Urine culture cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 11 hospitals list a cash price for urine culture for bacteria, with colony count: from $8.00 to $195.00, with a median of $139.36. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $131.36 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $139.36 at 93 hospitals.
Cash prices at 11 facilities across 7 cities for code 87086, 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 CULT URINE COL COUNT | $8.00 | $206.75 | $6.48–$206.75 | 96% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 URINE CULTURE LC008847 | $8.00 | $46.60 | $6.48–$206.75 | 83% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Scripps Nicu-Urine Culture | $52.50 | $70.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Urine Culture Quant Colony Cn | $86.25 | $115.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Urine Culture Quant | $86.25 | $115.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rsp Culture Urine Quant Count | $86.25 | $115.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Bacterial Colony Count, Urine | $112.75 | $205.00 | $8.07–$276.75 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 Urine Culture | $121.10 | $201.83 | $5.71–$159.24 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA CULTURE BACTERIAL QUANTTATIVE COLONY COUNT URINE | $139.36 | $268.00 | $5.00–$15.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 CULTURE BACTERIAL QUANTTATIVE COLONY COUNT URINE | $139.36 | $268.00 | $5.00–$15.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA CULTURE BACTERIAL QUANTTATIVE COLONY COUNT URINE | $139.36 | $268.00 | $5.00–$15.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Liv-Urine Culture | $150.75 | $201.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Lab-Urine Culture | $168.75 | $225.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC URINE CULTURE QUANT COLON | $195.00 | $260.00 | $1.00–$254.80 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC URINE CULTURE QUANT COLON | $195.00 | $260.00 | $1.00–$200.20 | 25% | — source file |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC URINE CULTURE QUANT COLON | $195.00 | $260.00 | $1.00–$254.80 | 25% | — source file |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC URINE CULTURE QUANT COLON | $195.00 | $260.00 | $1.30–$208.00 | 25% | — source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Urine Culture Quant Colony | $255.75 | $341.00 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $8.00, median $139.36, highest $195.00 — a 24.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $139.36. 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
A urine culture grows bacteria from a urine sample in the lab and counts how many colonies appear. It is used to confirm a urinary tract infection, especially when symptoms return or first treatment does not work.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the culture and colony count. If bacteria grow, identifying them and testing which antibiotics work are separate codes with their own charges.