Buying guide · Cost / compare / book
Two different scans are sold under one name. The body-composition DEXA is a cash wellness product. The bone-density DEXA is a medical test that insurance usually pays for. Most of the confusing price ranges online come from mixing the two up, so this guide prices them separately.
A body-composition DEXA costs $59.95 for a single scan at BodySpec (as low as $39.95 a scan on its monthly plan), $99 to $179 at DexaFit depending on the location, and $100 to $330 through Fitnescity. A diagnostic bone-density DEXA is usually $0 out of pocket if you qualify: Medicare Part B covers one every 24 months for qualifying patients, and Marketplace and many other private plans must cover screening for women 65 and older and younger postmenopausal women. Paying cash, the bone-density scan runs from $129 at an independent imaging center to $300–500 at a hospital.
Buy one body-composition baseline at the cheapest provider near you, then re-scan every 3 to 6 months on the same machine, not monthly. If the question is osteoporosis, skip the fitness lab and ask your doctor for a hip-and-spine scan, which insurance usually covers.
The lowest published price per scan we found: $59.95 one-off, $114.95 for two, $39.95 a month on the monthly plan or $49.95 a quarter on the quarterly plan. The catch is reach: its 100+ locations, including mobile vans, cluster in about a dozen metro areas. If it serves your city, start here.
A network of independently owned licensees, so each location sets its own price. Worth it when you want the scan bundled with a measured VO2 max or resting metabolic rate test in one visit. Check your local page; the two locations we priced were $80 apart.
A booking platform for partner hospitals, imaging centers and performance labs, with a physician order and doctor review built into listings like Manhattan’s. The price only appears after you choose a city, and its New York prices were the highest body-composition prices in our table. Still a wellness test, not an osteoporosis diagnosis.
The only version that produces a hip-and-spine T-score that can diagnose osteoporosis. Medicare Part B covers it every 24 months for qualifying patients, and Marketplace and many other private plans must cover screening for women 65 and older and younger postmenopausal women.
If you need the diagnostic scan without coverage, a prepaid bundled price can beat a hospital’s self-pay quote: MDsave’s $145 average is less than half the $300–500 University of Utah Health quotes uninsured patients. You still need a physician’s order.
We priced the scan most people mean when they type this question: one whole-body composition DEXA, bought without insurance. For each provider we recorded the published cash price for a single scan, the cheapest per-scan price in a package or plan, and what the price includes, taken from the provider’s own pricing or booking page on October 15, 2026. Where a provider prices by location, we name the location instead of averaging across cities.
For the medical bone-density scan we used published self-pay figures from a hospital system, an independent imaging center and the MDsave cash-price marketplace, plus coverage rules from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Medicare.gov and HealthCare.gov. Radiation figures come from RadiologyInfo, the patient site reviewed by the Radiological Society of North America and the American College of Radiology, and a peer-reviewed review in Bone. The re-scan math comes from the International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD) official positions.
We did not scan at any of these providers for this guide. Promotions change often, so treat every price here as a dated snapshot and confirm it at checkout.
The first four rows are body-composition scans you can book yourself. The last three are the diagnostic bone-density scan, which needs a physician’s order. Compare within each group, not across them.
| Provider | What you get | Cash price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| BodySpec | Whole-body composition: fat, lean and bone mass by region | $59.95 single; $114.95 for two | $39.95 a scan on the monthly plan; $49.95 a quarter on the quarterly plan |
| DexaFit Denver | Whole-body composition with a results walkthrough | $99 | $159 for two people in one appointment |
| DexaFit Tampa | Whole-body composition | $179 list | $139 with a fall promo code; four-pack $479 |
| Fitnescity, Manhattan (352 7th Ave) | Whole-body composition with physician order and doctor review | $285 | Four scans $1,040; Garden City, NY is $255; Fitnescity’s range is $100–330 |
| Midwest Diagnostic Imaging (Michigan) | Physician-ordered bone density, or whole-body DEXA | $129 flat | Independent imaging center |
| MDsave marketplace | Prepaid bone-density DEXA at participating facilities | $64–432 | MDsave average $145; estimated national average $335 |
| University of Utah Health | Hospital bone-density DEXA | $300–500 without insurance | Most plans, including Medicare, cover it with low or no out-of-pocket cost |
A body-composition DEXA scans your whole body and splits it into fat, lean tissue and bone, region by region, usually with a visceral-fat estimate. You book it yourself, pay cash and get a report. BodySpec says plainly that its scan is not a diagnostic bone-density exam: it compares your total bone density with age and sex averages for general insight.
