Chest CT scan with contrast cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for diagnostic CT scan of the chest, with contrast dye: from $1,208.00 to $3,763.20, with a median of $3,763.20. The lowest listed price is at Chinese Hospital Association — $2,555.20 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,340.00 at 99 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 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 Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese Hospital Association lowest San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 CT scan of chest with contrast | $1,208.00 | $1,208.00 | $253.57–$2,174.40 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 CT CHEST WITH CON | $1,660.05 | $5,533.50 | $175.17–$4,703.47 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 CT Thorax W Contrast | $1,883.60 | $4,709.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX W/CONTRAST | $3,763.20 | $6,720.00 | $244.00–$765.00 | 44% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $1,208.00, median $3,763.20, highest $3,763.20 — a 3.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $3,763.20. 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 2 of 11 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.