Chest CT scan with contrast cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for diagnostic CT scan of the chest, with contrast dye: from $224.00 to $3,797.75, with a median of $3,081.00. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $2,857.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,340.00 at 99 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 6 cities for code 71260, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 CT THORAX W/CON | $224.00 | $2,410.49 | $170.83–$2,410.49 | 91% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $2,340.00 | $4,500.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $2,340.00 | $4,500.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $2,340.00 | $4,500.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST CONTRAST - CT CHEST W CONTRAST | $3,081.00 | $4,108.00 | $1.00–$3,697.20 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST CONTRAST - CT CHEST W CONTRAST | $3,081.00 | $4,108.00 | $1.00–$2,875.60 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST CONTRAST - CT CHEST W CONTRAST | $3,081.00 | $4,108.00 | $0.05–$4,025.84 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST CONTRAST - CT CHEST W CONTRAST | $3,081.00 | $4,108.00 | $1.15–$3,081.00 | 25% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Ct Scan Chest With Contrast | $3,797.75 | $6,905.00 | $145.64–$9,321.75 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $224.00, median $3,081.00, highest $3,797.75 — a 17.0× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $3,081.00. 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 4 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
A chest CT with contrast uses X-rays and dye injected into a vein to make detailed pictures of the lungs, blood vessels, lymph nodes and other chest tissues. It is used to look at masses, enlarged lymph nodes, infections and for cancer staging.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line on some bills. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.