COVID-19 PCR test cost in Milwaukee, WI
In Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI, 17 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $65.00 to $173.11, with a median of $87.50. The lowest listed price is at Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro and 7 other hospitals — $22.50 less than the median here. Across Wisconsin, the median is $132.88 at 80 hospitals.
Cash prices at 17 facilities across 11 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 Nov 21, 2025 and Mar 23, 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro lowest Cudahy, WI POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center lowest West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton lowest Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit lowest Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County lowest Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha lowest Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro lowest Milwaukee, WI POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro lowest Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 POC COVID-19 PCR | $65.00 | $130.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WI COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WI · (262) 948-5600 COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WI · (262) 673-2300 COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WI · (414) 649-6000 COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WI · (414) 328-6000 COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Psychiatric Hospital Wauwatosa, WI · (414) 454-6600 COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WI · (262) 329-1000 COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WI · (262) 434-1600 COVID-19 PCR | $87.50 | $175.00 | $41.05–$174.97 | 50% | Nov 21, 2025 source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Glendale, WI COVID19 SCREENING | $95.40 | $180.00 | $53.67–$92.41 | 47% | — source file |
| Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - Southeast Wisconsin Franklin, WI HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $51.31–$177.02 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Franklin, WI HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $51.31–$177.02 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE - POC | $109.18 | $206.00 | $51.31–$177.02 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 447-2130 HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $51.31–$177.02 | 47% | — source file |
| Ascension St. Francis Hospital Milwaukee, WI · (414) 647-5000 HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $51.31–$177.02 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE - POC | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE - POC | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI · (414) 585-1374 HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE - POC | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE - POC | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Ozaukee Mequon, WI HC COVID-19 TEST AMPLIFIED PROBE TECHNIQUE | $109.18 | $206.00 | $48.23–$171.89 | 47% | — source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 19 NAAT STAT | $173.11 | $314.75 | $220.33–$299.01 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 19 NAAT | $173.11 | $314.75 | $220.33–$299.01 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 19 NAAT STAT | $173.11 | $314.75 | $220.33–$299.01 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
| Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI · (414) 266-3954 HBC NOVEL CORONAVIRUS 19 NAAT | $173.11 | $314.75 | $220.33–$299.01 | 45% | Mar 23, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $65.00, median $87.50, highest $173.11 — a 2.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $65.00. 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 16 of 17 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.
9 rows held back from this comparison
They are 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.
| Aurora Medical Center Grafton Grafton, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora Medical Center Summit Summit, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora Medical Center Washington County Hartford, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora Medical Center Kenosha Kenosha, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora Psychiatric Hospital Wauwatosa, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora Sinai Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora St Lukes Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro Milwaukee, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora St Lukes South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro Cudahy, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |
| Aurora West Allis Medical Center West Allis, WICOVID-19 CDC | $10.00 | file |