Complex cataract surgery cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for complex cataract surgery with lens implant: from $1,159.60 to $11,714.29, with a median of $1,861.71. The lowest listed price is at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa and 2 other hospitals — $702.11 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $4,018.56 at 55 hospitals.
- The median here, $1,861.71, is 53% below the US median of $3,936.35.
- San Diego, CA ranks 2nd of 3 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 5 cities for code 66982, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 30, 2026 and Sep 1, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 XCAPSL CTRC RMVL INSJ IO LENS PROSTH CPLX WO ECP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,159.60 | $2,230.00 | $2,262.00–$6,729.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 XCAPSL CTRC RMVL INSJ IO LENS PROSTH CPLX WO ECP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,159.60 | $2,230.00 | $2,262.00–$6,729.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos lowest San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 XCAPSL CTRC RMVL INSJ IO LENS PROSTH CPLX WO ECP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,159.60 | $2,230.00 | $2,262.00–$6,729.00 | 48% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Xcapsl Ctrc Rmvl Insj Io Lens Prosth Cplx WO Ecp File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,861.71 | $7,446.85 | $595.75–$7,420.62 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Xcapsl Ctrc Rmvl Insj Io Lens Prosth Cplx WO Ecp File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,861.71 | $7,446.85 | $595.75–$7,420.62 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Xcapsl Ctrc Rmvl Insj Io Lens Prosth Cplx WO Ecp File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,861.71 | $7,446.85 | $595.75–$7,420.62 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Xcapsl Ctrc Rmvl Insj Io Lens Prosth Cplx WO Ecp File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,861.71 | $7,446.85 | $595.75–$7,420.62 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Xcapsl Ctrc Rmvl Insj Io Lens Prosth Cplx WO Ecp File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $1,861.71 | $7,446.85 | $595.75–$7,420.62 | 75% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 Xcapsl ctrc rmvl cplx wo ecp File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $2,953.00 | $16,216.20 | $1,008.93–$16,216.20 | 82% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Complex removal of cataract with insertion of lens File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $11,714.29 | $21,298.70 | $140.00–$22,566.61 | 45% |
Outpatient: lowest $1,159.60, median $1,861.71, highest $11,714.29 — a 10.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $1,861.71. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 10 of 10 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 3 it is below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What complex cataract surgery is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Complex cataract surgery explained.