CT scan of the chest with contrast cost in California

Prices at 178 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,932 — 93% above the US median ($1,522), roughly 17.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $440 $748 — 114 min —
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $660 $275 ★ 2/5 178 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $660 $275 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $860 — — 121 min —
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $894 $1,016 ★ 3/5 254 min —
Mercy Medical Center Merced, CA $1,048 $394 ★ 3/5 224 min —
Antelope Valley Hospital Lancaster, CA $1,050 $258 ★ 1/5 264 min —
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg, CA $1,051 $785 — 94 min —
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,073 — ★ 3/5 — —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $1,084 $222 ★ 3/5 191 min —
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,143 $236 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $1,191 $319 ★ 1/5 306 min —
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield, CA $1,495 $363 ★ 3/5 240 min —
Saint Agnes Medical Center Fresno, CA $1,497 $54 ★ 2/5 240 min —
St Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton Stockton, CA $1,506 $394 ★ 3/5 225 min —
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $1,548 $536 ★ 3/5 170 min —
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA $1,548 $536 ★ 3/5 193 min —
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA $1,548 $536 ★ 3/5 197 min —
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,558 $305 ★ 4/5 318 min —
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,558 $305 ★ 1/5 238 min —
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $1,558 $305 ★ 2/5 158 min —
Lompoc Valley Medical Center Lompoc, CA $1,627 $637 ★ 1/5 171 min —
St Mary Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,628 $295 ★ 5/5 150 min —
Jerold Phelps Community Hospital Garberville, CA $1,641 — — 149 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $1,660 $295 ★ 1/5 160 min —

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)
$5,153
Cash / self-pay
$2,932
Insurer-negotiated
$305
Medicare pays
$167
$432$5,244
Median cash $2,932  ·  Medicare $167  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $2,932 — about 17.6× the Medicare rate ($167). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($333).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,153 list price could save about $2,222 (43%).

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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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CT scan of the chest with contrast cost in other states

All CT scan of the chest with contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →