X-ray of the skull cost in Houston, TX

Prices at 9 hospitals in Houston, TX, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $1,096 — 274% above the US median ($293), roughly 27.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Tops Surgical Specialty Hospital Houston, TX $294 $147 — — —
St Luke's Hospital at the Vintage Houston, TX $472 $164 ★ 4/5 209 min —
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center Houston, TX $490 — ★ 4/5 252 min —
Memorial Hermann Hospital System Houston, TX $490 — ★ 3/5 243 min —
St Joseph Medical Center Houston, TX $1,096 $125 ★ 3/5 180 min —
Texas Orthopedic Hospital Houston, TX $1,225 $123 — 105 min —
HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest Houston, TX $2,141 $128 ★ 2/5 147 min —
HCA Houston Healthcare West Houston, TX $2,141 $128 ★ 1/5 104 min —
Healthbridge Childrens's Hospital of Houston Houston, TX $2,141 $128 — — —

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 October 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)
$1,532
Cash / self-pay
$1,096
Insurer-negotiated
$128
Medicare pays
$40
$437$2,141
Median cash $1,096  ·  Medicare $40  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $1,096 — about 27.6× the Medicare rate ($40). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($80).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $1,532 list price could save about $436 (28%).

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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 X-ray of the skull prices in Texas → · All X-ray of the skull prices (national) · All hospitals in Houston