X-ray of the knee cost in San Diego, CA

Prices at 5 hospitals in San Diego, CA, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $406 — 46% above the US median ($278), roughly 9.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $340 $134 ★ 4/5 193 min 15.3%
UC San Diego Health Hillcrest-Hillcrest Med Ctr San Diego, CA $356 $283 ★ 5/5 258 min 14.3%
Kaiser Foundation Hospital-San Diego San Diego, CA $406 $99 ★ 4/5 13.7%
Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA $513 $391 ★ 4/5 197 min 15.4%
Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital San Diego, CA $513 $410

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)
$684
Cash / self-pay
$406
Insurer-negotiated
$283
Medicare pays
$42
$347$513
Median cash $406  ·  Medicare $42  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $406 — about 9.6× the Medicare rate ($42). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($85).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $684 list price could save about $278 (41%).

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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 knee prices in California → · All X-ray of the knee prices (national) · All hospitals in San Diego