MRI of the knee without contrast cost in California

Prices at 159 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,103 — 61% above the US median ($1,929), roughly 15.2× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $521 $885 — 114 min —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $671 $302 ★ 3/5 191 min —
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $781 $326 ★ 2/5 178 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $781 $326 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $797 $400 ★ 1/5 306 min —
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $822 $305 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $875 — — 121 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $899 $429 ★ 1/5 160 min —
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $945 $347 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $945 $347 ★ 5/5 186 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $945 $347 ★ 4/5 200 min —
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $988 $256 ★ 3/5 — —
College Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,013 $304 ★ 3/5 322 min —
College Hospital Cerritos, CA $1,013 $304 — — —
Glendora Hospital Glendora, CA $1,013 $304 — — —
Antelope Valley Hospital Lancaster, CA $1,260 $351 ★ 1/5 264 min —
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $1,406 $1,343 ★ 3/5 254 min —
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,530 $414 ★ 4/5 318 min —
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,530 $414 ★ 1/5 238 min —
UCI Health-Fountain Valley Fountain Valley, CA $1,530 $414 ★ 2/5 158 min —
San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp, CA $1,595 $304 ★ 2/5 213 min —
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $1,657 $347 ★ 5/5 — —
Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Sun Valley, CA $1,764 $313 — 227 min —
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg, CA $1,789 $1,149 — 94 min —
Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA $2,096 $383 ★ 1/5 248 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)
$5,667
Cash / self-pay
$3,103
Insurer-negotiated
$391
Medicare pays
$204
$409$7,464
Median cash $3,103  ·  Medicare $204  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,103 — about 15.2× the Medicare rate ($204). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($409).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $5,667 list price could save about $2,564 (45%).

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 knee without contrast cost in other states

All MRI of the knee without contrast prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →