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Cash prices California Outpatient

Flu shot cost in California without insurance

In California, the median cash price for Flu shot is $37.25 across 142 hospitals, from $9.20 to $180.00. The lowest is at UCI Health - Fountain Valley (Orange) and 2 other hospitals. The US median is $37.64.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

The flu vaccine is billed by product: the standard-dose shot is one code, the high-dose and adjuvanted shots made for adults 65 and older have their own, and giving the shot is a separate administration fee. Hospitals rarely offer flu shots to walk-in patients, so their cash price is mostly a benchmark; pharmacies, health departments and community health centers are where most uninsured people get one.

Collected Oct 25, 2026 One price per hospital: its lowest outpatient cash price for the code

Flu shot prices in California by type

Standard-dose shots are the cheapest; the high-dose, adjuvanted and recombinant vaccines cost several times more because the product costs more, not because the hospital charges more for the visit. Ask which vaccine the quoted price is for, and whether the administration fee is included.

ProcedureHospitalsRangeMedianUS median
Flu shot Flu shot, standard dose, preservative-free, for age 6 months and older · code 90656 142 $9.20–$180.00 $37.25 $37.64
High-dose flu shot (65+) High-dose flu shot, preservative-free, mainly for age 65 and older · code 90662 93 $15.96–$14,157.00 $125.44 $100.00
Adjuvanted flu shot (65+) Adjuvanted flu shot (with an immune booster ingredient), for age 65 and older · code 90653 87 $16.35–$671.62 $141.28 $95.40
Flu shot, recombinant (Flublok) Flu shot, recombinant, egg-free (Flublok) · code 90673 51 $28.98–$527.35 $92.32 $83.00
Nasal flu vaccine (FluMist) Nasal spray flu vaccine, live (FluMist) · code 90660 50 $11.60–$152.80 $50.96 $38.25
Procedure The service and its billing code (CPT or HCPCS). Opens the comparison of every hospital that prices it. More
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Middle 80% Cash prices of most hospitals: a tenth of hospitals charge less than the first number (P10), a tenth charge more than the second (P90). More
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
US median The median cash price across all US hospitals that publish one for this code.

Outpatient cash prices in California. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest cash price for the code; prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Pick a procedure to compare every hospital in the state.

Lowest Flu shot prices in California

Flu shot cost by metro area in California

Flu shot cost in other states

Paying cash: what to do

  • Ask whether the price is for the standard-dose vaccine or one of the 65-and-older versions, and whether the injection fee (90471) is included.
  • Compare with a pharmacy's posted cash price and your local health department before booking at a hospital; many health departments give flu shots free or at a reduced fee.
  • Children under 19 without insurance can get the flu vaccine free through the Vaccines for Children program at participating clinics.