A diagnostic bone-density DEXA scans the lower spine and hips, sometimes the forearm, and produces the T-score used to diagnose osteoporosis: -1 and above is normal, -2.5 and below is osteoporosis. A clinician orders it, a radiologist or another physician interprets it, and insurance or Medicare usually pays when you meet the criteria.
Same technology, different billing, and that explains most of the price gap. The trap runs both ways. A body-composition report’s bone number is not an osteoporosis answer; Fitnescity, which also sells a wellness hip-and-spine scan, says its tests cannot diagnose osteoporosis. And a hospital bone-density scan will not tell you your body-fat percentage.
| Body-composition DEXA | Bone-density DEXA | |
|---|---|---|
| What is scanned | Whole body | Lower spine and hips, sometimes forearm |
| What you get | Fat, lean and bone mass by region, visceral-fat estimate | T-score and Z-score for diagnosis and fracture risk |
| Who orders it | You (some sites arrange a physician order) | Your clinician |
| Who pays | You, sometimes with HSA or FSA funds | Insurance or Medicare if you qualify |
| Typical price | $39.95–330 cash | $0 if covered; $64–500 cash |
| Radiation | Under 0.01 mSv | About 0.001 mSv |
BodySpec charges $59.95 for a single baseline scan and $114.95 for two. Its plans cut the price per scan: $39.95 a month for one scan a month, $69.95 a month for two, $49.95 a quarter for one scan a quarter, or $79.95 a quarter for two. On the plans, unused credits carry over and you can cancel at any time.
The catch is reach. BodySpec says it has more than 100 locations, but they sit in about a dozen metro areas: Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego and Seattle, partly served by mobile vans. Outside those areas the low price does not help you.
BodySpec’s own advice is to re-scan one month after your baseline and every three to four months after that. The second half is sensible. The one-month follow-up mostly measures noise unless you are losing weight fast; the re-scan math below shows why.
DexaFit locations are independently owned licensees, and each sets its own price. DexaFit Denver charged $99 for a single scan, or $159 for two people booked together. DexaFit Tampa listed $179, with a $139 fall promo code and a four-pack at $479, about $120 a scan.
DexaFit’s real advantage is the bundle. Both locations pair the scan with a VO2 max test and a resting metabolic rate test in one visit, which makes sense if you also want a measured fitness baseline rather than a watch estimate. Both say their services are HSA and FSA eligible. Look up your own location before assuming either price applies.
Fitnescity is a booking platform that sends you to partner hospitals, imaging centers and performance labs. It says its DEXA scans range from $100 to $330, and the exact price appears only after you pick a city. A single body-composition scan was $285 at its Manhattan partner on 7th Avenue and $255 in Garden City, New York.
The higher price buys structure. The Manhattan listing includes a physician order, physician review with escalation if results are out of range, and a one-to-one review with a doctor. Fitnescity says it uses fixed facilities only, never mobile units. Its scans are still wellness tests, and Fitnescity states they are not for diagnosing osteoporosis.
If you need the diagnostic scan and are paying yourself, shop it like any imaging test. University of Utah Health tells uninsured patients to expect $300–500. Midwest Diagnostic Imaging, an independent center in Michigan, charges a flat $129 for a physician-ordered bone-density scan. MDsave, which sells prepaid bundled prices at participating facilities, lists the scan from $64 to $432, with an MDsave average of $145 against an estimated national average of $335.
In these published prices, the independent center charged less than half the hospital’s low end. You need a physician’s order for the diagnostic version either way, so ask for the all-in self-pay price, including the physician’s read, before you book.
