C-section cost without insurance
The median hospital cash price for cesarean delivery, including prenatal and postpartum care is $4,523.29 across 185 US hospitals; most list between $2,190.50 and $10,034.40. The lowest outpatient cash price in any of 128 markets is $514.61. Prices come from each hospital's own price file; pick your area below to compare hospitals side by side.
Collected Nov 7, 2026 Each price links to its source file All Pregnancy and birth costs
Cash or insurance?
If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you pay the rate your plan negotiated with the hospital, not the cash price. Hospital price files list those rates too: for C-section, the highest negotiated rate in a hospital's file has a median of $6,376.00 and the lowest a median of $2,018.00. At 128 of 155 hospitals that publish both, the cash price is below the highest negotiated rate.
With a high deductible, cash can cost less. But a cash payment may not count toward your deductible or out-of-pocket maximum: ask your plan for its rate at that hospital (most have a cost estimator) and whether it will credit a cash payment.
Plan's rate starts at the median highest negotiated rate and cash at the national median; put in your own numbers. Nothing you type leaves your device. To price a whole year with premiums, use the insurance or cash calculator.
What is CPT 59510?
This is a 'global' maternity code for routine prenatal care, a cesarean delivery and postpartum care. It covers the doctor's services from early pregnancy through recovery after the C-section.
What the price covers
It covers the surgeon's obstetric care. The hospital's operating room and stay, anesthesia, lab tests, ultrasounds and the newborn's care are billed separately.
Why prices differ
Prices vary because a C-section involves a longer hospital stay and anesthesia, and hospitals list different combinations of professional and facility fees.
What to ask
Ask whether the self-pay price for CPT 59510 includes the hospital stay and anesthesia or only the doctor's fee.
Prices by state
Among 15 states with at least 5 hospitals listing a cash price, the median is lowest in Michigan ($2,909.65), Minnesota ($3,560.64) and Iowa ($3,580.00), and highest in Georgia ($13,051.00), New York ($6,220.28) and Pennsylvania ($5,683.43).
Median outpatient cash price, one line per hospital. Pick a state to see every hospital, cheapest first.
- Alabama$3,028.77, 4 hospitals
- Arkansas$3,845.84, 2 hospitals
- California$5,140.38
- Colorado$17,378.50, 1 hospital
- Georgia$13,051.00
- Idaho$4,963.51, 2 hospitals
- Illinois$5,124.90
- Indiana$2,560.74, 1 hospital
- Iowa$3,580.00
- Kansas$3,624.48
- Kentucky$2,825.90, 1 hospital
- Louisiana$2,097.65, 2 hospitals
- Maine$6,410.25, 3 hospitals
- Maryland$2,601.00, 1 hospital
- Michigan$2,909.65
- Minnesota$3,560.64
- Missouri$4,476.00
- Montana$5,658.57, 4 hospitals
- Nebraska$4,935.50
- New Hampshire$2,568.27, 2 hospitals
- New Jersey$5,339.00
- New Mexico$3,251.54, 3 hospitals
- New York$6,220.28
- Ohio$4,782.00
- Oklahoma$5,698.68, 2 hospitals
- Oregon$7,765.50, 3 hospitals
- Pennsylvania$5,683.43
- South Carolina$2,322.00, 1 hospital
- South Dakota$6,793.00, 1 hospital
- Tennessee$1,554.60, 1 hospital
- Texas$4,155.91
- Utah$3,111.00, 1 hospital
- Vermont$3,306.00, 1 hospital
- Washington$4,988.93, 4 hospitals
- Wisconsin$5,437.94
Prices by market
Outpatient cash prices. “×” is how many times the highest price in that market exceeds the lowest.
