MRI of the knee cost in California

Prices at 159 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $3,481 — 54% above the US median ($2,254), roughly 11.1× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Fresno Surgical Hospital Fresno, CA $609 $475 — — —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ojai Ojai, CA $754 $1,184 — 114 min —
Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District Brawley, CA $805 $451 ★ 3/5 191 min —
Mercy Medical Center Redding Redding, CA $808 — ★ 2/5 194 min —
Colorado River Medical Center Needles, CA $873 — — 121 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $970 $895 ★ 1/5 160 min —
Kern Medical Center Bakersfield, CA $1,026 $467 ★ 1/5 306 min —
Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, CA $1,064 $530 ★ 4/5 194 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA $1,064 $530 ★ 5/5 186 min —
Scripps Memorial Hospital-Encinitas Encinitas, CA $1,064 $530 ★ 4/5 200 min —
Ventura County Medical Center Ventura, CA $1,130 $563 ★ 2/5 178 min —
Community Memorial Hospital-Ventura Ventura, CA $1,130 $563 ★ 4/5 190 min —
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA $1,197 $530 ★ 5/5 — —
College Medical Center Long Beach, CA $1,200 $450 ★ 3/5 322 min —
College Hospital Cerritos, CA $1,200 $450 — — —
Glendora Hospital Glendora, CA $1,200 $450 — — —
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $1,314 $447 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Antelope Valley Hospital Lancaster, CA $1,351 $447 ★ 1/5 264 min —
San Joaquin General Hospital French Camp, CA $1,677 $450 ★ 2/5 213 min —
L a Downtown Medical Center Los Angeles, CA $1,699 $256 ★ 3/5 — —
Kaweah Health Medical Center Visalia, CA $1,720 $1,551 ★ 3/5 254 min —
Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Sun Valley, CA $1,764 $313 — 227 min —
Healdsburg Hospital Healdsburg, CA $1,789 $1,149 — 94 min —
UCI Health-Los Alamitos Los Alamitos, CA $1,863 $662 ★ 1/5 238 min —
UCI Health-Orange Orange, CA $1,890 $662 ★ 4/5 318 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)
$6,183
Cash / self-pay
$3,481
Insurer-negotiated
$1,008
Medicare pays
$315
$739$7,678
Median cash $3,481  ·  Medicare $315  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $3,481 — about 11.1× the Medicare rate ($315). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($630).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $6,183 list price could save about $2,702 (44%).

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 cost in other states

All MRI of the knee prices (national) → · All hospitals in California →