Cost of a Knee MRI Visit
in San Diego
Reviewed by Momentary Medical Group West PC
San Diego's extensive healthcare network includes multiple major health systems serving the region's 3.3 million residents. Patients in San Diego pay between $75 and $505 for a Knee MRI visit, with a median of $258. The market includes 0 active providers (0 individual practitioners, 0 group practices) based on current transparency data.
Cost Summary for Knee MRI in San Diego
Low Estimate
$75
Median
$258
High Estimate
$505
Providers
740
4% below national average
Compare Similar Procedures
How does mri knee compare to related procedures in California?
| Procedure | CPT | Low | Median | High | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRI Brain MRI of the brain with and without contrast | 70553 | $55 | $85 | $654 | 9,774 |
| MRI Lumbar Spine MRI of the lumbar spine without contrast | 72148 | $72 | $96 | $470 | 6,585 |
| CT Abdomen & Pelvis CT scan of abdomen and pelvis with contrast | 74177 | $70 | $85 | $672 | 15,496 |
| CT Chest CT scan of the chest with contrast | 71260 | $25 | $85 | $521 | 10,242 |
Important: These are cost estimates only — not a quote and not medical advice.
The prices on this page are self-pay rates, drawn from federal Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files (CPT 73721 — MRI any joint of lower extremity without contrast). They represent what a patient might pay without insurance.
Your actual cost depends on: your specific insurance plan, your remaining deductible, your coinsurance percentage, whether you have met your out-of-pocket maximum, whether the facility and provider are both in-network, and any separate anesthesia or implant fees billed independently.
This page does not constitute medical advice. Whether you need this procedure, and which approach is right for you, is a decision to make with a licensed healthcare provider.
Where this data comes from & what CPT 73721 covers
Data source: Cost figures are derived from UnitedHealthcare Transparency in Coverage machine-readable files for CPT code 73721 (MRI any joint of lower extremity without contrast), as mandated by the CMS Price Transparency Rule.
What CPT 73721 covers: the provider's professional fee for mri knee. It does not include facility/hospital fees, anesthesia, pre-operative imaging, post-operative care, or any add-on codes billed separately.
How to read this data
Negotiated Rate
The discounted price an insurer has agreed to pay a specific provider. Most insured patients' bills are calculated from this number, not the higher list price hospitals publish separately.
P5, Median, P95
P5 is the rate at the 5th percentile (low end), Median is the middle value, and P95 is the 95th percentile (high end). This range shows how much the same visit can vary between providers.
What this does not tell you
These rates do not tell you what you personally will pay out of pocket. That depends on your specific plan, how much of your deductible you have already met, your coinsurance rate, and whether the provider is in your network. Call your insurer's member line to get your exact estimate.
Is It Cheaper to See a Knee MRI Near San Diego?
Escondido offers significantly lower Knee MRI costs at a median of $80, representing $178 in potential savings compared to San Diego's $258 median. Chula Vista shows higher costs at $505 median, while Oceanside falls between the two at $350. Patients willing to travel 28 miles to Escondido may find the most cost-effective options in the region.
| City | Median Cost | vs. San Diego | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego (this city) | $258 | — | 740 |
| Chula Vista6.9 mi away | $505 | +$247 | 118 |
| Oceanside35.5 mi away | $350 | +$92 | 20 |
| Irvine77.2 mi away | $80 | -$178 | 134 |
Nearby cities sorted by distance. Delta = nearby city median minus San Diego median. Provider count reflects active providers for this specialty.
Knee MRI Visit Costs by City in California — 2026
| City | Min Cost | Median Cost | Max Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chula Vista | $75 | $505 | $505 |
| La Mesa | $75 | $505 | $505 |
| Santee | $67 | $505 | $505 |
| Oceanside | $75 | $350 | $607 |
| Milpitas | $75 | $345 | $360 |
| Palm Desert | $75 | $338 | $2,278 |
| Campbell | $80 | $327 | $360 |
