Chest X-ray cost in California

In California, 218 hospitals publish a cash price for chest X-ray, 2 views: from $48.00 to $2,704.91, with a median of $407.33. The lowest price is at Southern Monterey County Memorial Hospital (King City). The highest price is 56.4× the lowest.

• The median here, $407.33, is 65% above the US median of $247.00.
• That is 4.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($88.91).
• California ranks 47th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 62 of 218 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 71046. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map