MRI of the ankle with contrast cost in California

Prices at 147 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,224 — 58% above the US median ($2,040), roughly 12.3× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $530 $449 ★ 4/5 193 min 15.3%
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $530 $449 ★ 5/5 180 min 13.8%
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $530 $449 ★ 5/5 13.9%
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $530 $449 ★ 4/5 194 min 14.5%
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $609 $485 14.4%
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $754 $1,281 110 min 15.0%
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $875 ★ 2/5 187 min 13.5%
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $898 $553 ★ 1/5 167 min 16.5%
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $950 128 min 15.0%
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $1,049 $490 ★ 1/5 293 min 15.3%
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $1,130 $463 ★ 2/5 178 min 16.7%
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $1,130 $463 ★ 4/5 192 min 15.2%
College Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,200 $450 ★ 3/5 330 min 15.2%
College Hospital Cerritos, CA $1,200 $450
Glendora Hospital Glendora, CA $1,200 $450
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $1,207 $442 ★ 3/5 190 min 15.0%
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,314 $447 ★ 3/5 191 min 14.6%
Banner Lassen Medical Center Susanville, CA $1,336 $1,808 ★ 3/5 116 min 14.5%
St Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton Stockton, CA $1,630 $824 ★ 3/5 227 min 13.9%
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $1,720 $1,493 ★ 3/5 275 min 14.4%
UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr San Diego, CA $1,777 $1,512 ★ 5/5 258 min 14.3%
San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp, CA $1,906 $450 ★ 2/5 218 min 15.2%
El Camino Health Mountain View, CA $2,061 ★ 4/5 159 min 14.5%
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $2,186 $606 ★ 4/5 323 min 14.7%
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $2,186 $606 ★ 2/5 161 min 15.7%

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 August 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)
$6,200
Cash / self-pay
$3,224
Insurer-negotiated
$500
Medicare pays
$261
$530$9,536
Median cash $3,224  ·  Medicare $261  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,224 — about 12.3× the Medicare rate ($261). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($522).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $6,200 list price could save about $2,976 (48%).

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.

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MRI of the ankle with contrast cost in other states

All MRI of the ankle with contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →