Free T3 test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 9 hospitals list a cash price for Free T3 thyroid hormone test: from $16.00 to $141.00, with a median of $119.25. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $103.25 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $63.50 at 97 hospitals.
Cash prices at 9 facilities across 6 cities for code 84481, 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 TRIIODOTHYR FREE | $16.00 | $97.83 | $13.69–$97.83 | 84% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA ASSAY OF TRIIODOTHYRONINE T3 FREE | $52.52 | $101.00 | $12.00–$35.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA ASSAY OF TRIIODOTHYRONINE T3 FREE | $52.52 | $101.00 | $12.00–$35.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA ASSAY OF TRIIODOTHYRONINE T3 FREE | $52.52 | $101.00 | $12.00–$35.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rsp Triiodothyronine Free | $119.25 | $159.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Rsp Triiodothyronine Free 301 | $119.25 | $159.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA Smh Triiodothyronine T3 Free | $141.00 | $188.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA HC TRIIODOTHYRONINE FREE ASSAY (FT-3) - T3 FREE | $141.00 | $188.00 | $0.36–$169.20 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA HC TRIIODOTHYRONINE FREE ASSAY (FT-3) - T3 FREE | $141.00 | $188.00 | $1.00–$150.40 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital Corporation La Mesa, CA HC TRIIODOTHYRONINE FREE ASSAY (FT-3) - T3 FREE | $141.00 | $188.00 | $1.00–$6,868.48 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA HC TRIIODOTHYRONINE FREE ASSAY (FT-3) - T3 FREE | $141.00 | $188.00 | $1.00–$150.40 | 25% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $16.00, median $119.25, highest $141.00 — a 8.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 8 facilities here, median $130.13. 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 5 of 8 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
Free T3 is the active thyroid hormone not bound to proteins. It is usually checked after TSH (84443) and free T4 (84439), mainly when an overactive thyroid is suspected.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
5 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 84481 ($85.20). 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.
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CAHC FREE T3 | $3.75 | file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CAHC FREE T3 | $3.75 | file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CAHC FREE T3 | $3.75 | file |
| Grossmont Hospital Corporation La Mesa, CAHC FREE T3 | $3.75 | file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CAThyroid hormone T3 measurement free | $4.30 | file |