COVID-19 PCR test cost in Madison, WI
In Madison, WI, 2 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $132.00 to $180.05, with a median of $156.03. The lowest listed price is at UnityPoint Health - Meriter — $24.03 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $132.88 at 80 hospitals.
Cash prices at 2 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 Jan 28, 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 Madison, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnityPoint Health - Meriter lowest Madison, WI · (608) 417-6210 CHG IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $132.00 | $165.00 | $37.95–$156.75 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| UnityPoint Health - Meriter Madison, WI · (608) 417-6210 HC COVID-19 LAB TEST NON-CDC AMP PRB | $132.21 | $165.26 | $38.01–$157.00 | 20% | Jan 28, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $180.05 | $277.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital Portage, WI · (608) 742-4131 Fac Iadna Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amplified Probe Tq | $180.05 | $277.00 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $132.00, median $156.03, highest $180.05 — a 1.4× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 2 facilities here, median $156.03. 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 the one hospital here that publishes insurer rates for this code, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated. 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.