Abdominal CT, with/without dye cost in San Diego, CA — inpatient
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for abdominal CT scan without and with contrast as an inpatient: from $708.33 to $3,762.75, with a median of $2,496.00. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista and 4 other hospitals — $1,787.67 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $2,833.60 at 210 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 10 cities for code 74170, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 29, 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 Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC CT Abdomen Upper W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $708.33 | $2,833.34 | $170.00–$2,266.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC CT Abdomen Upper W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $708.33 | $2,833.34 | $170.00–$2,266.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas lowest Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC CT Abdomen Upper W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $708.33 | $2,833.34 | $170.00–$2,266.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC CT Abdomen Upper W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $708.33 | $2,833.34 | $170.00–$2,266.67 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC CT Abdomen Upper W/WO File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $708.33 | $2,833.34 | $170.00–$2,266.67 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Ct Scan Abdomen Before And After Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,294.60 | $4,172.00 | $201.74–$5,632.20 | 45% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 CT Abdomen w/ + w/o Contrast+1 more line 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 Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 CT ABDOMEN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL source file | $2,496.00 | $4,800.00 | $257.00–$765.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CT ABDOMEN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL source file | $2,496.00 | $4,800.00 | $257.00–$765.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CT ABDOMEN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL source file | $2,496.00 | $4,800.00 | $257.00–$765.00 | 48% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 CT Abd with and w/o contrast+4 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,895.79 | $4,826.31 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA CT Abd with and w/o contrast+4 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $2,895.79 | $4,826.31 | — | 40% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC CT ABDOMEN W/O & W/DYE - CT ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,119.25 | $4,159.00 | $582.26–$4,086.77 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC CT ABDOMEN W/O & W/DYE - CT ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,119.25 | $4,159.00 | $582.26–$3,327.20 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC CT ABDOMEN W/O & W/DYE - CT ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,119.25 | $4,159.00 | $1,268.49–$4,075.82 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC CT ABDOMEN W/O & W/DYE - CT ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST source file | $3,119.25 | $4,159.00 | $582.26–$3,327.20 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Ct-Abdomen Wo/W Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $3,762.75 | $5,017.00 | — | 25% |
Inpatient: lowest $708.33, median $2,496.00, highest $3,762.75 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 18 facilities here, median $2,496.00 — 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 abdominal CT takes pictures before and after contrast dye. The two sets help characterize liver, kidney and adrenal masses and other findings that one 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.