Colonoscopy Cost in California (2026): Average Prices & What You'll Pay

What does a colonoscopy cost in California?

Expect roughly $849 to $2,856 for a colonoscopy in California if you're commercially insured — that range already folds in both the facility charge and the physician fee. The median reported facility price across 166 hospitals is $760. It's built from CMS fee schedules and federally mandated hospital price transparency data.

California has the most competitive commercial hospital market in the country, with aggressive multi-system competition in every major metro driving meaningful price variation. Kaiser Permanente's integrated payer-provider model covers roughly 40% of the insured population in the state — if you're Kaiser-enrolled, the prices here largely don't apply. California's robust price transparency enforcement under SB 1204 means the data here is more complete than in most states.

Colonoscopy pricing is particularly sensitive to screening vs. diagnostic coding. A screening colonoscopy is typically covered at 100% under preventive care benefits, but if a polyp is removed or a finding is documented during the same visit, the claim is often re-coded as diagnostic — triggering your deductible and coinsurance. Ambulatory surgery centers perform over 70% of colonoscopies nationally and charge substantially less than hospital outpatient settings.

The same colonoscopy that costs $100 at University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento reaches $94,923 at Shasta Regional Medical Center — a 949.2× gap across the 166 California hospitals reporting prices. The median California price is $760. Most facilities fall between $227 and $1,500. Self-pay patients are quoted more than insurers actually pay: the median cash price is $779 versus a median negotiated rate of $214 — about 3.6× higher, so asking for the cash or insurer-negotiated rate is often the single biggest lever on your bill. Even within California, Sacramento ($205) and San Diego ($2,786) are 13.6× apart on the median price.

Where colonoscopy costs vary in California

Pins show hospitals with price-transparency data (colored by vs. state average) and nearby ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, and other facilities (colored by type). Click any pin for facility name and estimated cost range.

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The facility you choose matters more than almost anything else — the same procedure, same quality, same state can cost 5× more at one hospital versus the one down the road.

→ Compare all procedure costs   → Colonoscopy costs nationwide

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Lower-cost options in California start around $227 or below. Most hospitals cluster between $227 and $1,938. A smaller group reports prices above that — often academic medical centers or high-cost markets.

If you're comparing specific hospitals, the lowest self-pay rates reported in this dataset include: St. Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton in Stockton (cash price from $201); Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael (cash price from $201); Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento (cash price from $201). These are declared cash prices — contact each facility for a formal quote before scheduling.

California Colonoscopy prices by facility

All prices below come from hospital chargemasters — the official price lists each hospital must publish under federal law. Gross charge is the undiscounted list price; cash price is the self-pay rate; negotiated range covers the spread across insurance contracts.

Source: CMS hospital price transparency machine-readable files. vs Median = savings or premium relative to the state median price. Gross Charge = undiscounted list price for reference.

Received a bill? Check it for errors → Estimate YOUR cost before you go →

Compare other procedures in California:

• Appendectomy Cost in California
• Cataract Surgery Cost in California

Where you can save the most on colonoscopy in California

These facilities have the lowest declared prices relative to the state median — they represent the best opportunities to reduce your out-of-pocket cost for this procedure.

Most expensive colonoscopy providers in California

These facilities report the highest prices for this procedure. Academic medical centers and specialty hospitals often top this list — their gross charges rarely reflect what anyone actually pays, but understanding the spread helps you negotiate.

Why prices vary this much

A small number of hospitals (7) report very high prices above $4,504, which drives much of the overall price range. Excluding these, most facilities cluster in a significantly tighter band.

Setting drives much of the gap in California: the median outpatient price is $701 versus $1,855 inpatient — about 2.6× more, so where a procedure is performed often matters more than which hospital you choose. Of the California facilities reporting prices, 53 fall in a low-cost tier (up to $227) while 53 sit in a high-cost tier ($1,938 and up) — a lower-priced option almost always exists within the same state.

Among the cities with the most reporting hospitals, Los Angeles has a median reported price of $1,290 across 10 facilities, while facilities in Sacramento tend to report lower prices (median: $205). City-level variation within a state often reflects local market structure, not procedure complexity.

The spread comes from how each hospital sets its chargemaster (the undiscounted list price), what cash discounts it applies, and what rates it negotiates with each insurer. Facility classification matters too — a hospital-owned outpatient center adds a facility fee that a freestanding clinic does not. Understanding these mechanics is the first step to paying less.

Learn more:
→ Allowed amount vs negotiated rate — what your EOB is really saying
→ How to read your medical bill
→ Why hospital prices are so hard to find — and what to do about it

How insurance changes what you actually pay

Hospital list prices are only part of the picture. What you pay out of pocket depends on your deductible, your plan's out-of-pocket maximum, whether the facility is in-network, and whether your plan classifies the visit as outpatient or inpatient. A lower gross charge doesn't guarantee a lower bill if the facility is out-of-network or adds facility fees your plan doesn't cover.

Understand your cost before you go:
→ Deductible vs out-of-pocket max
→ EOB vs medical bill — complete guide
→ How to stop medical bill problems before they start (in-network vs out-of-network)

Colonoscopy Costs by Metro Area in California

Prices vary across California metro areas based on local hospital competition, wage adjustments, and facility mix. Explore detailed facility price data for each metro area:

• Colonoscopy Cost in Bakersfield, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in El Centro, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Fresno, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Los Angeles, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Napa, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Oxnard, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Redding, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Riverside, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Sacramento, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in San Diego, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in San Francisco, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in San Luis Obispo, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Santa Barbara, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Santa Cruz, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Santa Rosa, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Stockton, CA
• Colonoscopy Cost in Visalia, CA

Compare colonoscopy costs in nearby states

• Nevada
• Arizona
• Oregon
• Washington

Frequently asked questions: colonoscopy costs in California

How much does a colonoscopy cost in California?

Across 166 California hospitals that publish prices, a colonoscopy ranges from $100 to $94,923, with a median of $760. Most facilities fall between $227 and $1,500. What you pay depends on the facility, your insurance, and whether you have met your deductible.

Where is the cheapest place to get a colonoscopy in California?

Based on declared prices, the lowest-cost facility in our California data is ADVENTIST HEALTH - REEDLEY at about $3. By metro, Sacramento has the lowest median ($205). Freestanding ambulatory surgery and imaging centers are often cheaper still and may not appear in hospital price data — ask your doctor whether one is an option.

Why is a colonoscopy so much cheaper at some California hospitals?

Prices vary up to 949.2× because each hospital sets its own list price, cash discount, and insurer-negotiated rates. In California, the median cash (self-pay) price is $779 versus a median negotiated rate of $214 — about 3.6× higher. Asking for the cash price or your insurer's negotiated rate is often the single biggest lever on what you pay.

How much will I actually pay out of pocket for a colonoscopy in California?

Your out-of-pocket cost depends on your deductible, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum, and whether the facility is in-network — not just the sticker price. If you have not met your deductible, you will typically pay the negotiated rate in full until you do. Use the CostKits cost forecaster to estimate your specific out-of-pocket amount before you go.

Explore all colonoscopy cost data

→ See colonoscopy costs across all states