The per-scan price matters less than how often you scan. Four scans a year is a reasonable tracking cadence for someone actively changing their training or diet; twelve is almost always too many. Here is what the same year costs at each provider.
| Plan | Scans per year | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|
| BodySpec quarterly plan | 4 | $199.80 |
| BodySpec two-scan packs, bought twice | 4 | $229.90 |
| DexaFit Denver, single scans | 4 | $396 |
| DexaFit Tampa four-pack | 4 | $479 |
| Fitnescity Manhattan, four scans | 4 | $1,040 |
| BodySpec monthly plan | 12 | $479.40 |
A DEXA number is precise, not perfect. The ISCD sets the worst acceptable repeat-scan precision for a technologist at 3% for total fat mass and 2% for total lean mass and percent fat. To call a change real with 95% confidence, it has to exceed the least significant change, which the ISCD’s own bone figures show is about 2.8 times the precision error: a 1.9% spine precision becomes a 5.3% least significant change.
Apply that to body composition at the minimum standard, and lean mass has to move about 5.5%, roughly 3.3 kg (7 lb) for someone carrying 60 kg of lean mass. Fat mass has to move about 8%, roughly 1.7 kg (3.7 lb) for someone carrying 20 kg of fat. A well-run facility measures tighter than the minimum. The ISCD says each facility should calculate its own precision rather than quote the manufacturer’s figure, so ask for that number.
The practical pattern: one baseline, a follow-up after three to six months of a real change in training or diet, then every six to twelve months to maintain. Re-scan on the same machine, at the same time of day, in the same fasting and hydration state; the ISCD notes that no phantom removes the systematic differences between manufacturers. For bone density, Medicare pays every 24 months, RadiologyInfo says about two years is often needed to see a significant change, and the USPSTF found that repeating the test at 4 to 8 years did not improve fracture prediction in cohort studies.
You are a woman 65 or older, or a postmenopausal woman with a risk factor such as low body weight, a prior fracture or a bone-thinning medication: ask your doctor for a diagnostic hip-and-spine scan. It is usually covered, and it is the only version that can diagnose osteoporosis. The ISCD also considers testing indicated for men from 70, and for younger men with risk factors; their coverage depends more on the plan and the medical reason.
You want to know your body fat, lean mass and visceral fat, and you are about to change something: buy one body-composition scan from the cheapest provider near you. Start with BodySpec at $59.95 if it serves your city; otherwise compare your local DexaFit and Fitnescity prices.
You are losing a lot of weight through diet, medical treatment or surgery: this is the strongest case for paying. The ISCD lists weight loss beyond roughly 10% as a use for body-composition DEXA, because it shows whether you are losing fat or lean mass, while noting that the effect on clinical outcomes is uncertain. Scan before you start and again once the loss passes that 10% mark.
You are stable and just curious: one baseline is enough, and monthly scanning is a subscription to noise. A smart scale and a tape measure track the trend between scans for very little money. If you are about to buy an executive physical or a longevity membership, check whether it already includes a DEXA; several programs Agewell reviews list one.
Insurance pays for the diagnostic bone-density scan, not the body-composition one. Body-composition DEXA is sold as a general wellness service, and DexaFit’s own Denver pricing page says such scans are generally not covered by standard health insurance. BodySpec and DexaFit accept HSA or FSA payment; confirm with your plan administrator that a wellness scan qualifies.
Screening: in January 2025 the USPSTF gave a B grade to osteoporosis screening for women 65 and older and for postmenopausal women younger than 65 at increased risk of fracture. HealthCare.gov lists bone density screening for women over 65, and for women 64 and younger who have gone through menopause, among the preventive services Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover without a copay, generally when you use an in-network provider. For men, the USPSTF found the evidence insufficient (an I statement), so coverage depends on the plan and the reason for the test.
Medicare: Part B covers a bone mass measurement once every 24 months, more often if medically necessary, if you meet one of five conditions. You are a woman whose doctor determines you are estrogen-deficient and at risk for osteoporosis; your X-rays show possible osteoporosis, osteopenia or vertebral fractures; you take prednisone or steroid-type drugs or plan to start; you have primary hyperparathyroidism; or you are being monitored to see whether osteoporosis drug therapy is working. You pay nothing if the provider accepts assignment.
