Peripheral bone density scan cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 18 hospitals list a cash price for DEXA bone density scan of the wrist, heel or finger (peripheral): from $70.41 to $370.50, with a median of $231.65. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and 4 other hospitals — $161.24 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $276.64 at 145 hospitals.
- The median here, $231.65, is 20% above the US median of $192.36.
- That is 2.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($88.91).
- San Diego, CA has the lowest median of 4 metro areas in California with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 11 cities for code 77081, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas lowest Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Bone Density Extrm-Dexa File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $70.41 | $281.66 | $22.53–$279.82 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Bone Density Extrm-Dexa File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $70.41 | $281.66 | $22.53–$279.82 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Bone Density Extrm-Dexa File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $70.41 | $281.66 | $22.53–$279.82 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Bone Density Extrm-Dexa File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $70.41 | $281.66 | $22.53–$279.82 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Bone Density Extrm-Dexa File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $70.41 | $281.66 | $22.53–$279.82 | 75% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 DXA APPENDIC SKELETON File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $111.00 | $186.36 | $15.81–$186.36 | 40% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Bone Density Measurement Forearm/ Wrist Using Dedicated X-Ray Machine File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $197.45 | $359.00 | $24.99–$484.65 | 45% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA DI DEXA Scan (wrist/heel) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $198.10 | $330.16 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 DI DEXA Scan (wrist/heel) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $198.10 | $330.16 | — | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 DXA BONE DENSITY STUDY 1/>SITES APPENDICLR SKEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $265.20 | $510.00 | $81.00–$240.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 DXA BONE DENSITY STUDY 1/>SITES APPENDICLR SKEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $265.20 | $510.00 | $81.00–$240.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 DXA BONE DENSITY STUDY 1/>SITES APPENDICLR SKEL File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $265.20 | $510.00 | $81.00–$240.00 | 48% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 BD DXA BONE DENSITY 1 OR MORE SITES PERIPHERAL, RADIUS, WRIS File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $281.93 | $469.89 | $25.35–$370.74 | 40% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL - DEXA BONE DENSITY EXTREMITY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $307.50 | $410.00 | $1.00–$328.00 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL - DEXA BONE DENSITY EXTREMITY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $307.50 | $410.00 | $2.02–$328.00 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL - DEXA BONE DENSITY EXTREMITY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $307.50 | $410.00 | $1.00–$307.50 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC DXA BONE DENSITY/PERIPHERAL - DEXA BONE DENSITY EXTREMITY File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $307.50 | $410.00 | $61.50–$369.00 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Dexa Appendicular Skeleton 1 Or More Sites File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $370.50 | $494.00 | — | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $70.41, median $231.65, highest $370.50 — a 5.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $265.20. 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 11 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 peripheral bone density scan is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Peripheral bone density scan explained.