Chemotherapy infusion cost in San Diego, CA
In San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, 17 hospitals list a cash price for chemotherapy IV infusion, first hour: from $404.25 to $1,971.00, with a median of $709.85. The lowest listed price is at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego — $305.60 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $873.60 at 170 hospitals.
- The median here, $709.85, is 19% above the US median of $596.05.
- That is 2.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($337.46).
- San Diego, CA has the lowest median of 5 metro areas in California with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- Every hospital here lists a cash price below its full list price.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 10 cities for code 96413, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego lowest San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Chemother, Iv Infusion, 1 Hr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $404.25 | $539.00 | — | 25% |
| Paradise Valley Hospital National City, CA · (619) 470-4321 CHEMO IV SNGL/INTL 1ST HR - 96413 - 0960542+8 more lines at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $422.00 | $892.71 | $28.59–$892.71 | 53% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Chemo IV Inf 1hr Initl File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $467.31 | $1,869.24 | $149.54–$1,495.39 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas Encinitas, CA · (760) 753-6501 HC Chemo IV Inf 1hr Initl File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $467.31 | $1,869.24 | $149.54–$1,495.39 | 75% |
| Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista San Diego, CA · (619) 294-8111 HC Chemo IV Inf 1hr Initl File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $467.31 | $1,869.24 | $149.54–$1,495.39 | 75% |
| Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla La Jolla, CA · (858) 626-4123 HC Chemo IV Inf 1hr Initl File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $467.31 | $1,869.24 | $149.54–$1,495.39 | 75% |
| Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla, CA · (858) 554-3600 HC Chemo IV Inf 1hr Initl File of Mar 30, 2026 · source file | $467.31 | $1,869.24 | $149.54–$1,495.39 | 75% |
| Palomar Medical Center Poway Poway, CA · (858) 485-6511 Chemo IV Infusion 1st Hour+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $709.85 | $1,183.08 | — | 40% |
| Palomar Medical Center Escondido Escondido, CA OBS Chemo Inf 1st Hr+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $709.85 | $1,183.08 | — | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Marcos San Marcos, CA · (760) 528-6295 CHEMOTX ADMN IV NFS TQ UP 1 HR 1/1ST SBST/DRUG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $873.60 | $1,680.00 | — | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Clairemont Mesa San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CHEMOTX ADMN IV NFS TQ UP 1 HR 1/1ST SBST/DRUG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $873.60 | $1,680.00 | — | 48% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego - Zion San Diego, CA · (619) 528-5000 CHEMOTX ADMN IV NFS TQ UP 1 HR 1/1ST SBST/DRUG File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $873.60 | $1,680.00 | — | 48% |
| Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego San Diego, CA · (858) 576-1700 Rch Chemo Adm Intraven Inf<1Hr,Initial Sub+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,064.25 | $1,419.00 | — | 25% |
| UC San Diego Medical Center San Diego, CA · (619) 543-6222 Infusion Of Chemotherapy Into A Vein Up To 1 Hour File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,547.15 | $2,813.00 | $28.59–$3,797.55 | 45% |
| Sharp Memorial Hospital San Diego, CA · (858) 939-3400 HC CHEMOTHER IV INFUSION 1 HR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,971.00 | $2,628.00 | $1.15–$41,068.46 | 25% |
| Grossmont Hospital La Mesa, CA · (619) 465-0711 HC CHEMOTHER IV INFUSION 1 HR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,971.00 | $2,628.00 | $1.00–$2,154.96 | 25% |
| Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center Coronado, CA · (619) 435-6251 HC CHEMOTHER IV INFUSION 1 HR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,971.00 | $2,628.00 | $1.00–$2,102.40 | 25% |
| Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Chula Vista, CA · (619) 502-5800 HC CHEMOTHER IV INFUSION 1 HR File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $1,971.00 | $2,628.00 | $1.00–$2,575.44 | 25% |
Outpatient: lowest $404.25, median $709.85, highest $1,971.00 — a 4.9× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $791.73. 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 11 of 11 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 chemotherapy infusion is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Chemotherapy infusion explained.