Head CT without and with contrast cost in California

In California, 216 hospitals publish a cash price for CT scan of the head without and with contrast: from $199.00 to $26,605.29, with a median of $3,090.75. The lowest price is at County of Monterey (Salinas). The highest price is 133.7× the lowest.

• The median here, $3,090.75, is 81% above the US median of $1,703.35.
• That is 17.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($179.20).
• California ranks 49th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 61 of 216 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 70470. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map