| Market | Hospitals | Lowest | Median | Highest | × |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron, OH | 1 | $6,614.25 | $6,614.25 | $6,614.25 | 1.0× |
| Alliance, NE single city | 1 | $4,342.40 | $4,342.40 | $4,342.40 | 1.0× |
| Altoona, PA | 1 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | 1.0× |
| Appleton, WI | 2 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| Arkansas City-Winfield, KS | 1 | $8,360.00 | $8,360.00 | $8,360.00 | 1.0× |
| Astoria, OR | 1 | $7,765.50 | $7,765.50 | $7,765.50 | 1.0× |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 7 | $13,051.00 | $13,051.00 | $13,051.00 | 1.0× |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 7 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | 1.0× |
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | 1 | $1,779.61 | $1,779.61 | $1,779.61 | 1.0× |
| Bangor, ME | 1 | $3,488.83 | $3,488.83 | $3,488.83 | 1.0× |
| Beatrice, NE | 1 | $5,664.00 | $5,664.00 | $5,664.00 | 1.0× |
| Berlin, WI single city | 1 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| Birmingham, AL | 2 | $2,357.54 | $3,028.77 | $3,700.00 | 1.6× |
| Bishop, CA | 1 | $6,961.00 | $6,961.00 | $6,961.00 | 1.0× |
| Boulder, CO | 1 | $17,378.50 | $17,378.50 | $17,378.50 | 1.0× |
| Bozeman, MT | 2 | $7,088.00 | $7,088.00 | $7,088.00 | 1.0× |
| Brenham, TX | 1 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | 1.0× |
| Brookville, PA single city | 1 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | 1.0× |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 1 | $7,028.89 | $7,028.89 | $7,028.89 | 1.0× |
| Cambridge, NE single city | 1 | $5,547.60 | $5,547.60 | $5,547.60 | 1.0× |
| Camden, AR | 1 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $3,000.00 | 1.0× |
| Canton-Massillon, OH | 1 | $4,826.70 | $4,826.70 | $4,826.70 | 1.0× |
| Carroll, IA | 1 | $5,877.24 | $5,877.24 | $5,877.24 | 1.0× |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 1 | $6,795.00 | $6,795.00 | $6,795.00 | 1.0× |
| Charles City, IA single city | 1 | $2,165.60 | $2,165.60 | $2,165.60 | 1.0× |
| Charleston-Mattoon, IL | 1 | $5,374.00 | $5,374.00 | $5,374.00 | 1.0× |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 4 | $1,194.58 | $2,290.98 | $5,335.40 | 4.5× |
| Chico, CA | 1 | $1,920.00 | $1,920.00 | $1,920.00 | 1.0× |
| Clinton, MO single city | 1 | $3,852.00 | $3,852.00 | $3,852.00 | 1.0× |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 1 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | 1.0× |
| Corydon, IA single city | 1 | $6,651.00 | $6,651.00 | $6,651.00 | 1.0× |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 1 | $2,601.00 | $2,601.00 | $2,601.00 | 1.0× |
| Demopolis, AL single city | 1 | $4,800.00 | $4,800.00 | $4,800.00 | 1.0× |
| Denison, IA single city | 1 | $3,244.00 | $3,244.00 | $3,244.00 | 1.0× |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 1 | $3,580.00 | $3,580.00 | $3,580.00 | 1.0× |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 2 | $3,792.01 | $3,792.01 | $3,792.01 | 1.0× |
| DuBois, PA | 2 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | 1.0× |
| Duluth, MN-WI | 1 | $3,011.20 | $3,011.20 | $3,011.20 | 1.0× |
| Durant, OK | 1 | $8,871.35 | $8,871.35 | $8,871.35 | 1.0× |
| El Paso, TX | 2 | $514.61 | $514.61 | $514.61 | 1.0× |
| Ellensburg, WA | 1 | $4,601.05 | $4,601.05 | $4,601.05 | 1.0× |
| Farmington, NM | 1 | $3,251.54 | $3,251.54 | $3,251.54 | 1.0× |
| Fergus Falls, MN | 1 | $2,260.05 | $2,260.05 | $2,260.05 | 1.0× |
| Fond du Lac, WI | 1 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| Freeport, IL | 1 | $4,914.40 | $4,914.40 | $4,914.40 | 1.0× |
| Gallup, NM | 1 | $1,288.00 | $1,288.00 | $1,288.00 | 1.0× |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 1 | $2,190.50 | $2,190.50 | $2,190.50 | 1.0× |
| Grants, NM single city | 1 | $4,458.66 | $4,458.66 | $4,458.66 | 1.0× |
