COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer) cost in Boston, MA — inpatient
In Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 4 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech), age 12 and older as an inpatient: from $132.30 to $315.00, with a median of $312.38. The lowest listed price is at Boston Medical Center — $180.08 less than the median here. Across Massachusetts, the median is $409.33 at 10 hospitals.
Cash prices at 4 facilities across 3 cities for code 91320, as an inpatient (admitted to hospital) . Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between — and —.
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 | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Medical Center lowest Boston, MA · (617) 638-8000 HC Sarscv2 Vac 30mcg Trs-Suc Im | $132.30 | $294.00 | $105.84–$512.54 | 55% | — source file |
| Tufts Medical Center Boston, MA · (617) 636-5000 HC Pbb Imm Sarscv2 Vac 30mcg Trs-Suc Im | $309.75 | $442.50 | $116.20–$442.50 | 30% | — source file |
| Lowell General Hospital Lowell, MA · (978) 937-6000 HC Pbb Imm Sarscv2 Vac 30mcg Trs-Suc Im | $315.00 | $450.00 | $130.21–$450.00 | 30% | — source file |
| Melrosewakefield Healthcare Melrose, MA · (781) 979-3000 HC Pbb Imm Sarscv2 Vac 30mcg Trs-Suc Im | $315.00 | $450.00 | $127.72–$530.75 | 30% | — source file |
Inpatient: lowest $132.30, median $312.38, highest $315.00 — a 2.4× difference within the same market.
As an outpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $312.38 — that is the price to compare if you are not being admitted.
Cash or insurance?
At 4 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
This code is the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people 12 and older, updated each season to match circulating variants. Who is advised to get it changed in 2025, so check current guidance with a doctor or pharmacist.
What the price covers
The price is for the vaccine dose. Giving the shot is billed separately, for COVID-19 vaccines with code 90480 rather than 90471.