PET/CT scan cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 10 hospitals list a cash price for PET/CT scan from the base of the skull to mid-thigh: from $5,643.20 to $7,218.40, with a median of $7,218.40. The lowest listed price is at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley — $1,575.20 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $6,342.00 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 10 facilities across 10 cities for code 78815, 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 Apr 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 Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley lowest Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Petct Skull-Thigh | $5,643.20 | $14,108.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 PET IMAGING CT ATTENUATION SKULL BASE MID-THIGH | $7,218.40 | $12,890.00 | $1,947.00–$6,095.00 | 44% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $5,643.20, median $7,218.40, highest $7,218.40 — a 1.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $7,218.40. 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 0 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
A PET/CT scan combines a PET scan, which shows how active cells are after a tracer is injected, with a CT scan that shows anatomy. This code covers the usual area from the base of the skull to mid-thigh. It is mostly used to find, stage and follow cancer.
What the price covers
The hospital price usually covers the combined scan. The radioactive tracer is often billed separately, as is the radiologist's or nuclear medicine doctor's reading.