Chickenpox immunity test cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for chickenpox (varicella) immunity blood test: from $6.00 to $91.00, with a median of $8.23. The lowest listed price is at Grossmont Hospital and 3 other hospitals — $2.23 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $37.90 at 181 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 8 cities for code 86787, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grossmont Hospital lowest La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC VARICELLA ZOSTER AB source file | $6.00 | $8.00 | $0.51–$119.86 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center lowest Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC VARICELLA ZOSTER AB source file | $6.00 | $8.00 | $1.00–$7.84 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center lowest Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC VARICELLA ZOSTER AB source file | $6.00 | $8.00 | $0.51–$95.09 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital lowest San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC VARICELLA ZOSTER AB source file | $6.00 | $8.00 | $1.12–$7.84 | 25% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Varicella Zoster Antibody IgM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6.71 | $11.19 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA Varicella Zoster Antibody IgM File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $6.71 | $11.19 | — | 40% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rs Varicella-Zoster Ab Igg File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $9.75 | $13.00 | — | 25% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 PN ENCEPH CSF, VAR ZOS AB LC2+9 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $12.00 | $19.66 | $5.90–$83.13 | 39% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC MENINPNL CSF V ZOST source file | $12.31 | $16.41 | $1.10–$2,034.14 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC MENINPNL CSF V ZOST source file | $12.31 | $16.41 | $1.00–$13.13 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC MENINPNL CSF V ZOST source file | $12.31 | $16.41 | $1.00–$1,730.91 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC MENINPNL CSF V ZOST source file | $12.31 | $16.41 | $1.00–$16.08 | 25% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Analysis For Antibody To Varicella-Zoster Virus (Chicken Pox) File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $68.75 | $125.00 | $12.88–$168.75 | 45% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC VARICELLA-ZOSTER - VARICELLA ZOSTER IGG source file | $81.00 | $108.00 | $0.52–$97.20 | 25% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC VARICELLA-ZOSTER - VARICELLA ZOSTER IGG source file | $81.00 | $108.00 | $8.90–$86.40 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC VARICELLA-ZOSTER - VARICELLA ZOSTER IGG source file | $81.00 | $108.00 | $1.10–$625.89 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC VARICELLA-ZOSTER - VARICELLA ZOSTER IGG source file | $81.00 | $108.00 | $1.15–$105.84 | 25% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ANTIBODY VARICELLA-ZOSTER source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 ANTIBODY VARICELLA-ZOSTER source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 ANTIBODY VARICELLA-ZOSTER source file | $91.00 | $175.00 | $8.00–$25.00 | 48% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Varicella-Zoster Ab Igm+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $92.25 | $123.00 | — | 25% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Vzv Igg File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $113.25 | $151.00 | — | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $6.00, median $8.23, highest $91.00 — a 15.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $6.71. 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 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 varicella antibody test shows whether you are immune to chickenpox. It is used by schools, health care employers and before pregnancy when vaccine records are missing.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.
7 rows held back from this comparison
They are priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 86787 ($58.73). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CAHC V ZOSTER AB IGG | $3.75 | file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CAHC V ZOSTER AB IGG | $3.75 | file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CAHC V ZOSTER AB IGG | $3.75 | file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CAHC V ZOSTER AB IGG | $3.75 | file |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CAVaricella Zoster Antibody IgG | $4.20 | file |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CAVaricella Zoster Antibody IgG | $4.20 | file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CAAnalysis for antibody to varicella-zoster virus (chicken pox) | $5.09 | file |