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Cash prices California Outpatient

Strep test cost in California without insurance

In California, the median cash price for Rapid strep test is $107.89 across 148 hospitals, from $6.12 to $460.35. The lowest is at St Johns Regional Medical Center (Oxnard). The US median is $59.13.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

A strep test checks a throat swab for the bacteria that cause strep throat. The rapid test (87880) gives a result in minutes in the office. If it is negative in a child, doctors often send a throat culture (87070) to confirm, which takes a day or two. The test price is separate from the visit, so the total depends on where you go.

Collected Oct 25, 2026 One price per hospital: its lowest outpatient cash price for the code

Strep test prices in California by type

87880 is the rapid strep antigen test and is used in the state table. 87070 is a bacterial culture of a throat or other swab, used to confirm a negative rapid test.

ProcedureHospitalsRangeMedianUS median
Rapid strep test Rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually · code 87880 148 $6.12–$460.35 $107.89 $59.13
Bacterial culture (wound) Bacterial culture of a sample other than urine, blood or stool (wound, throat, fluid) · code 87070 190 $8.49–$659.07 $134.50 $67.50
Procedure The service and its billing code (CPT or HCPCS). Opens the comparison of every hospital that prices it. More
Hospitals How many hospitals publish a cash price for this code here. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest outpatient cash price.
Middle 80% Cash prices of most hospitals: a tenth of hospitals charge less than the first number (P10), a tenth charge more than the second (P90). More
Median The middle cash price: half of the hospitals charge less, half charge more. One price per hospital. More
US median The median cash price across all US hospitals that publish one for this code.

Outpatient cash prices in California. Each hospital counts once, at its lowest cash price for the code; prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Pick a procedure to compare every hospital in the state.

Lowest Rapid strep test prices in California

Strep test cost by metro area in California

Strep test cost in other states

Paying cash: what to do

  • Ask for the price of the test and the visit separately; urgent care and clinics often quote them together.
  • A clinic or urgent care center usually costs much less than an emergency room for the same test.
  • A negative rapid test in a child often leads to a second charge for the culture, so ask about it up front.