Vaginal birth cost in California
In California, 10 hospitals publish a cash price for vaginal delivery, including prenatal and postpartum care: from $936.62 to $5,801.00, with a median of $2,817.00. The lowest price is at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles). The highest price is 6.2× the lowest.
- The median here, $2,817.00, is 26% below the US median of $3,815.00.
- California ranks 3rd of 16 states by median, cheapest first.
- 2 of 10 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.
Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 59400. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map
Lowest$936.62Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Median$2,817.00half of hospitals charge less
Highest$5,801.00in California
Lowest saves$1,880.38vs the median
Hospitals in California, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | File date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedars-Sinai Medical Center lowest Los Angeles · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Outpatient Surgical Group 2 | $936.62 | $1,440.95 | Nov 26, 2025 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center - Murrieta Murrieta · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC VAG DEL PLUS ANTE/POST PARTUM | $1,675.80 | $3,724.00 | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Ridgecrest Regional Hospital Ridgecrest · Bakersfield-Delano, CA Comprehensive obstetrical care including | $1,785.01 | $3,367.94 | Nov 6, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Childrens Hospital Loma Linda · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC VAG DEL PLUS ANTE/POST PARTUM | $2,102.40 | $4,672.00 | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Oroville Hospital Oroville · Chico, CA Obstetric care, planned vaginal delivery | $2,414.00 | $4,828.00 | — source file |
| USC Arcadia Hospital Arcadia · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA NORMAL VAGINAL DELIVERY | $3,220.00 | $9,200.00 | Jul 27, 2026 source file |
| Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC VAG DEL PLUS ANTE/POST PARTUM | $4,168.80 | $9,264.00 | Sep 2, 2026 source file |
| Riverside University Medical Center Moreno Valley · Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA HC Vag Del Plus Ante/Post Partum | $4,305.22 | $4,305.22 | Mar 30, 2026 source file |
| Plumas District Hospital Quincy · Quincy, CA Vaginal delivery with care before and after delivery | $5,202.40 | $6,503.00 | Nov 6, 2026 source file |
| Northern Inyo Hospital Bishop · Bishop, CA 59400 Routine obstetric care including antepartum care, vaginal delivery, postpartum care | $5,801.00 | $5,801.00 | Oct 1, 2024 source file |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
File date When the hospital last updated its price file, as the file says itself. A dash means the file gives no date.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
By metro area
Each metro page compares every listing, including prices for both sides of the body.
| Metro area | Hospitals | Lowest | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 4 | $1,675.80 | $3,135.60 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2 | $936.62 | $2,078.31 |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 1 | $1,785.01 | $1,785.01 |
| Bishop, CA | 1 | $5,801.00 | $5,801.00 |
| Chico, CA | 1 | $2,414.00 | $2,414.00 |
| Quincy, CA | 1 | $5,202.40 | $5,202.40 |
Market A metro area (as the Census Bureau defines it) or, outside metro areas, a town. Each links to every hospital price there.
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Lowest The lowest cash price among those hospitals.
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
What vaginal birth is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Vaginal birth explained.
Vaginal delivery, including prenatal and postpartum care in other states
- Alabama$2,135.87, 1 hospital
- Alaska$2,017.19, 2 hospitals
- Arkansas$3,111.70, 4 hospitals
- Connecticut$1,367.19, 1 hospital
- Georgia$3,092.50, 2 hospitals
- Hawaii$3,793.35, 2 hospitals
- Idaho$4,565.10, 2 hospitals
- Illinois$4,634.45
- Indiana$2,195.45, 1 hospital
- Iowa$4,099.00
- Kansas$3,894.23
- Kentucky$483.12, 1 hospital
- Louisiana$2,039.82, 2 hospitals
- Maine$9,705.13, 2 hospitals
- Maryland$3,468.00, 1 hospital
- Massachusetts$6,793.00
- Michigan$3,283.20
- Minnesota$3,167.78
- Mississippi$490.82, 1 hospital
- Missouri$2,808.80, 4 hospitals
- Montana$4,818.35, 4 hospitals
- Nebraska$4,542.50
- New Hampshire$2,705.65, 3 hospitals
- New Jersey$5,339.00
- New Mexico$2,976.50, 3 hospitals
- New York$3,150.00
- Ohio$4,209.60
- Oklahoma$2,278.00, 1 hospital
- Oregon$6,990.75
- Pennsylvania$3,815.00
- South Carolina$1,879.00, 1 hospital
- South Dakota$5,606.00, 1 hospital
- Tennessee$490.82
- Texas$2,680.40
- Utah$2,641.91, 1 hospital
- Vermont$2,985.75, 1 hospital
- Washington$4,798.79
- West Virginia$3,770.00, 2 hospitals
- Wisconsin$4,589.60, 1 hospital
Median cash price across the state's hospitals.