Flu shot cost in Boston, MA
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 13 hospitals list a cash price for flu shot, standard dose, preservative-free, for age 6 months and older: from $16.20 to $290.50, with a median of $103.34. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center Brighton and 1 other hospital — $87.14 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $52.25 at 17 hospitals.
- The median here, $103.34, is 181% above the US median of $36.75.
- 7 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 11 cities for code 90656, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 3, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 28, 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center Brighton lowest Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 HC Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 0.5 Ml Dosage Im Usage File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $16.20 | $36.00 | $20.76–$475.07 | 55% |
| Boston Medical Center lowest Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 0.5 Ml Dosage Im Usage File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $16.20 | $36.00 | $12.96–$512.54 | 55% |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 IIV3 VACC NO PRSV 0.5 ML IM File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $17.11 | $24.43 | $9.04–$28.44 | 30% |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 VACC; FLUARIX (PRCHSD) File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $17.50 | $25.00 | $9.25–$28.44 | 30% |
| Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Brockton, MA · (508) 941-7000 VACC; FLUARIX PF/LF (PRCHSD)+1 more line at this price File of Jan 28, 2026 · source file | $21.00 | $30.00 | $11.10–$28.44 | 30% |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 FLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $22.53 | $50.06 | $17.84–$512.54 | 55% |
| Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge, MA · (617) 665-1000 HC Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 0.5 Ml Dosage Im Use File of Mar 20, 2026 · source file | $25.00 | $25.00 | $12.98–$50.42 | — |
| Boston Medical Center Brighton Boston, MA · (617) 789-3000 FLU VACC TS2025-26 (36 MOS UP)(PF)45 MCG (15 MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $33.62 | $74.71 | $20.76–$475.07 | 55% |
| Boston Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 FLU VACC TS2025-26 (36 MOS UP)(PF)45 MCG (15 MCG X3)/0.5 ML IM SYRINGE File of Mar 13, 2026 · source file | $33.62 | $74.71 | $19.77–$512.54 | 55% |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 FLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.69 | $48.13 | $16.85–$48.62 | 30% |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 FLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $33.69 | $48.13 | $16.85–$530.75 | 30% |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Pbb Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 6mo and Up Im U File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.34 | $147.63 | $19.11–$530.75 | 30% |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Pbb Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 6mo and Up Im U File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.34 | $147.63 | $0.01–$147.63 | 30% |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Pbb Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 6mo and Up Im U File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $103.34 | $147.63 | $18.14–$147.63 | 30% |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 PR Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 6mo and Up Im Use File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $104.55 | $149.36 | $19.26–$149.36 | 30% |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 PR Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 6mo and Up Im Use File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $104.57 | $149.39 | $18.14–$149.39 | 30% |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 PR Iiv3 Vacc Preservative Free 6mo and Up Im Use File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $104.57 | $149.39 | $19.11–$530.75 | 30% |
| Portsmouth Regional Hospital Portsmouth, NH · (603) 436-5110 FLUZONE TRI 0.5 ML PF IM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $111.00 | $111.00 | $4.57–$105.45 | — |
| Seabrook Emergency Seabrook, NH · (603) 436-5110 FLUZONE TRI 0.5 ML PF IM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $111.00 | $111.00 | $4.57–$105.45 | — |
| Dover Emergency Room Dover, NH · (603) 436-5110 FLUZONE TRI 0.5 ML PF IM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $111.00 | $111.00 | $4.57–$105.45 | — |
| Frisbie Memorial Hospital Rochester, NH · (603) 332-5211 Influenza virus vaccine, trivalent (IIV3), split virus, preservative free, 0.5 mL dosage, for intramuscular use +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $177.00 | $177.00 | $14.58–$141.60 | — |
| Plaistow Fser Plaistow, NH · (603) 421-2100 FLUZONE TRI 0.5 ML PF IM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $290.50 | $290.50 | $8.98–$275.98 | — |
| Parkland Medical Center Derry, NH · (603) 421-2100 FLUZONE TRI 0.5 ML PF IM File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $290.50 | $290.50 | $8.98–$275.98 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $16.20, median $103.34, highest $290.50 — a 17.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 7 facilities here, median $25.00. 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 7 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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 flu shot is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Flu shot explained.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 90656 ($45.75). 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MAFLU VACCINE TS 2025-26(6MOS UP)(PF) 45 MCG(15MCG X | $0.01 | file |