COVID-19 PCR test cost in Brownsville, TX
In Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, 2 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $51.00 to $98.40, with a median of $74.70. The lowest listed price is at Harlingen Medical Center — $23.70 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $82.85 at 223 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities across 2 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 27, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Sep 1, 2026 and Sep 1, 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 COVID-19 DIAGNOSTIC PANEL | $51.00 | $51.31 | $12.83–$400.00 | 1% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 COVID19 DIAGNOSTIC | $51.00 | $500.00 | $12.83–$400.00 | 90% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 COVID-19 DIAG PANEL SONIC | $51.00 | $70.00 | $12.83–$400.00 | 27% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Harlingen Medical Center lowest Harlingen, TX · (956) 365-1000 SARS COV-2 RNA NAAT QUAL | $51.00 | $256.55 | $12.83–$400.00 | 80% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Valley Regional Medical Center Brownsville, TX · (956) 350-7000 COVID-19 DNA/RNA AMP | $98.40 | $98.40 | $6.89–$83.64 | — | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $51.00, median $74.70, highest $98.40 — a 1.9× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 1 of 2 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 it is
This is the lab (PCR or similar amplification) test for the virus that causes COVID-19. It is more sensitive than a rapid antigen test and is often required before some procedures or travel.
What the price covers
The price usually covers running the test on a swab sample; the collection may be billed separately.