COVID-19 PCR test cost in California

Prices at 182 hospitals in California, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $96 — 4% below the US median ($100), roughly 1.9× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital Banning, CA $20 $54 ★ 3/5 194 min —
Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA $25 $60 ★ 3/5 170 min —
Mercy Hospital Bakersfield, CA $25 $60 ★ 3/5 193 min —
Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA $25 $60 ★ 3/5 197 min —
Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage, CA $25 $51 ★ 4/5 259 min —
Northridge Hospital Medical Center Northridge, CA $28 $51 ★ 4/5 215 min —
John Muir Behavioral Health Center Concord, CA $28 $51 — — —
Woodland Memorial Hospital Woodland, CA $32 $62 ★ 5/5 110 min —
Bakersfield Memorial Hospital Bakersfield, CA $32 $52 ★ 3/5 240 min —
St Bernardine Medical Center San Bernardino, CA $33 $59 ★ 2/5 176 min —
Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento, CA $34 $61 ★ 3/5 185 min —
Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz, CA $34 $61 ★ 4/5 183 min —
Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CA $37 $51 ★ 5/5 132 min —
John Muir Medical Center-Walnut Creek Campus Walnut Creek, CA $38 $51 ★ 2/5 171 min —
John Muir Medical Center-Concord Campus Concord, CA $38 $51 ★ 4/5 145 min —
Adventist Health Tulare Tulare, CA $39 $81 ★ 3/5 198 min —
Community Hospital of San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA $39 $59 ★ 3/5 153 min —
St Rose Hospital Hayward, CA $40 $54 ★ 1/5 160 min —
St Mary Medical Center Long Beach, CA $43 $51 ★ 5/5 150 min —
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Martinez, CA $43 — ★ 4/5 171 min —
Mercy Hospital of Folsom Folsom, CA $45 $61 ★ 4/5 174 min —
Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Grass Valley, CA $47 $70 ★ 3/5 145 min —
Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda, CA $47 $62 ★ 4/5 413 min —
Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta Murrieta, CA $47 $62 ★ 2/5 224 min —
Loma Linda University Children's Hospital Loma Linda, CA $47 $62 ★ 3/5 232 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 October 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)
$184
Cash / self-pay
$96
Insurer-negotiated
$51
Medicare pays
$51
$40$360
Median cash $96  ·  Medicare $51  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $96 — about 1.9× the Medicare rate ($51). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($103).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $184 list price could save about $88 (48%).

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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

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