| Grantsburg, WI single city | 1 | $5,089.60 | $5,089.60 | $5,089.60 | 1.0× |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 5 | $4,937.35 | $6,846.98 | $10,034.40 | 2.0× |
| Hood River, OR | 1 | $7,765.50 | $7,765.50 | $7,765.50 | 1.0× |
| Huntingdon, PA | 1 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | 1.0× |
| Imperial, NE single city | 1 | $5,098.00 | $5,098.00 | $5,098.00 | 1.0× |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 1 | $2,560.74 | $2,560.74 | $2,560.74 | 1.0× |
| John Day, OR single city | 1 | $4,388.25 | $4,388.25 | $4,388.25 | 1.0× |
| Johnstown, PA | 1 | $4,260.00 | $4,260.00 | $4,260.00 | 1.0× |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 3 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | 1.0× |
| Lafayette, LA | 1 | $530.10 | $530.10 | $530.10 | 1.0× |
| Lancaster, PA | 2 | $5,991.36 | $8,012.88 | $10,034.40 | 1.7× |
| Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 2 | $2,190.50 | $2,190.50 | $2,190.50 | 1.0× |
| Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT | 2 | $613.25 | $2,568.27 | $4,523.29 | 7.4× |
| Lexington, NE | 2 | $3,586.00 | $4,179.50 | $4,773.00 | 1.3× |
| Lexington-Fayette, KY | 1 | $2,825.90 | $2,825.90 | $2,825.90 | 1.0× |
| Lima, OH | 1 | $4,074.30 | $4,074.30 | $4,074.30 | 1.0× |
| Litchfield, MN single city | 1 | $4,160.00 | $4,160.00 | $4,160.00 | 1.0× |
| Littlefield, TX single city | 1 | $3,017.00 | $3,017.00 | $3,017.00 | 1.0× |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 1 | $5,642.80 | $5,642.80 | $5,642.80 | 1.0× |
| Lyons, KS single city | 1 | $1,125.00 | $1,125.00 | $1,125.00 | 1.0× |
| Machias, ME single city | 1 | $27,274.00 | $27,274.00 | $27,274.00 | 1.0× |
| Marble Falls, TX single city | 1 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | 1.0× |
| Maryville, MO | 1 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | $5,100.00 | 1.0× |
| McAlester, OK | 1 | $2,526.00 | $2,526.00 | $2,526.00 | 1.0× |
| McPherson, KS | 1 | $7,846.96 | $7,846.96 | $7,846.96 | 1.0× |
| Moab, UT single city | 1 | $3,111.00 | $3,111.00 | $3,111.00 | 1.0× |
| Monroeville, AL single city | 1 | $949.80 | $949.80 | $949.80 | 1.0× |
| Morgan City, LA | 1 | $3,665.20 | $3,665.20 | $3,665.20 | 1.0× |
| Morris, MN single city | 1 | $4,009.50 | $4,009.50 | $4,009.50 | 1.0× |
| Moscow, ID | 1 | $5,256.00 | $5,256.00 | $5,256.00 | 1.0× |
| Moultrie, GA | 1 | $4,112.00 | $4,112.00 | $4,112.00 | 1.0× |
| Mount Vernon, OH | 1 | $4,657.84 | $4,657.84 | $4,657.84 | 1.0× |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 1 | $2,322.00 | $2,322.00 | $2,322.00 | 1.0× |
| Nacogdoches, TX | 1 | $1,463.00 | $1,463.00 | $1,463.00 | 1.0× |
| Napoleon, OH single city | 1 | $4,782.00 | $4,782.00 | $4,782.00 | 1.0× |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | 1 | $1,554.60 | $1,554.60 | $1,554.60 | 1.0× |
| New London, WI single city | 1 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 15 | $2,310.97 | $5,419.00 | $26,768.15 | 11.6× |
| Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 2 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| Owosso, MI | 1 | $3,628.80 | $3,628.80 | $3,628.80 | 1.0× |
| Pearsall, TX single city | 1 | $5,705.00 | $5,705.00 | $5,705.00 | 1.0× |
| Peoria, IL | 1 | $12,458.00 | $12,458.00 | $12,458.00 | 1.0× |
| Pine Bluff, AR | 1 | $4,691.67 | $4,691.67 | $4,691.67 | 1.0× |
| Plainville, KS single city | 1 | $3,600.00 | $3,600.00 | $3,600.00 | 1.0× |
| Polson, MT single city | 1 | $3,296.80 | $3,296.80 | $3,296.80 | 1.0× |
| Port Angeles, WA | 1 | $5,376.80 | $5,376.80 | $5,376.80 | 1.0× |
| Port Townsend, WA | 1 | $7,677.60 | $7,677.60 | $7,677.60 | 1.0× |
| Quincy, CA single city | 1 | $5,745.60 | $5,745.60 | $5,745.60 | 1.0× |
| Reading, PA | 1 | $5,375.49 | $5,375.49 | $5,375.49 | 1.0× |
| Rice Lake, WI | 1 | $7,253.20 | $7,253.20 | $7,253.20 | 1.0× |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 2 | $1,236.67 | $5,631.34 | $10,026.00 | 8.1× |
