Head CT without and with contrast cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for CT scan of the head without and with contrast as an inpatient: from $1,016.40 to $3,090.75, with a median of $2,808.00. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla — $1,791.60 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,808.00 at 101 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 6 cities for code 70470, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 30, 2026 and Apr 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla, CA HC CT Head W/WO | $1,016.40 | $4,065.60 | $106.53–$3,252.48 | 75% | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Ct Scan Head Or Brain Before And After Contrast | $1,941.50 | $3,530.00 | $148.44–$4,765.50 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Ct Brain Wo/W Con | $2,756.25 | $3,675.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CT HEAD/BRAIN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $2,808.00 | $5,400.00 | $163.00–$485.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 CT HEAD/BRAIN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $2,808.00 | $5,400.00 | $163.00–$485.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA CT HEAD/BRAIN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $2,808.00 | $5,400.00 | $163.00–$485.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC CT SCAN HEAD COMBO - CT HEAD W WO CONTRAST | $3,090.75 | $4,121.00 | $576.94–$3,173.17 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC CT SCAN HEAD COMBO - CT HEAD W WO CONTRAST | $3,090.75 | $4,121.00 | $1,223.94–$4,038.58 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC CT SCAN HEAD COMBO - CT HEAD W WO CONTRAST | $3,090.75 | $4,121.00 | $47.85–$3,708.90 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC CT SCAN HEAD COMBO - CT HEAD W WO CONTRAST | $3,090.75 | $4,121.00 | $576.94–$3,296.80 | 25% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $1,016.40, median $2,808.00, highest $3,090.75 — a 3.0× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $2,808.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 6 of 9 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it 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 it is
This head CT takes images first without contrast dye and then with it, to compare the two.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the scan and the contrast dye. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.