Abdominal MRI with contrast cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for MRI of the abdomen, without and then with contrast dye: from $446.00 to $6,070.35, with a median of $4,268.25. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $3,822.25 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $4,368.00 at 99 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 6 cities for code 74183, 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 MRI ABD W/WO CON | $446.00 | $4,178.79 | $263.48–$4,178.79 | 89% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC MRI ABDOMEN COMBO - MRI ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST | $4,268.25 | $5,691.00 | $1.00–$5,121.90 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC MRI ABDOMEN COMBO - MRI ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST | $4,268.25 | $5,691.00 | $1.00–$4,666.62 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC MRI ABDOMEN COMBO - MRI ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST | $4,268.25 | $5,691.00 | $1.00–$4,268.25 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC MRI ABDOMEN COMBO - MRI ABDOMEN W WO CONTRAST | $4,268.25 | $5,691.00 | $0.28–$4,552.80 | 25% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $4,368.00 | $8,400.00 | $336.00–$1,000.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 MRI ABDOMEN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $4,368.00 | $8,400.00 | $336.00–$1,000.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA MRI ABDOMEN W/O & W/CONTRAST MATERIAL | $4,368.00 | $8,400.00 | $336.00–$1,000.00 | 48% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Mri Scan Of Abdomen Before And After Contrast | $6,070.35 | $11,037.00 | $333.52–$5,518.50 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $446.00, median $4,268.25, highest $6,070.35 — a 13.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $4,318.13. 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
This MRI of the abdomen takes one set of pictures without contrast dye and a second set after the dye is injected into a vein. It is used to look closely at the liver, pancreas, kidneys and adrenal glands, often to check a spot found on an ultrasound or CT.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers both sets of images; the contrast agent may appear as a separate line on some bills. The radiologist's reading is often billed separately.