Flu shot cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 4 hospitals list a cash price for flu shot, standard dose, preservative-free, for age 6 months and older: from $27.04 to $58.07, with a median of $27.04. The lowest listed price is at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa and 2 other hospitals. Across California, the median is $33.60 at 66 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 2 cities for code 90656, 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 Apr 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa lowest San Diego, CA IIV3 VACC PRESERVATIVE FREE 0.5 ML DOSAGE IM USE | $27.04 | $52.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 IIV3 VACC PRESERVATIVE FREE 0.5 ML DOSAGE IM USE | $27.04 | $52.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos lowest San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 IIV3 VACC PRESERVATIVE FREE 0.5 ML DOSAGE IM USE | $27.04 | $52.00 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 flu vaccine TS 2025-26 (6 mos up) PF 45 mcg (15 mcg x 3)/0.5 mL Syringe 0.5 mL SYRINGE | $45.31 | $87.13 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA flu vaccine TS 2025-26 (6 mos up) PF 45 mcg (15 mcg x 3)/0.5 mL Syringe 0.5 mL SYRINGE | $45.31 | $87.13 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 flu vaccine TS 2025-26 (6 mos up) PF 45 mcg (15 mcg x 3)/0.5 mL Syringe 0.5 mL SYRINGE | $45.31 | $87.13 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 flu vaccine TS 2025-26 (36 mos up) PF 45 mcg (15 mcg x 3)/0.5 mL Syringe 0.5 mL SYRINGE | $48.59 | $93.45 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA flu vaccine TS 2025-26 (36 mos up) PF 45 mcg (15 mcg x 3)/0.5 mL Syringe 0.5 mL SYRINGE | $48.59 | $93.45 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 flu vaccine TS 2025-26 (36 mos up) PF 45 mcg (15 mcg x 3)/0.5 mL Syringe 0.5 mL SYRINGE | $48.59 | $93.45 | — | 48% | — source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 INFLUENZA VIRUS VACC SPLIT PF 0.5 ML IM SUSY | $58.07 | $105.59 | $12.67–$142.55 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Vaccine Influenza Trivalent Split Virus Preservative Free 0.50 Ml Im | $58.60 | $106.54 | $12.78–$143.83 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $27.04, median $27.04, highest $58.07 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $27.04. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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 standard-dose flu shot protects against the influenza strains expected in the coming season, and the formula changes every year. This code is the preservative-free version given to most people.
What the price covers
The price is for the vaccine dose. Giving the shot is usually a separate line (code 90471 for the first vaccine of the visit); Medicare bills use G0008 instead.