| Pleasant Hill | $75 | $327 | $327 |
| San Diego (this city) | $75 | $258 | $505 |
| South Lake Tahoe | $87 | $240 | $576 |
| La Jolla | $74 | $228 | $541 |
| Travis Afb | $59 | $215 | $529 |
| Thousand Oaks | $75 | $209 | $491 |
| Fresno | $63 | $207 | $871 |
| Poway | $75 | $195 | $505 |
| Pomona | $75 | $188 | $685 |
| San Jose | $75 | $175 | $360 |
| Morgan Hill | $70 | $175 | $360 |
| Loma Linda | $68 | $171 | $472 |
| San Leandro | $71 | $142 | $468 |
| Clovis | $75 | $139 | $409 |
| Glendale | $59 | $139 | $425 |
| Rancho Mirage | $59 | $139 | $840 |
| Lancaster | $63 | $138 | $407 |
| San Francisco | $67 | $137 | $472 |
| Oakland | $59 | $128 | $595 |
| El Segundo | $62 | $126 | $298 |
| San Ramon | $64 | $120 | $393 |
| El Cajon | $52 | $119 | $505 |
| Turlock | $75 | $114 | $526 |
| Temecula | $75 | $111 | $354 |
| Fremont | $75 | $110 | $356 |
| Saratoga | $75 | $110 | $327 |
| Pasadena | $60 | $105 | $560 |
| Santa Cruz | $75 | $105 | $390 |
| Oxnard | $55 | $104 | $464 |
| Mountain View | $75 | $102 | $360 |
| Los Gatos | $75 | $102 | $452 |
| Santa Clara | $75 | $102 | $374 |
| Antioch | $60 | $97 | $327 |
| Santa Rosa | $75 | $96 | $400 |
| Petaluma | $75 | $96 | $110 |
| Sonoma | $94 | $96 | $1,307 |
| San Rafael | $82 | $96 | $96 |
| Novato | $75 | $96 | $96 |
| Redding | $75 | $96 | $374 |
| Pleasanton | $72 | $95 | $327 |
| Downey | $59 | $92 | $651 |
| Los Angeles | $59 | $90 | $472 |
| West Hollywood | $90 | $90 | $267 |
| Beverly Hills | $80 | $90 | $343 |
| Roseville | $75 | $90 | $327 |
| Tarzana | $82 | $90 | $93 |
| Marina Del Rey | $75 | $90 | $90 |
| Encino | $75 | $90 | $340 |
| Culver City | $48 | $90 | $278 |
| Duarte | $80 | $90 | $504 |
| Bakersfield | $75 | $89 | $478 |
| Santa Barbara | $54 | $82 | $400 |
| Stanford | $80 | $80 | $360 |
| Palo Alto | $80 | $80 | $338 |
| Irvine | $75 | $80 | $350 |
| Modesto | $73 | $80 | $360 |
| Torrance | $75 | $80 | $356 |
| Newport Beach | $75 | $80 | $415 |
| Long Beach | $75 | $80 | $505 |
| Riverside | $69 | $80 | $472 |
| San Luis Obispo | $75 | $80 | $358 |
| Menlo Park | $75 | $80 | $190 |
| Anaheim | $75 | $80 | $327 |
| Redwood City | $59 | $80 | $232 |
| Palm Springs | $75 | $80 | $80 |
| Mission Viejo | $65 | $80 | $274 |
| Tustin | $75 | $80 | $368 |
| San Mateo | $75 | $80 | $595 |
| Yorba Linda | $75 | $80 | $90 |
| Salinas | $75 | $80 | $360 |
| Encinitas | $75 | $80 | $505 |
| Fullerton | $62 | $80 | $384 |
| Burlingame | $75 | $80 | $100 |
| Fountain Valley | $55 | $80 | $189 |
| Madera | $53 | $80 | $348 |
| Castro Valley | $75 | $80 | $189 |
| Livermore | $47 | $80 | $326 |
| Emeryville | $80 | $80 | $871 |
| Alameda | $75 | $80 | $110 |
| Manteca | $75 | $80 | $95 |
| Vista | $75 | $80 | $505 |
| Hanford | $57 | $80 | $371 |
| Corona | $75 | $80 | $152 |
| Whittier | $35 | $80 | $350 |
| Ventura | $75 | $79 | $325 |
| Arcadia | $75 | $79 | $441 |
| Huntington Beach | $75 | $78 | $441 |
| Santa Maria | $65 | $78 | $257 |
| Brea | $61 | $78 | $189 |
| Sunnyvale | $75 | $75 | $352 |
| Costa Mesa | $75 | $75 | $80 |
| Stockton | $75 | $75 | $443 |
| Visalia | $75 | $75 | $530 |
| Carlsbad | $75 | $75 | $505 |
| Laguna Hills | $38 | $75 | $277 |
| Valencia | $75 | $75 | $325 |
| Rancho Santa Margarita | $75 | $75 | $80 |
| Northridge | $75 | $75 | $208 |
| Redlands | $68 | $75 | $226 |
| Laguna Niguel | $75 | $75 | $83 |
| Monterey | $72 | $75 | $414 |
| Redondo Beach | $71 | $75 | $327 |
| San Juan Capistrano | $75 | $75 | $80 |
| San Clemente | $75 | $75 | $332 |
| Folsom | $75 | $75 | $211 |
| Burbank | $52 | $75 | $171 |
| Cupertino | $75 | $75 | $354 |
| Garden Grove | $75 | $75 | $88 |
| Berkeley | $51 | $75 | $157 |
| Vallejo | $75 | $75 | $176 |
| Arroyo Grande | $75 | $75 | $80 |
Costs reflect self-pay estimates based on insurer-negotiated rates. Insured patients may pay significantly less depending on plan type, deductible status, and network tier.
Jayant Panwar
CEO, Momentary Labs · San Francisco, CA
Jayant has analyzed healthcare pricing data from CMS Transparency in Coverage files since 2022, covering more than 50 million negotiated rate records across all 50 states. His work focuses on making insurer machine-readable files accessible to patients and researchers.
The cost figures on this page reflect his ongoing work to make this data accessible to patients.