Lower back X-ray cost in California

In California, 218 hospitals publish a cash price for X-ray of the lower back (lumbar spine), 2 or 3 views: from $56.25 to $3,359.23, with a median of $471.04. The lowest price is at Southern Monterey County Memorial Hospital (King City). The highest price is 59.7× the lowest.

• The median here, $471.04, is 55% above the US median of $303.00.
• That is 4.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($106.81).
• California ranks 47th of 51 states by median, cheapest first.
• 61 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 72100. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map