Lower back MRI cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the lower back, no contrast dye: from $305.00 to $5,064.00, with a median of $2,496.00. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $2,191.00 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $3,060.69 at 209 hospitals.
- The median here, $2,496.00, is 31% above the US median of $1,903.81.
- That is 10.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($243.77).
- San Diego, CA ranks 3rd of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 11 cities for code 72148, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CON File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $305.00 | $3,660.20 | $181.42–$3,660.20 | 92% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC MR Lumbar WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $753.25 | $3,013.00 | $114.64–$2,410.40 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC MR Lumbar WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $753.25 | $3,013.00 | $114.64–$2,410.40 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC MR Lumbar WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $753.25 | $3,013.00 | $114.64–$2,410.40 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC MR Lumbar WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $753.25 | $3,013.00 | $114.64–$2,410.40 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC MR Lumbar WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $753.25 | $3,013.00 | $114.64–$2,410.40 | 75% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 MRI Spine Survey w/o Contrast+1 more line at this price File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $2,169.16 | $3,615.26 | $187.86–$2,852.44 | 40% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Mri Scan Of Lower Spinal Canal File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,231.90 | $4,058.00 | $164.02–$5,478.30 | 45% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,496.00 | $4,800.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,496.00 | $4,800.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 MRI SPINAL CANAL LUMBAR W/O CONTRAST MATERIAL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,496.00 | $4,800.00 | $220.00–$655.00 | 48% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE - MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,111.75 | $4,149.00 | $1.00–$3,319.20 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE - MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,111.75 | $4,149.00 | $1.15–$3,402.18 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE - MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,111.75 | $4,149.00 | $1.15–$4,066.02 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC MRI LUMBAR SPINE - MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,111.75 | $4,149.00 | $1.00–$3,319.20 | 25% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA MRI Sacrum/Coccyx w/o Contrast+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,886.38 | $8,143.96 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 MRI Sacrum/Coccyx w/o Contrast+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $4,886.38 | $8,143.96 | — | 40% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Mri-L-Spine W/O Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $5,064.00 | $6,752.00 | — | 25% |
Independent clinics in San Diego, CA
Prices published by the clinics themselves, not from a hospital price file. They are not part of the hospital median or the lowest price above.
| Clinic | Cash price |
|---|---|
| Imaging Healthcare Specialists – Kearny Mesa Imaging center · San Diego, CA · (858) 658-6500 MRI w/o Contrast (excludes Breast and Prostate MRI) Checked Oct 1, 2026 · clinic's price page | $400.00 |
Outpatient: lowest $305.00, median $2,496.00, highest $5,064.00 — a 16.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $2,496.00. 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 12 of 15 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 lower back MRI is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Lower back MRI explained.