COVID-19 PCR test cost in Charlotte, NC
In Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 16 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $25.00 to $215.00, with a median of $85.03. The lowest listed price is at MUSC Lancaster Medical Center — $60.03 less than the median here. Across North Carolina, the median is $85.03 at 37 hospitals.
Cash prices at 16 facilities across 13 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 Dec 1, 2025 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center lowest Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB SARS COV-2 PCR RAPID (POCT) | $25.00 | $50.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Lancaster Medical Center lowest Lancaster, SC · (803) 286-1481 HB SARS COV-2 PCR RAPID | $25.00 | $50.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB SARS COV-2 PCR RAPID (POCT) | $32.50 | $65.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| MUSC Chester Regional Medical Center Chester, SC · (803) 581-3151 HB SARS COV-2 PCR RAPID | $32.50 | $65.00 | — | 50% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Iadna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amplified Probe Tq | $48.06 | $178.00 | $61.41–$67.50 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 HC IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $48.06 | $178.00 | $15.63–$115.70 | 73% | — source file |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital Mooresville, NC · (704) 660-4000 Iadna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amplified Probe Tq | $48.06 | $178.00 | $51.80–$61.41 | 73% | — source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $44.38–$153.05 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Charlotte, NC HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $52.02–$156.45 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Rehabilitation Belmont, NC HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $52.02–$156.45 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Anson Wadesboro, NC · (704) 694-5131 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $25.69–$161.55 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center-Northeast Concord, NC · (704) 783-3000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $21.07–$161.55 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Lincoln Lincolnton, NC · (980) 212-2000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $19.37–$161.55 | 50% | Dec 1, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Union Monroe, NC · (704) 283-3100 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $22.70–$161.55 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $17.43–$156.45 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Atrium Health Pineville Charlotte, NC · (704) 379-5000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $17.60–$164.95 | 50% | Dec 5, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $37.45–$153.05 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $37.45–$156.45 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Carolinas Medical Center Charlotte, NC · (704) 355-2000 HC SARS-COV-2 NUCLEIC ACID TEST | $85.03 | $170.05 | $32.31–$153.05 | 50% | Dec 4, 2025 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina Rock Hill, SC SARSCOV2 COVID19 AMP PRB | $212.25 | $283.00 | $51.31–$283.00 | 25% | Sep 1, 2026 source file |
| Amisub of South Carolina Fort Mill, SC SARSCOV2 COVID19 AMP PRB | $212.25 | $283.00 | $51.31–$283.00 | 25% | Apr 15, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG SARS COV2, RNA DETECTION | $215.00 | $215.00 | $21.55–$204.25 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC CHG COVID RNA RAPID, ID NOW | $215.00 | $215.00 | $26.00–$204.25 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG COVID RNA RAPID, ID NOW | $215.00 | $215.00 | $26.00–$204.25 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG COVID RNA RAPID, ID NOW | $215.00 | $215.00 | $26.00–$204.25 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG SARS COV2, RNA DETECTION | $215.00 | $215.00 | $21.55–$204.25 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC CHG SARS COV2, RNA DETECTION | $215.00 | $215.00 | $21.55–$204.25 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 BD MAX | $221.00 | $221.00 | $21.55–$209.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 BD MAX | $221.00 | $221.00 | $21.55–$209.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC CHG SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 BD MAX | $221.00 | $221.00 | $21.55–$209.95 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Gastonia, NC CHG COVID-19 | $249.00 | $249.00 | $26.00–$236.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Mount Holly, NC CHG COVID-19 | $249.00 | $249.00 | $26.00–$236.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
| Gaston Memorial Hospital Belmont, NC CHG COVID-19 | $249.00 | $249.00 | $26.00–$236.55 | — | May 11, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $25.00, median $85.03, highest $215.00 — a 8.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 16 facilities here, median $85.03. 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 11 of 14 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
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.