COVID-19 PCR test cost in El Paso, TX
In El Paso, TX, 3 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $30.00 to $44.00, with a median of $30.29. The lowest listed price is at University Medical Center Surgical Hospital — $0.29 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $103.50 at 96 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 facilities across 2 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 — and —.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in El Paso, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital lowest Dieter El Paso, TX SH MIC INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $30.00 | $150.00 | $18.48–$710.76 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX YSL INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $30.29 | $151.46 | $18.48–$535.59 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX EST INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $30.29 | $151.46 | $18.48–$574.39 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 YSL INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $30.29 | $151.46 | $18.48–$535.59 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 WST INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $30.29 | $151.46 | $18.48–$309.43 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 EST INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $30.29 | $151.46 | $18.48–$574.39 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX WST INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $30.29 | $151.46 | $18.48–$309.43 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX MIC INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $31.50 | $157.50 | $18.48–$504.36 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 MIC INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $31.50 | $157.50 | $18.48–$504.36 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $36.75 | $183.75 | $18.48–$516.53 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $36.75 | $183.75 | $18.48–$516.53 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center Surgical Hospital Dieter El Paso, TX UCC ESLK INF DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $44.00 | $220.00 | $18.48–$624.32 | 80% | — source file |
| University Medical Center El Paso El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7602 UCC ESLK INF DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $44.00 | $220.00 | $18.48–$624.32 | 80% | — source file |
| El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7148 CH UCC EL INF DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $44.00 | $220.00 | $49.98–$176.00 | 80% | — source file |
| El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7148 MIC INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $47.80 | $239.00 | $49.98–$191.20 | 80% | — source file |
| El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7148 INF AGENT DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $47.80 | $239.00 | $49.98–$191.20 | 80% | — source file |
| El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7148 INF AGENT DTCT DNA COVID-19 | $47.80 | $239.00 | $49.98–$191.20 | 80% | — source file |
| El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7148 CH UCC INF DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $47.80 | $239.00 | $49.98–$191.20 | 80% | — source file |
| El Paso Children's Hospital El Paso, TX · (915) 521-7148 INF DETECT DNA COVID-19 | $57.40 | $287.00 | $49.98–$229.60 | 80% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $30.00, median $30.29, highest $44.00 — a 1.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 3 facilities here, median $30.29. 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 3 of 3 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.