Medicare warns that a test done more often than it covers can leave you with a bill, so check the date of your last scan before booking a new one.
A bone-density DEXA delivers about 0.001 mSv, which RadiologyInfo compares to three hours of natural background radiation and less than one-tenth of a standard chest x-ray. A whole-body composition scan is larger but still under 0.01 mSv (10 microsieverts), about one day of background radiation at sea level, according to a review in Bone.
For scale: the average American receives about 3 mSv a year from natural sources, and a coast-to-coast round-trip flight adds about 0.03 mSv, more than three whole-body scans. Radiation is not a reason to skip a scan you need. It is one more reason not to scan monthly for a number that cannot move that fast. Pregnancy is the exception: the ISCD lists it as a contraindication for body-composition DEXA.
For a bone-density scan, RadiologyInfo says not to take calcium supplements for at least 24 hours beforehand, and to tell the technologist about a recent barium exam or a contrast injection for a CT or radioisotope scan, which can mean waiting 10 to 14 days.
For body composition, consistency matters more than any single rule. The ISCD names fasting state, clothing, time of day, physical activity and an empty bladder; Fitnescity suggests a four-hour fast, no calcium supplements for 24 hours and arriving hydrated. Book follow-ups at the same hour, on the same machine, after the same breakfast or the same lack of one.
Skip the body-composition scan if nothing about your training, diet or weight is about to change, if you are pregnant, or if what you really want is an osteoporosis answer, which needs the medical scan. Skip monthly plans unless you are in a rapid, deliberate change, and skip paying cash for a bone-density scan before checking whether your plan or Medicare covers it.
None of this is medical advice. A fracture after a minor fall, height loss or long-term steroid use is a reason to talk to a physician, not to book a wellness scan.
For body composition, $59.95 at BodySpec, $99 to $179 at DexaFit depending on the location, and $100 to $330 through Fitnescity, checked October 15, 2026. For a physician-ordered bone-density scan, $129 at an independent imaging center in Michigan, $64 to $432 through MDsave, and $300 to $500 at University of Utah Health.
A full-body composition scan costs $39.95 to $330 in cash. The low end is BodySpec’s monthly plan; a one-off BodySpec scan is $59.95, and Fitnescity’s physician-ordered scans in the New York area were $255 to $285.
The bone-density scan usually is, when you qualify: Marketplace plans and many other plans must cover screening for women over 65 and postmenopausal women 64 and younger without a copay, generally in network, and Medicare Part B covers one every 24 months for qualifying patients, at $0 if the provider accepts assignment. Body-composition scans are generally cash-pay, though some providers accept HSA or FSA cards.
For body composition, every 3 to 6 months during a real change and every 6 to 12 months to maintain, on the same machine. Smaller gaps rarely clear the scan’s measurement error. For bone density, Medicare covers a scan every 24 months, and RadiologyInfo says about two years is often needed to see a significant change.
One body-composition baseline is worth about $60 to $100 if you are changing your training or diet, and it is most useful during large weight loss, where it shows whether you are keeping lean mass. A bone-density scan is worth getting if you meet the screening criteria, because it is usually covered. Monthly scans are rarely worth it.
DEXA, by a wide margin. In a 2021 study in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, three consumer smart scales underestimated fat mass by a median of 2.2 to 4.4 kg against DEXA, and the authors concluded smart scales should not replace DEXA. A scale is still a cheap way to watch the trend between scans.
A small radiation dose, under 0.01 mSv for a whole-body scan; results that shift between machines and manufacturers, so you need the same scanner for comparisons; and sensitivity to food, hydration and positioning. A body-composition scan also cannot diagnose osteoporosis.
Skip calcium supplements for at least 24 hours, and tell the technologist about any recent barium exam or contrast injection, which can mean waiting 10 to 14 days. Wear clothing without metal. For body composition, keep food, drink, exercise and time of day the same before every scan.
By David Persson · Updated 2026-10-15 · Corrections: hi@agewell.guide
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