COVID-19 PCR test cost in Texas

Prices at 176 hospitals in Texas, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $101 — about the US median ($100), roughly 2.0× the Medicare rate.

Lowest cash prices

HospitalLocationCashInsurerCMS ratingER waitReadmit
Bsa Hospital Amarillo, TX $20 $138 ★ 2/5 215 min —
Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital Nacogdoches, TX $24 $54 ★ 2/5 174 min —
Nocona General Hospital Nocona, TX $28 $150 ★ 1/5 108 min —
University Medical Center of El Paso El Paso, TX $31 $51 ★ 3/5 240 min —
North Runnels Hospital Winters, TX $37 $37 — 93 min —
Ascension Seton Highland Lakes Burnet, TX $38 $51 ★ 5/5 116 min —
Ascension Seton Edgar B Davis Luling, TX $38 $51 — 88 min —
Ascension Seton Hays Kyle, TX $39 $51 ★ 3/5 163 min —
Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin Austin, TX $41 $51 ★ 3/5 184 min —
Dell Seton Med Center at the University of Tx Austin, TX $41 $51 ★ 4/5 249 min —
Ascension Seton Southwest Austin, TX $41 $51 — 130 min —
Ascension Seton Northwest Austin, TX $41 $51 ★ 4/5 173 min —
University Health System San Antonio, TX $41 $62 ★ 3/5 366 min —
University Medical Center Lubbock, TX $41 $62 ★ 2/5 189 min —
Baylor Emergency Medical Center at Aubrey Aubrey, TX $47 $46 — 90 min —
El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX $48 $87 — — —
Vhs Harlingen Hospital Company Llc Harlingen, TX $51 $51 ★ 2/5 145 min —
Knapp Medical Center Weslaco, TX $51 $51 ★ 5/5 133 min —
Mission Regional Medical Center Mission, TX $51 $51 ★ 4/5 152 min —
Dallas Medical Center Dallas, TX $51 $51 ★ 3/5 137 min —
Dallas Regional Medical Center Mesquite, TX $51 $51 ★ 3/5 166 min —
Harlingen Medical Center Harlingen, TX $51 $51 ★ 4/5 156 min —
Medical City Green Oaks Hospital Dallas, TX $52 $54 — — —
Medical City Fort Worth Fort Worth, TX $54 $51 ★ 2/5 114 min —
St David's Medical Center Austin, TX $54 $51 ★ 4/5 160 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)
$177
Cash / self-pay
$101
Insurer-negotiated
$59
Medicare pays
$51
$51$252
Median cash $101  ·  Medicare $51  ·  bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Is this a fair price?
1× Medicarefair ≈2×5×+

Typical cash price here is $101 — about 2.0× the Medicare rate ($51). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($103).

💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $177 list price could save about $77 (43%).

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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 Texas →