COVID-19 PCR test cost in Little Rock, AR
In Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR, 3 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $94.20 to $200.00, with a median of $99.00. The lowest listed price is at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences — $4.80 less than the median here. Across Arkansas, the median is $130.00 at 18 hospitals.
Cash prices at 3 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Nov 21, 2025.
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences lowest Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB | $94.20 | $157.00 | $49.77–$887.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Arkansas Childrens Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 364-1100 SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB | $99.00 | $110.00 | $51.31–$110.00 | 10% | — source file |
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR · (501) 686-5000 AMPLIFED DNA OR RNA PROBE DETECTION OF SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 (COVID-19) ANTIGEN | $105.00 | $175.00 | $49.77–$887.00 | 40% | — source file |
| Arkansas Heart Hospital Little Rock, AR · (501) 219-7000 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Screen | $200.00 | $250.00 | $150.34–$159.00 | 20% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $94.20, median $99.00, highest $200.00 — a 2.1× difference within the same market.
Cash or insurance?
At 2 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 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.