRI of the brain cost in Saint Louis, MO

Prices at 6 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,144 — about the US median ($2,199), roughly 8.0× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Christian Hospital Northeast Saint Louis, MO $1,531 $1,497 ★ 4/5 223 min 14.7%
Missouri Baptist Medical Center Saint Louis, MO $1,680 $1,192 ★ 5/5 252 min 14.8%
Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO $1,834 $430 ★ 2/5 246 min 15.8%
Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO $2,455 $423 ★ 4/5 217 min 15.1%
Shriners Hospitals for Children Saint Louis, MO $3,109 $379
St Louis Childrens Hospital Saint Louis, MO $4,253 $4,232

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$2,965
Cash / self-pay
$2,144
Insurer-negotiated
$811
Medicare pays
$269
$1,605$3,681
Median cash $2,144  ·  Medicare $269  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,144 — about 8.0× the Medicare rate ($269). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($538).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $2,965 list price could save about $821 (28%).

Estimate what you’ll pay
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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

All MRI of the brain prices in Missouri → · All MRI of the brain prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis