COVID-19 PCR test cost in Kansas City, MO
In Kansas City, MO-KS, 6 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $51.00 to $548.91, with a median of $154.56. The lowest listed price is at St Joseph Medical Center — $103.56 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $124.80 at 27 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 4 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 Mar 6, 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 Kansas City, MO-KS.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Joseph Medical Center lowest Kansas City, MO · (816) 942-4400 Hc Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prb | $51.00 | $126.75 | $38.03–$126.75 | 60% | Mar 17, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 COV 2019 CORONAVIRUS | $53.36 | $184.00 | $47.57–$150.51 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| NKC Health North Kansas City, MO · (816) 691-2000 Coronavirus 2019 SARS Cov2 | $57.42 | $198.00 | $47.57–$161.96 | 71% | Mar 6, 2026 source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 COVID-19 PANTHER | $154.56 | $322.00 | $45.79–$289.80 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 COVID-19 87635 | $154.56 | $322.00 | $45.79–$289.80 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 COVID-19 PANTHER | $154.56 | $322.00 | $45.79–$289.80 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas City, MO · (816) 234-3000 COVID 19 RAPID | $154.56 | $322.00 | $45.79–$289.80 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 COVID 19 RAPID | $154.56 | $322.00 | $45.79–$289.80 | 52% | — source file |
| Children's Mercy Hospital Kansas Overland Park, KS · (913) 696-8000 COVID-19 87635 | $154.56 | $322.00 | $45.79–$289.80 | 52% | — source file |
| AdventHealth South Overland Park Overland Park, KS · (913) 373-2000 HC COVID-19 SARS-COV-2 AMPLIFIED PROBE | $548.91 | $548.91 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Shawnee Mission, KS · (913) 676-2152 HC COVID-19 SARS-COV-2 AMPLIFIED PROBE | $548.91 | $548.91 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $51.00, median $154.56, highest $548.91 — a 10.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $154.56. 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 4 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.