Pap smear cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for Pap test (liquid-based, automated screening with review): from $26.00 to $100.36, with a median of $100.36. The lowest listed price is at Paradise Valley Hospital — $74.36 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $91.84 at 47 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 88175, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 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 PAP IG RFX HPV ASCU LC194074 | $26.00 | $26.61 | $4.70–$26.61 | 2% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 PAP SCREEN BY AUTO, REVIEW | $26.00 | $26.61 | $4.70–$26.61 | 2% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 PN PAP IG,CYTO TLP SCR LC1 | $26.00 | $26.61 | $4.70–$26.61 | 2% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Paradise Valley Hospital lowest National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 PN PAP HPV,NAP AMP CHL TRA LC1 | $26.00 | $26.61 | $4.70–$26.61 | 2% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA CYTP C/V AUTO THIN LYR PREPJ SCR MNL RESCR PHYS | $100.36 | $193.00 | $22.00–$65.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 CYTP C/V AUTO THIN LYR PREPJ SCR MNL RESCR PHYS | $100.36 | $193.00 | $22.00–$65.00 | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CYTP C/V AUTO THIN LYR PREPJ SCR MNL RESCR PHYS | $100.36 | $193.00 | $22.00–$65.00 | 48% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $26.00, median $100.36, highest $100.36 — a 3.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $100.36. 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 1 of 4 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 Pap test checks cells from the cervix for changes that could lead to cancer. This code is the liquid-based Pap read by an automated system with review by a lab specialist.
What the price covers
The price covers the lab exam of the sample. Collecting it is part of the visit, which is billed separately.