Hip & Knee Replacement Cost in California — Compare All Hospitals
Major joint replacement or reattachment of the lower extremity — most commonly elective hip or knee replacement surgery.
What this hospital charge usually covers
The gross-charge number above is the hospital's facility bill for hip & knee replacement. Here's what's typically inside that price (typical inpatient stay: 1–3 days):
Included in the hospital bill
- Operating room time and surgical-team facility fees
- Inpatient room, nursing, and routine medications during the stay
- Implant-related facility charges (varies by hospital — sometimes itemized separately)
- Recovery-room and immediate post-op monitoring
- On-site physical therapy started during admission
Usually billed separately
- Surgeon and anesthesiologist professional fees (billed separately, often by an unaffiliated practice)
- Pre-surgical imaging (MRI/X-ray) and lab work
- Outpatient physical therapy after discharge
- Home health visits or skilled nursing facility stays if needed
Quality signals to check before picking a hospital
Price alone won't tell you which hospital does hip & knee replacement best. These are the CMS quality measures that matter most for this specific procedure. Click any hospital below for its full profile, then look for these:
Hip/Knee Complications
Tracks how often patients have a serious surgical or medical complication within 90 days — the single most direct quality signal for this surgery.
Hip/Knee Readmissions
How often patients return to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. Lower means better recovery planning and follow-up.
Surgical-Site Infection (SSI)
Joint replacements carry a real infection risk because implants can't fight bacteria the way native tissue can. Lower SIR is better.
Patient Experience (HCAHPS)
Communication with nurses, pain control, and discharge planning directly affect recovery for major orthopedic surgery.
When the cheapest hospital may not be the best fit
The list below sorts by price. For hip & knee replacement, the lowest price isn't automatically the best fit — these are situations where it's worth weighing additional factors against price. None of the below is medical advice; talk to your doctor about what applies to your specific situation.
- For patients with significant heart, lung, or bleeding-disorder risk, complication and rescue rates often matter more than price.
- Revision surgery (replacement of a prior implant) is technically harder and tends to do better at a high-volume center.
- When extensive post-acute rehab is expected, a hospital with an on-site inpatient rehab unit may be worth a higher total cost.
- When a specific surgeon only operates at certain facilities, surgeon experience usually outweighs price differences across facilities.
Questions to ask your hospital or insurer
The gross charge is the starting point. These are the procedure-specific questions to ask before you commit:
- Is the surgeon, anesthesiologist, implant, and on-site physical therapy included in this estimate?
- Is the orthopedic surgeon and anesthesia group in-network for my insurance?
- What is the typical out-of-pocket once my deductible and coinsurance apply?
- What is the hospital's surgical-site infection rate for joint replacements?
- Will I be discharged home or to a skilled nursing facility? Is that cost covered?
Hospitals ranked by gross charge
- 1
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA
Gross charge $0 - 2
Patients' Hospital of Redding
Redding, CA
Gross charge $17,006 - 3
Kaweah Health Medical Center
Visalia, CA
Gross charge $39,217Cash pay $13,500 - 4
Adventist Health White Memorial Montebello
Montebello, CA
Gross charge $48,565Cash pay $4,861,193 - 5
Ridgecrest Regional Hospital
Ridgecrest, CA
Gross charge $63,573Cash pay $33,694 - 6
El Centro Regional Medical Center
El Centro, CA
Gross charge $74,322Cash pay $52,025 - 7
Regional Medical Center
San Jose, CA
Gross charge $75,694Cash pay $52,986 - 8Gross charge $79,069
- 9
Saint Agnes Medical Center
Fresno, CA
Gross charge $81,275Cash pay $52,829 - 10
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital
Hollister, CA
Gross charge $84,536 - 11
Tahoe Forest Hospital
Truckee, CA
Gross charge $84,735 - 12
Tri-City Medical Center (Acute Care)
Oceanside, CA
Gross charge $88,572Cash pay $53,143 - 13
Adventist Health Howard Memorial
Willits, CA
Gross charge $96,733Cash pay $29,020 - 14
San Antonio Regional Hospital
Upland, CA
Gross charge $99,458Cash pay $101,447 - 15
Eisenhower Medical Center
Rancho Mirage, CA
Gross charge $99,937Cash pay $10,641 - 16
Redlands Community Hospital
Redlands, CA
Gross charge $103,955Cash pay $24,949 - 17
Natividad Medical Center
Salinas, CA
Gross charge $107,215 - 18
Riverside University Health System Medical Center
Moreno Valley, CA
Gross charge $111,885 - 19
Fairchild Medical Center
Yreka, CA
Gross charge $114,973 - 20
Sharp Grossmont Hospital
La Mesa, CA
Gross charge $144,446Cash pay $108,334 - 21
Sharp Memorial Hospital
San Diego, CA
Gross charge $144,446Cash pay $108,334 - 22
Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
Chula Vista, CA
Gross charge $144,446Cash pay $108,334 - 23
Sharp Coronado Hospital
Coronado, CA
Gross charge $144,446Cash pay $108,334 - 24
Scripps Mercy Hospital
San Diego, CA
Gross charge $145,427Cash pay $36,357 - 25
Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla
La Jolla, CA
Gross charge $145,427Cash pay $36,357 - 26
Scripps Green Hospital
La Jolla, CA
Gross charge $145,427Cash pay $36,357 - 27
Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas
Encinitas, CA
Gross charge $145,427Cash pay $36,357 - 28
Sonoma Valley Hospital
Sonoma, CA
Gross charge $220,606Cash pay $154,424 - 29
Adventist Health St Helena
Saint Helena, CA
