Eye exam, new patient cost in California

In California, 47 hospitals publish a cash price for comprehensive eye exam by an eye doctor, new patient: from $126.00 to $694.25, with a median of $245.28. The lowest price is at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego (San Diego). The highest price is 5.5× the lowest.

• The median here, $245.28, is 30% above the US median of $188.51.
• That is 1.8× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($136.02).
• California ranks 18th of 22 states by median, cheapest first.
• 5 of 47 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 92004. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Oct 29, 2026. See them on a map