Flu shot cost in California

In California, 147 hospitals publish a cash price for flu shot, standard dose, preservative-free, for age 6 months and older: from $7.46 to $180.00, with a median of $42.80. The lowest price is at El Centro Regional Medical Center (El Centro). The highest price is 24.1× the lowest.

• The median here, $42.80, is 16% above the US median of $36.75.
• California ranks 32nd of 49 states by median, cheapest first.
• 49 of 147 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 90656. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map