COVID-19 PCR test cost in North Carolina

Prices at 69 hospitals in North Carolina, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $84 — 16% below the US median ($100), roughly 1.6× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Fayetteville, NC $34 $52 ★ 2/5 216 min
Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital Dunn, NC $34 $52 ★ 3/5 210 min
Cape Fear Valley Hoke Hospital Raeford, NC $34 $52 ★ 4/5 205 min
Cape Fear Valley-Bladen County Hospital Elizabethtown, NC $34 $68 193 min
Duke University Hospital Durham, NC $39 $51 ★ 5/5 317 min
Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC $39 $52 ★ 1/5 190 min
Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC $39 $51 ★ 5/5 255 min
ECU Health Medical Center Greenville, NC $45 $76 ★ 2/5 289 min
Vidant Chowan Hospital Edenton, NC $45 $76 ★ 3/5 164 min
The Outer Banks Hospital, Inc Nags Head, NC $54 $76 ★ 4/5 208 min
Alamance Regional Medical Center Burlington, NC $58 $76 ★ 3/5 228 min
Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, The Greensboro, NC $58 $76 ★ 3/5 224 min
UNC Health Care Wayne Goldsboro, NC $60 $75 ★ 3/5 190 min
Pardee Hospital Henderson County Hendersonville, NC $60 $76 ★ 5/5 158 min
UNC Lenoir Health Care Kinston, NC $60 $75 ★ 4/5 194 min
Caldwell Memorial Hospital Lenoir, NC $60 $75 ★ 3/5 205 min
Southeastern Regional Medical Center Lumberton, NC $60 $75 ★ 2/5 248 min
Chatham Hospital Inc Siler City, NC $60 $64 ★ 4/5 222 min
UNC Rockingham Eden, NC $61 $54 ★ 4/5 187 min
ECU Health North Hospital Roanoke Rapids, NC $65 $65 ★ 2/5 212 min
Columbus Regional Healthcare System Whiteville, NC $74 $101 ★ 1/5 177 min
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Charlotte, NC $77 $98 ★ 5/5 162 min
Wakemed, Raleigh Campus Raleigh, NC $80 $107 ★ 4/5 204 min
Wakemed, Cary Hospital Cary, NC $80 $102 ★ 5/5 196 min
Dlp Swain County Hospital Llc Bryson City, NC $82 81 min

CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated September 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.

Price comparison (median)

Chargemaster (list price)
$167
Cash / self-pay
$84
Insurer-negotiated
$75
Medicare pays
$51
$39$146
Median cash $84  ·  Medicare $51  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $84 — about 1.6× the Medicare rate ($51). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($103).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $167 list price could save about $84 (50%).

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Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.

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COVID-19 PCR test cost in other states

All COVID-19 PCR test prices (national) → · All hospitals in North Carolina →