Chickenpox vaccine (Varivax) cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 6 hospitals list a cash price for chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, live (Varivax): from $313.07 to $812.02, with a median of $387.12. The lowest listed price is at Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa and 2 other hospitals — $74.05 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $313.07 at 69 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 3 cities for code 90716, 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 May 29, 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 "varicella virus live (PF) vaccine 1,350 unit/0.5 mL Recon susp 1 Each VIAL" | $313.07 | $602.06 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos lowest San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 "varicella virus live (PF) vaccine 1,350 unit/0.5 mL Recon susp 1 Each VIAL" | $313.07 | $602.06 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion lowest San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 "varicella virus live (PF) vaccine 1,350 unit/0.5 mL Recon susp 1 Each VIAL" | $313.07 | $602.06 | — | 48% | — source file |
| Tri-City Medical Center Oceanside, CA · (760) 724-8411 varicella virus vaccine SubQ Inj [CITY] | $461.17 | $768.61 | $153.72–$538.03 | 40% | May 29, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Vaccine Varicella (Chicken Pox) Live Subcutaneous | $516.45 | $939.00 | $187.80–$939.00 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 VARICELLA VIRUS VACCINE LIVE 1350 PFU/0.5ML SC INJ (CUSTOM) | $570.59 | $1,037.43 | $195.83–$1,037.43 | 45% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 NDC Description Not Available | $812.02 | $1,082.69 | — | 25% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $313.07, median $387.12, highest $812.02 — a 2.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 6 facilities here, median $387.12. 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 2 of 2 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
The chickenpox (varicella) vaccine protects against chickenpox. Children get two doses; teens and adults without evidence of immunity get two doses 4 to 8 weeks apart.
What the price covers
The price is for one dose.