BUN test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test: from $8.55 to $106.81, with a median of $21.00. The lowest listed price is at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas and 4 other hospitals — $12.45 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $36.71 at 199 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 10 cities for code 84520, 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 May 29, 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 Urea Nitrogenbf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8.55 | $34.21 | $2.74–$27.37 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Urea Nitrogenbf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8.55 | $34.21 | $2.74–$27.37 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla lowest La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Urea Nitrogenbf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8.55 | $34.21 | $2.74–$27.37 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Urea Nitrogenbf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8.55 | $34.21 | $2.74–$27.37 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Urea Nitrogenbf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $8.55 | $34.21 | $2.74–$27.37 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Urea Nitrogen, Blood,Bf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.21 | $36.86 | $2.95–$29.49 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Urea Nitrogen, Blood,Bf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.21 | $36.86 | $2.95–$29.49 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Urea Nitrogen, Blood,Bf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.21 | $36.86 | $2.95–$29.49 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Urea Nitrogen, Blood,Bf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.21 | $36.86 | $2.95–$29.49 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Urea Nitrogen, Blood,Bf File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $9.21 | $36.86 | $2.95–$29.49 | 75% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Urea Nitrogen Level To Assess Kidney Function File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $19.25 | $35.00 | $3.95–$47.25 | 45% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Urea Nitrogen Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $19.94 | $33.24 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Urea Nitrogen Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $19.94 | $33.24 | — | 40% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Urea Nitrogen, Blood File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $21.00 | $28.00 | — | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Blood Urea Nitrogen+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $35.25 | $47.00 | — | 25% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ASSAY OF UREA NITROGEN QUANTITATIVE source file | $36.92 | $71.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ASSAY OF UREA NITROGEN QUANTITATIVE source file | $36.92 | $71.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 ASSAY OF UREA NITROGEN QUANTITATIVE source file | $36.92 | $71.00 | $3.00–$10.00 | 48% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Blood Urea Nitrogen File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $57.00 | $76.00 | — | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC ASSAY UREA NITROGEN QUAN - BLOOD UREA NITROGEN source file | $77.25 | $103.00 | $0.52–$92.70 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC ASSAY UREA NITROGEN QUAN - BLOOD UREA NITROGEN source file | $77.25 | $103.00 | $15.45–$82.40 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC ASSAY UREA NITROGEN QUAN - BLOOD UREA NITROGEN source file | $77.25 | $103.00 | $1.00–$92.70 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC ASSAY UREA NITROGEN QUAN - BLOOD UREA NITROGEN source file | $77.25 | $103.00 | $1.00–$100.94 | 25% |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 Urea Nitrogen Level 24 Hour Urine+1 more line at this price File of May 29, 2026 · source file | $106.81 | $178.02 | $3.18–$140.46 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $8.55, median $21.00, highest $106.81 — a 12.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $21.00. 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 14 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 BUN test measures urea nitrogen, a waste product removed by the kidneys. It is used with creatinine to check kidney function and hydration.
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 84520 ($34.29). 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, CABUN LC | $2.48 | file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CAUrea Nitrogen (Body Fluid) LC | $2.48 | file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CAUREA NITROGEN, BODY FL LC | $3.00 | file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CAUREA NITROGEN QUAN | $3.00 | file |