COVID-19 PCR test cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 5 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $90.00 to $279.84, with a median of $90.00. The lowest listed price is at Mount St. Mary's Hospital and 2 other hospitals. Across New York, the median is $118.30 at 63 hospitals.
Cash prices at 5 facilities across 3 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 23, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Apr 1, 2026 and Apr 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital one side lowest Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amplified Probe Tq - Sars-Cov-2 Rt Pcr | $90.00 | $90.00 | $30.79–$90.00 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital one side lowest Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amplified Probe Tq - Sars-Cov-2 Rt Pcr | $90.00 | $90.00 | $30.79–$90.00 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo one side lowest Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Iadna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amplified Probe Tq - Sars-Cov-2 Rt Pcr | $90.00 | $90.00 | $30.79–$90.00 | — | — source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Covid 19 Other Lab A | $98.00 | $98.00 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 AMPLIFED DNA OR RNA PROBE DETECTION OF SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 (COVID-19) ANTIGEN | $279.84 | $399.77 | $46.20–$69.91 | 30% | — source file |
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB | $279.87 | $399.82 | $46.20–$69.91 | 30% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $90.00, median $90.00, highest $279.84 — a 3.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $90.00. 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 0 of 4 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.