Barium swallow cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for barium swallow (esophagus X-ray with contrast): from $224.00 to $973.28, with a median of $478.40. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $254.40 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $605.53 at 211 hospitals.
- The median here, $478.40, is 7% above the US median of $447.60.
- That is 2.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($179.20).
- 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 74220, 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 ESOPHAGUS File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $224.00 | $1,212.50 | $40.98–$1,212.50 | 82% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Esoph Swallow Barium File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $233.85 | $935.42 | $74.83–$748.34 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Esoph Swallow Barium File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $233.85 | $935.42 | $74.83–$748.34 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Esoph Swallow Barium File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $233.85 | $935.42 | $74.83–$748.34 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Esoph Swallow Barium File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $233.85 | $935.42 | $74.83–$748.34 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Esoph Swallow Barium File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $233.85 | $935.42 | $74.83–$748.34 | 75% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 XR Esophagus File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $416.69 | $694.49 | $38.47–$547.95 | 40% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Esophagus File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $451.50 | $602.00 | — | 25% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $478.40 | $920.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $478.40 | $920.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 RADIOLOGIC EXAM ESOPHAGUS SINGLE CONTRAST STUDY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $478.40 | $920.00 | $161.00–$480.00 | 48% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 X-ray of esophagus with single contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $491.70 | $894.00 | $54.64–$1,206.90 | 45% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Xry-Esophagus File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $662.25 | $883.00 | — | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $850.50 | $1,134.00 | $1.00–$1,111.32 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $850.50 | $1,134.00 | $1.10–$1,295.36 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $850.50 | $1,134.00 | $1.00–$1,020.60 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC ESOPHAGRAM - FL ESOPHAGUS BARIUM SWALLOW File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $850.50 | $1,134.00 | $1.30–$907.20 | 25% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA DI Esophagus Single Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $973.28 | $1,622.14 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 DI Esophagus Single Contrast File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $973.28 | $1,622.14 | — | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $224.00, median $478.40, highest $973.28 — a 4.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $478.40. 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 15 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 barium swallow is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Barium swallow explained.