Cortisol test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 13 hospitals list a cash price for cortisol blood test, total: from $16.00 to $182.57, with a median of $98.80. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $82.80 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $98.80 at 195 hospitals.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 9 cities for code 82533, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 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 CORTISOL TOTAL+2 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $16.00 | $94.13 | $16.30–$94.13 | 83% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC CORTISOL SALIVA source file | $22.50 | $30.00 | $1.00–$22.50 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC CORTISOL SALIVA source file | $22.50 | $30.00 | $1.00–$27.00 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC CORTISOL SALIVA source file | $22.50 | $30.00 | $1.00–$41.94 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC CORTISOL SALIVA source file | $22.50 | $30.00 | $1.15–$625.89 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Cortisol Total+7 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $72.00 | $96.00 | — | 25% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CORTISOL TOTAL source file | $98.80 | $190.00 | $12.00–$35.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CORTISOL TOTAL source file | $98.80 | $190.00 | $12.00–$35.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 CORTISOL TOTAL source file | $98.80 | $190.00 | $12.00–$35.00 | 48% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Cortisol,Random File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $106.50 | $142.00 | — | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Cortisol Total File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $116.25 | $155.00 | — | 25% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Cortisol Level Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $124.50 | $207.50 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Cortisol Level Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $124.50 | $207.50 | — | 40% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Cortisol (Hormone) Measurement File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $138.05 | $251.00 | $16.30–$338.85 | 45% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC CORTISOL TOTAL source file | $153.00 | $204.00 | $57.12–$199.92 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC CORTISOL TOTAL source file | $153.00 | $204.00 | $1.15–$12,125.65 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC CORTISOL TOTAL source file | $153.00 | $204.00 | $1.00–$157.08 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC CORTISOL TOTAL source file | $153.00 | $204.00 | $1.00–$163.20 | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Smh Cortisol Total File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $177.75 | $237.00 | — | 25% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 Cortisol 60 Min+3 more lines at this price File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $182.57 | $304.29 | $14.26–$240.08 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $16.00, median $98.80, highest $182.57 — a 11.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 12 facilities here, median $98.80. 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 6 of 10 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 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 cortisol test measures the main stress hormone made by the adrenal glands. It is used when adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease) or excess cortisol (Cushing's syndrome) is suspected.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
4 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 82533 ($92.72). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CACortisol LC | $4.35 | file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CACortisol, 30 Minutes LC | $6.21 | file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CACortisol, 60 Minutes LC | $6.21 | file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CACortisol, Baseline LC | $6.21 | file |