Barium swallow cost in Phoenix, AZ
In Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, 23 hospitals list a cash price for Barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $101.46 to $1,286.00, with a median of $165.54. The lowest listed price is at Banner Goldfield Medical Center — $64.08 less than the median here. Across Arizona, the median is $211.20 at 33 hospitals.
Cash prices at 23 facilities across 13 cities for code 74220, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 2, 2026 and Jun 28, 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banner Goldfield Medical Center lowest Apache Junction, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $101.46 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 81% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Casa Grande Medical Center Casa Grande, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $114.81 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 79% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Del E Webb Medical Center Sun City West, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $124.42 | $534.00 | $108.27–$903.91 | 77% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Ironwood Medical Center San Tan Valley, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $125.49 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 77% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Boswell Medical Center Sun City, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $130.30 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 76% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Thunderbird Medical Center Glendale, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $136.70 | $534.00 | $72.99–$903.91 | 74% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Estrella Medical Center Phoenix, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $139.37 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 74% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Desert Medical Center Mesa, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $149.52 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 72% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner University Medical Center Phoenix Phoenix, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $150.59 | $534.00 | $108.27–$903.91 | 72% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Baywood Medical Center Mesa, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $153.79 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 71% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Banner Gateway Medical Center Gilbert, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $158.60 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 70% | May 1, 2026 source file |
| Banner Ocotillo Medical Center Chandler, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $165.54 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 69% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Maricopa County Special Health Care District Phoenix, AZ HC RAD ESOPHAGRAM | $215.24 | $900.00 | $374.40–$720.00 | 76% | Jun 28, 2026 source file |
| Banner Heart Hospital Mesa, AZ XR ESOPHAGUS STUDY CNT SINGLE | $221.61 | $534.00 | $129.45–$903.91 | 59% | Mar 2, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Med Center Scottsdale, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth Tempe Medical Center Tempe, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth Deer Valley Medical Center Phoenix, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| HonorHealth Florence Medical Center Florence, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth Four Peaks Medical Center Mesa, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth John C. Lincoln Medical Center Phoenix, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth Sonoran Crossing Medical Center Phoenix, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center Scottsdale, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Honorhealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center Scottsdale, AZ Hc X-Ray Exam; Esophagus | $1,286.00 | $1,286.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $101.46, median $165.54, highest $1,286.00 — a 12.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 24 facilities here, median $193.58. 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 14 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 4 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
A barium swallow is a live X-ray of the esophagus while you drink barium. It shows narrowing, hernias and problems with how food passes.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the study and the barium. The radiologist's reading may be billed separately.