Thyroid or neck ultrasound cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for ultrasound of the soft tissues of the head and neck, such as the thyroid: from $133.00 to $1,119.80, with a median of $826.80. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $693.80 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $830.78 at 218 hospitals.
- The median here, $826.80, is 55% above the US median of $533.38.
- That is 7.7× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($106.81).
- San Diego, CA ranks 4th 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 76536, 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 BIOPSY THYROID CARE SET+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $133.00 | $490.00 | $65.98–$799.26 | 73% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 76536 US EXAM OF HEAD AND NECK ED TECH FEE File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $224.80 | $374.67 | $60.34–$295.61 | 40% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 US Thyroid+1 more line at this price File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $360.80 | $601.34 | $60.34–$474.46 | 40% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Us Head/Neck Soft Tissue File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $509.25 | $679.00 | — | 25% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC US Head/Neck Soft Tissue File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $522.34 | $2,089.35 | $98.05–$1,671.48 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC US Head/Neck Soft Tissue File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $522.34 | $2,089.35 | $98.05–$1,671.48 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC US Head/Neck Soft Tissue File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $522.34 | $2,089.35 | $98.05–$1,671.48 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC US Head/Neck Soft Tissue File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $522.34 | $2,089.35 | $98.05–$1,671.48 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC US Head/Neck Soft Tissue File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $522.34 | $2,089.35 | $98.05–$1,671.48 | 75% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Us Head/Neck Inc Thyroid File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $683.25 | $911.00 | — | 25% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 US SOFT TISSUE HEAD & NECK REAL TIME IMGE DOCM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $826.80 | $1,590.00 | $96.00–$285.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 US SOFT TISSUE HEAD & NECK REAL TIME IMGE DOCM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $826.80 | $1,590.00 | $96.00–$285.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 US SOFT TISSUE HEAD & NECK REAL TIME IMGE DOCM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $826.80 | $1,590.00 | $96.00–$285.00 | 48% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 US Parathyroid Ultrasound File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,014.42 | $1,690.70 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA US Parathyroid Ultrasound File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,014.42 | $1,690.70 | — | 40% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC US HEAD/NECK TISSUESREAL TIME - US HEAD NECK SOFT TISSUE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,015.50 | $1,354.00 | $1.00–$1,110.28 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC US HEAD/NECK TISSUESREAL TIME - US HEAD NECK SOFT TISSUE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,015.50 | $1,354.00 | $1.15–$1,110.28 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC US HEAD/NECK TISSUESREAL TIME - US HEAD NECK SOFT TISSUE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,015.50 | $1,354.00 | $1.00–$1,083.20 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC US HEAD/NECK TISSUESREAL TIME - US HEAD NECK SOFT TISSUE File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,015.50 | $1,354.00 | $0.08–$1,218.60 | 25% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Ultrasound Of Head And Neck File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,119.80 | $2,036.00 | $85.69–$2,748.60 | 45% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA US Soft Tissue Head and Neck File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,438.95 | $2,398.25 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 US Soft Tissue Head and Neck File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,438.95 | $2,398.25 | — | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $133.00, median $826.80, highest $1,119.80 — a 8.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $826.80. 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 thyroid or neck ultrasound is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Thyroid or neck ultrasound explained.