COVID-19 PCR test cost in Huntsville, AL
In Huntsville, AL, 2 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $33.13 to $55.00, with a median of $44.07. The lowest listed price is at Crestwood Medical Center — $10.94 less than the median here. Across Alabama, the median is $144.22 at 12 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 facilities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Sep 22, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Jan 1, 2026 and Jan 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 Huntsville, AL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crestwood Medical Center lowest Huntsville, AL · (256) 429-4000 COVID19 PRB | $33.13 | $184.06 | $31.68–$156.45 | 82% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Crestwood Medical Center Huntsville, AL · (256) 429-4000 L139900 COVID19 NAA | $43.81 | $243.40 | $31.68–$206.89 | 82% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Huntsville Hospital Huntsville, AL · (256) 265-1000 LAB-KACOV2-KAILOS ASSURE SENTI | $55.00 | $55.00 | $13.75–$55.00 | — | — source file |
| Crestwood Medical Center Huntsville, AL · (256) 429-4000 Q39448 COVID19 | $64.27 | $357.06 | $31.68–$303.50 | 82% | Jan 1, 2026 source file |
| Huntsville Hospital Huntsville, AL · (256) 265-1000 LAB-VP RENAL BIOPSY, SURG PATH | $801.72 | $801.72 | $35.63–$801.72 | — | — source file |
| Huntsville Hospital Huntsville, AL · (256) 265-1000 BARD MIDLINE KIT 22GAX8CM | $888.00 | $888.00 | $50.69–$577.20 | — | — source file |
| Huntsville Hospital Huntsville, AL · (256) 265-1000 LAB-COVIDM-SARS-COV-2-RNA DETE | $943.20 | $943.20 | $38.48–$943.20 | — | — source file |
| Huntsville Hospital Huntsville, AL · (256) 265-1000 WASHED RED BLOOD CELLS UNIT | $1,837.00 | $1,837.00 | $50.69–$1,194.05 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $33.13, median $44.07, highest $55.00 — a 1.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $46.83. 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 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.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 87635 ($103.00). Such a line is almost always a physician's fee billed separately, an assistant's share or a placeholder — a real charge, but not the price of the procedure itself.
| Huntsville Hospital Huntsville, ALLAB-COV19-SAR-COV-2 , ADPH-BCL | $0.01 | file |