Knee arthroscopy cost in San Diego, CA without insurance
In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area, the median cash price for Knee arthroscopy is $3,575.50 across 10 hospitals. The lowest, $2,963.99, is at Scripps Green Hospital (La Jolla) and 4 other hospitals. The US median is $5,622.74.
Knee arthroscopy uses a small camera and tools through tiny cuts to trim or repair a torn meniscus, rebuild a torn ACL or smooth damaged cartilage. It is almost always same-day surgery. The price depends on what is done inside the knee, and ACL reconstruction costs much more than a simple meniscus trim.
Collected Nov 11, 2026 One price per hospital: its lowest outpatient cash price for the code
Knee arthroscopy prices in San Diego, CA by type
29881 is arthroscopy with a meniscus trim and is used in the state table; 29880 trims both menisci; 29888 is ACL reconstruction; 29882 is a meniscus repair; and 29877 is cartilage smoothing.
| Procedure | Hospitals | Lowest | Median | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knee arthroscopy Knee arthroscopy with meniscus trim · code 29881 | 10 | $2,963.99 | $3,575.50 | $5,622.74 |
| Knee arthroscopy (both menisci) Knee arthroscopy with removal of both torn meniscus parts · code 29880 | 10 | $1,471.60 | $1,829.60 | $5,642.80 |
| ACL reconstruction Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction or repair of the knee · code 29888 | 10 | $4,833.36 | $6,917.28 | $9,977.57 |
| Knee arthroscopy, meniscus repair Knee arthroscopy with meniscus repair (one side of the knee) · code 29882 | 9 | $1,471.60 | $3,397.83 | $6,014.40 |
| Knee arthroscopy, cartilage smoothing Knee arthroscopy with smoothing of damaged cartilage (chondroplasty) · code 29877 | 9 | $2,639.85 | $2,639.85 | $4,899.91 |
Outpatient cash prices in San Diego, CA. 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 area.
Lowest Knee arthroscopy prices in San Diego, CA
- Scripps Green Hospital, La Jolla$2,963.99
- Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas, Encinitas$2,963.99
- Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, La Jolla$2,963.99
- Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista, San Diego$2,963.99
- Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, San Diego$2,963.99
Knee arthroscopy cost in other areas nearby
Paying cash: what to do
- Ask for a bundled self-pay price that includes the surgeon, anesthesia, facility and follow-up visits; hospital file prices usually cover only the facility.
- Ask whether the price includes the brace, crutches and physical therapy after surgery.
- Ambulatory surgery centers usually charge much less than hospital outpatient departments for the same arthroscopy.