HIV viral load test cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 12 hospitals list a cash price for HIV viral load test (HIV-1 RNA, quantitative): from $30.87 to $608.00, with a median of $272.16. The lowest listed price is at Hayward Sisters Hospital — $241.29 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $272.16 at 89 hospitals.
Cash prices at 12 facilities across 11 cities for code 87536, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 23, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward Sisters Hospital one side lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 LC-HIV VIRUS QUANT RT PCR | $30.87 | $102.90 | $51.45–$212.75 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Hiv-1 by Quant Naat | $34.00 | $85.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 LC - HIV VIRAL LOAD | $37.01 | $123.38 | $61.69–$212.75 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 LC - RNARealTimePCR(NonGraph) | $37.80 | $126.00 | $63.00–$212.75 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Hayward Sisters Hospital Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 LC- HIV PCR | $121.59 | $405.30 | $73.40–$344.50 | 70% | Feb 23, 2026 source file |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 HC Hiv Rna Pcr Quant | $145.20 | $363.00 | — | 60% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 IADNA HIV-1 QUANT & REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION | $272.16 | $486.00 | $78.00–$245.00 | 44% | — source file |
| Chinese Hospital Association San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Detection test by nucleic acid for HIV-1 virus, quantification | $608.00 | $608.00 | $85.10–$1,094.40 | — | Jul 22, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $30.87, median $272.16, highest $608.00 — a 19.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 11 facilities here, median $272.16. 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 2 of 11 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
The HIV viral load test measures how much virus is in the blood. It shows how well treatment is working.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test. The blood draw (36415) is often billed as a separate line.