Urine culture cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 14 hospitals list a cash price for urine culture for bacteria, with colony count: from $15.00 to $187.20, with a median of $32.24. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital Lincoln and 1 other hospital — $17.24 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $45.03 at 32 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 11 cities for code 87086, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 24, 2026 and Jun 12, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Culture Bacterial Quanttative Colony Count Urine | $15.00 | $20.00 | $10.00–$18.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Culture Bacterial Quanttative Colony Count Urine | $15.00 | $20.00 | $10.00–$18.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Culture Bacterial Quanttative Colony Count Urine | $15.00 | $20.00 | $10.00–$18.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Culture Bacterial Quanttative Colony Count Urine | $15.00 | $20.00 | $10.00–$18.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities lowest Washington, MO Culture Bacterial Quanttative Colony Count Urine | $15.00 | $20.00 | $10.00–$17.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln lowest Elsberry, MO Culture Bacterial Quanttative Colony Count Urine | $15.00 | $20.00 | $10.00–$18.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 Culture, Urine, Routine | $18.12 | $22.65 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Culture Urine Bacterial Quant Cnt | $28.60 | $44.00 | $7.26–$18.16 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Culture Urine Bacterial Quant Cnt | $28.60 | $44.00 | $7.26–$18.16 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Culture Urine Bacterial Quant Cnt | $28.60 | $44.00 | $7.26–$18.16 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Culture Urine Bacterial Quant Cnt | $28.60 | $44.00 | $7.26–$11.98 | 35% | — source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 CULT URINE-COLONY CT | $35.87 | $59.78 | $59.78 | 40% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 URINE CULTURE/COLONY COUNT | $62.20 | $62.20 | $6.35–$12.01 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Culture Urine Bacterial Quant Cnt | $95.55 | $147.00 | $7.14–$18.16 | 35% | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC CULTURE URINE W/COLONY CT | $156.24 | $217.00 | $7.78–$217.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC CULTURE URINE W/COLONY CT | $172.80 | $240.00 | $7.41–$240.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC CULTURE URINE W/COLONY CT | $186.48 | $259.00 | $16.14–$259.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC CULTURE URINE W/COLONY CT | $187.20 | $260.00 | $7.41–$260.00 | 28% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $15.00, median $32.24, highest $187.20 — a 12.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $96.06. 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 7 of 13 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 1 it is 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 it is
A urine culture grows bacteria from a urine sample in the lab and counts how many colonies appear. It is used to confirm a urinary tract infection, especially when symptoms return or first treatment does not work.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the culture and colony count. If bacteria grow, identifying them and testing which antibiotics work are separate codes with their own charges.