Urinalysis with microscopy cost in Houston, TX
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 15 hospitals list a cash price for urinalysis with microscope exam, manual: from $3.94 to $263.16, with a median of $139.00. The lowest listed price is at Hsa St. Joseph — $135.06 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $39.33 at 98 hospitals.
- The median here, $139.00, is 532% above the US median of $22.00.
- That is 34.6× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($4.02).
- Houston, TX ranks 3rd of 4 metro areas in Texas by median, cheapest first.
- 3 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 12 cities for code 81000, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 4, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Sep 8, 2026.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hsa St. Joseph lowest Houston, TX · (713) 757-1000 N-AUTOM URINE DIP W MICRO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $3.94 | $12.06 | $1.67–$12.30 | 67% |
| Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center Liberty, TX · (936) 336-7316 Urinalysis test using microscope source file | $10.00 | $14.00 | $8.00–$13.00 | 29% |
| Voyages of Sugar Land South Sugar Land, TX Urinalysis Nonauto W/Scope+1 more line at this price File of Aug 6, 2026 · source file | $40.20 | $40.20 | $10.05–$30.15 | — |
| Sweeny Community Hospital Sweeny, TX · (979) 548-3311 Manual urinalysis test with examination using microscope, non-automated File of Sep 8, 2026 · source file | $45.06 | $75.10 | $3.02–$75.10 | 40% |
| The Methodist Hospital Houston, TX · (713) 790-2221 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $65.00 | $130.00 | — | 50% |
| Cornerstone Hospital Conroe Conroe, TX URINALYSIS NONAUTO W/MICROSCOP File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $128.00 | $128.00 | — | — |
| Houston Methodist Continuing Care Hospital Katy, TX HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital Cypress, TX · (346) 618-1506 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital Baytown, TX · (281) 420-8600 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| Methodist West Houston Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 522-1000 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital The Woodlands, TX · (936) 270-2000 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| Methodist Sugar Land Hospital Sugar Land, TX · (281) 274-8000 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital Nassau Bay, TX · (281) 333-5503 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| Methodist Willowbrook Hospital Houston, TX · (281) 477-1000 HC URINE, DIP STICK File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $139.00 | $278.00 | — | 50% |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake Alvin, TX · (281) 332-2511 UA W MICRO MANUAL File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $263.16 | $263.16 | $15.79–$236.84 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $3.94, median $139.00, highest $263.16 — a 66.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $139.00. Inpatient and outpatient prices are not comparable and are kept on separate pages: the inpatient charge covers admission, not the same purchase.
Cash or insurance?
At 3 of 5 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at none is it below every plan's rate. If you have insurance but have not met your deductible, you usually pay your plan's negotiated rate, which falls somewhere in the "Insurers pay" column. Paying cash can cost less, but a cash payment usually does not count toward your deductible. Ask the hospital for both numbers before you book.
What urinalysis with microscopy is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Urinalysis with microscopy explained.