Chest CT, with/without dye cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for chest CT scan without and with contrast as an inpatient: from $741.89 to $4,177.80, with a median of $2,964.00. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and 4 other hospitals — $2,222.11 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $3,174.81 at 205 hospitals.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 8 cities for code 71270, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 30, 2026 and May 29, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas lowest Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC CT Chest W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $741.89 | $2,967.55 | $128.66–$2,374.04 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC CT Chest W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $741.89 | $2,967.55 | $128.66–$2,374.04 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC CT Chest W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $741.89 | $2,967.55 | $128.66–$2,374.04 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC CT Chest W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $741.89 | $2,967.55 | $128.66–$2,374.04 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC CT Chest W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $741.89 | $2,967.55 | $128.66–$2,374.04 | 75% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 CT Thorax w/ + w/o Contrast+2 more lines at this price File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $2,459.78 | $4,099.64 | $2,869.75–$3,193.62 | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX C-/C+ source file | $2,964.00 | $5,700.00 | $197.00–$585.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX C-/C+ source file | $2,964.00 | $5,700.00 | $197.00–$585.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY THORAX C-/C+ source file | $2,964.00 | $5,700.00 | $197.00–$585.00 | 48% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST COMBO - CT CHEST W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,569.25 | $4,759.00 | $713.85–$4,663.82 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST COMBO - CT CHEST W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,569.25 | $4,759.00 | $1,413.42–$3,664.43 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST COMBO - CT CHEST W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,569.25 | $4,759.00 | $1,413.42–$3,807.20 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC CAT SCAN OF CHEST COMBO - CT CHEST W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,569.25 | $4,759.00 | $0.11–$3,902.38 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Ct-Chest Wo/W Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,659.25 | $4,879.00 | — | 25% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Ct Scan Chest Before And After Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,177.80 | $7,596.00 | $180.40–$10,254.60 | 45% |
Inpatient: lowest $741.89, median $2,964.00, highest $4,177.80 — a 5.6× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $2,964.00 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 11 of 14 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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 it is
This chest CT takes pictures before and after contrast dye. It is used for some lung and chest wall masses and blood vessel problems that a single scan cannot explain.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the scan and any contrast dye. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.