AST liver test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for AST (aspartate aminotransferase) enzyme test: from $5.00 to $106.81, with a median of $33.55. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $28.55 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $45.36 at 103 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 7 cities for code 84450, 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 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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 PN AST | $5.00 | $5.57 | $1.67–$154.77 | 10% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 TRANSFERASE (AST) (SGOT) | $5.00 | $154.77 | $1.67–$154.77 | 97% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $21.32 | $41.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $21.32 | $41.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO AST SGOT | $21.32 | $41.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Scrmer Hc-Ast(Sgot) | $26.25 | $35.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Scrmer Cv-Ast(Sgot) | $26.25 | $35.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Liver Enzyme (Sgot), Level | $33.55 | $61.00 | $5.18–$82.35 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Ast(Sgot) | $33.75 | $45.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Sgot Enzyme | $47.25 | $63.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Transferase Ast/Sgot | $55.50 | $74.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO (AST) (SGOT) - AST (SGOT) | $69.75 | $93.00 | $1.00–$83.70 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO (AST) (SGOT) - AST (SGOT) | $69.75 | $93.00 | $1.00–$625.89 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO (AST) (SGOT) - AST (SGOT) | $69.75 | $93.00 | $1.00–$74.40 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC TRANSFERASE ASPARTATE AMINO (AST) (SGOT) - AST (SGOT) | $69.75 | $93.00 | $13.02–$83.70 | 25% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Body Fluid Sgot | $92.25 | $123.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Sgot (Ast) | $99.00 | $132.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 Aspartate aminotransferase | $106.81 | $178.02 | $4.45–$140.46 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $5.00, median $33.55, highest $106.81 — a 21.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $51.65. 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 7 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 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
AST is an enzyme found in the liver, muscles and heart. It is measured together with ALT to look for liver injury, and the ratio between them gives clues to the cause.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 84450 ($36.78). 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.
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CAAST (SGOT) LC | $2.48 | file |