Gross charge $241,092Cash pay $36,164 - 30
Barstow Community Hospital
Barstow, CA
Gross charge $259,296Cash pay $155,577 - 31
Dignity Health - Mercy General Hospital
Sacramento, CA
Gross charge — - 32
Mad River Community Hospital
Arcata, CA
Gross charge — - 33
Dignity Health - Memorial Hospital
Bakersfield, CA
Gross charge — - 34
St Elizabeth Community Hospital
Red Bluff, CA
Gross charge — - 35
Glendale Mem Hospital & Hlth Center
Glendale, CA
Gross charge — - 36
Community Regional Medical Center
Fresno, CA
Gross charge — - 37
St. John's Regional Medical Center
Oxnard, CA
Gross charge — - 38
St Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton
Stockton, CA
Gross charge — - 39
Community Hospital of San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA
Gross charge — - 40
Community Hospital of Huntington Park
Huntington Park, CA
Gross charge — - 41
St. Francis Medical Center
Lynwood, CA
Gross charge —Cash pay $19,290 - 42
Marian Regional Medical Center (Acute Care)
Santa Maria, CA
Gross charge — - 43
Northridge Hospital Medical Center (Acute Care)
Northridge, CA
Gross charge — - 44
Valley Presbyterian Hospital
Van Nuys, CA
Gross charge — - 45
Woodland Memorial Hospital
Woodland, CA
Gross charge — - 46
St Bernardine Medical Center
San Bernardino, CA
Gross charge — - 47
Dignity Health - Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital
Grass Valley, CA
Gross charge — - 48
UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital
San Francisco, CA
Gross charge — - 49
Sequoia Hospital
Redwood City, CA
Gross charge — - 50
French Hospital Medical Center
San Luis Obispo, CA
Gross charge — - 51
Dignity Health - Dominican Hospital
Santa Cruz, CA
Gross charge — - 52
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
Colton, CA
Gross charge — - 53
Dignity Health – Mercy Hospital Downtown
Bakersfield, CA
Gross charge — - 54
Providence St. Mary Medical Center
Apple Valley, CA
Gross charge — - 55
Loma Linda University Medical Center (Acute Care)
Loma Linda, CA
Gross charge — - 56
Northbay Medical Center
Fairfield, CA
Gross charge — - 57
Dignity Health - Mercy Hospital of Folsom
Folsom, CA
Gross charge — - 58
Huntington Hospital (Acute Care)
Pasadena, CA
Gross charge — - 59
Dignity Health – Mercy Medical Center
Merced, CA
Gross charge — - 60
UCSF Health St. Mary's Hospital
San Francisco, CA
Gross charge — - 61
Memorial Hospital of Gardena
Gardena, CA
Gross charge — - 62
UCLA West Valley Medical Center
West Hills, CA
Gross charge — - 63
Clovis Community Medical Center
Clovis, CA
Gross charge — - 64
Adventist Health Sierra Vista
San Luis Obispo, CA
Gross charge — - 65
Mercy San Juan Medical Center
Carmichael, CA
Gross charge — - 66
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital (Acute Care)
La Palma, CA
Gross charge —Cash pay $24,891 - 67
San Dimas Community Hospital
San Dimas, CA
Gross charge —Cash pay $23,364 - 68
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Gross charge — - 69
East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
Gross charge — - 70
Fresno Surgical Hospital
Fresno, CA
Gross charge — - 71
Desert Valley Hospital
Victorville, CA
Gross charge —Cash pay $25,303 - 72
Cedar-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital
Marina Del Rey, CA
Gross charge — - 73
Kaiser Permanente Manteca Medical Center
Manteca, CA
Gross charge — - 74
Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta
Murrieta, CA
Gross charge — - 75
Coast Plaza Hospital
Norwalk, CA
Gross charge — - 76
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital
Loma Linda, CA
Gross charge — - 77
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital
Los Angeles, CA
Gross charge — - 78
Mountains Community Hospital
Lake Arrowhead, CA
Gross charge — - 79
Mercy Medical Center of Mount Shasta
Mount Shasta, CA
Gross charge — - 80Gross charge —Cash pay $29,938
- 81
Mark Twain Medical Center
San Andreas, CA
Gross charge —
California hospitals price hip & knee replacement (Medicare DRG 470) anywhere from $17,006 to $259,296 — a $242,290 gap between the cheapest and most expensive option. The cheapest is Patients' Hospital of Redding in Redding; the most expensive is Barstow Community Hospital in Barstow. The state average sits at $115,559.
Gross charges are the hospital's list price for the facility part of your stay — the room, operating-room time, nursing, and equipment. Insurance plans negotiate substantial discounts, Medicare and Medicaid pay fixed federal rates, and uninsured patients can usually qualify for a cash-pay discount. But the gross charge still works as a useful benchmark: a hospital that lists hip & knee replacement at twice the price of another typically negotiates higher rates with insurers too, and quotes more for uninsured patients.
If you're scheduling hip & knee replacement in California, sort the list below by price, then click each hospital name to see its quality profile — CMS overall star rating, surgical-safety measures, readmission rates, patient-experience scores. The cheapest hospital isn't always the right call. Teaching hospitals often charge more because they take complex cases, and a higher-rated community hospital may deliver equivalent outcomes for a straightforward case at a lower price. Use the price column to narrow the field; use the quality data to make the final call.
Pricing comes from each hospital's Machine-Readable File (MRF), published under the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule. California hospitals missing from the list either don't perform hip & knee replacement in volume, haven't published a usable price for DRG 470 in their most recent MRF, or fell below our data-quality thresholds (we filter out clearly erroneous entries like $0 charges). The list refreshes as hospitals update their files.