| Roseau, MN single city | 1 | $7,069.04 | $7,069.04 | $7,069.04 | 1.0× |
| Salinas, CA | 1 | $2,618.25 | $2,618.25 | $2,618.25 | 1.0× |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 1 | $7,717.28 | $7,717.28 | $7,717.28 | 1.0× |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | 1 | $5,140.38 | $5,140.38 | $5,140.38 | 1.0× |
| Satanta, KS single city | 1 | $3,680.10 | $3,680.10 | $3,680.10 | 1.0× |
| Shawano, WI | 1 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| Sidney, MT single city | 1 | $4,229.14 | $4,229.14 | $4,229.14 | 1.0× |
| Skowhegan, ME single city | 1 | $6,410.25 | $6,410.25 | $6,410.25 | 1.0× |
| Smith Center, KS single city | 1 | $3,624.48 | $3,624.48 | $3,624.48 | 1.0× |
| Snyder, TX | 1 | $18,033.00 | $18,033.00 | $18,033.00 | 1.0× |
| Somerset, PA | 1 | $10,034.40 | $10,034.40 | $10,034.40 | 1.0× |
| St. Johnsbury, VT single city | 1 | $3,306.00 | $3,306.00 | $3,306.00 | 1.0× |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | 2 | $5,950.00 | $5,950.00 | $5,950.00 | 1.0× |
| St. Marys, PA | 1 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | $3,815.00 | 1.0× |
| Staples, MN single city | 1 | $3,111.78 | $3,111.78 | $3,111.78 | 1.0× |
| Ste. Genevieve, MO single city | 1 | $2,515.00 | $2,515.00 | $2,515.00 | 1.0× |
| Sweetwater, TX | 1 | $3,625.00 | $3,625.00 | $3,625.00 | 1.0× |
| Temple, TX single city | 1 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | 1.0× |
| Topeka, KS | 1 | $2,703.00 | $2,703.00 | $2,703.00 | 1.0× |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 1 | $5,110.00 | $5,110.00 | $5,110.00 | 1.0× |
| Utica-Rome, NY | 1 | $1,922.40 | $1,922.40 | $1,922.40 | 1.0× |
| Waco, TX | 1 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | $4,155.91 | 1.0× |
| Warrensburg, MO | 1 | $602.10 | $602.10 | $602.10 | 1.0× |
| Waupaca, WI single city | 1 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| Weiser, ID single city | 1 | $4,671.02 | $4,671.02 | $4,671.02 | 1.0× |
| Wild Rose, WI single city | 1 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | $5,437.94 | 1.0× |
| Winner, SD single city | 1 | $6,793.00 | $6,793.00 | $6,793.00 | 1.0× |
| Yakima, WA | 1 | $3,008.20 | $3,008.20 | $3,008.20 | 1.0× |
| York-Hanover, PA | 2 | $10,034.40 | $10,034.40 | $10,034.40 | 1.0× |
Common questions
What is CPT code 59510?
CPT 59510 is the billing code for cesarean delivery, including prenatal and postpartum care. This is a 'global' maternity code for routine prenatal care, a cesarean delivery and postpartum care. It covers the doctor's services from early pregnancy through recovery after the C-section.
How long is the hospital stay after a C-section?
Often two to four days, depending on recovery and hospital practice.
What if a planned vaginal birth becomes a C-section?
The billing usually changes to a cesarean code, and hospital charges are usually higher. Ask the hospital how a self-pay package handles this.
Is it cheaper to pay cash or use insurance for C-section?
It depends on your deductible. Until you meet it, you pay your plan's negotiated rate, not the cash price. In hospital price files the highest negotiated rate for C-section has a median of $6,376.00 and the lowest a median of $2,018.00; at 128 of 155 hospitals the cash price is below the highest negotiated rate. A cash payment may not count toward your deductible, so ask your plan for its rate at that hospital first.
Which states have the cheapest C-section?
Among 15 states with at least 5 hospitals listing a cash price, the median is lowest in Michigan ($2,909.65), Minnesota ($3,560.64) and Iowa ($3,580.00), and highest in Georgia ($13,051.00), New York ($6,220.28) and Pennsylvania ($5,683.43). Prices vary as much between hospitals in the same state, so compare hospitals near you.
Other pregnancy and birth prices
Median hospital cash price, one per hospital.