COVID-19 PCR test cost in Philadelphia, PA
In Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, 25 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $25.50 to $271.00, with a median of $125.45. The lowest listed price is at Virtua West Jersey Hospital - Marlton and 4 other hospitals — $99.95 less than the median here. Across Pennsylvania, the median is $91.20 at 93 hospitals.
- The median here, $125.45, is 27% above the US median of $98.92.
- That is 2.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($51.31).
- Philadelphia, PA ranks 2nd of 2 metro areas in Pennsylvania by median, cheapest first.
- 7 of 25 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 25 facilities across 21 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 26, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Dec 31, 2025 and Sep 21, 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 Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virtua West Jersey Hospital - Marlton lowest Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Sars-Cov-2 by Pcr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $25.50 | $255.00 | $49.26–$4,108.83 | 90% |
| Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes lowest Camden, NJ · (856) 886-5373 HC Sars-Cov-2 by Pcr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $25.50 | $255.00 | $49.26–$4,108.83 | 90% |
| Virtua Memorial Hospital lowest Mount Holly, NJ · (609) 267-0700 HC Sars-Cov-2 by Pcr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $25.50 | $255.00 | $49.26–$4,108.83 | 90% |
| Virtua West Jersey Hospital - Voorhees lowest Voorhees, NJ · (856) 247-3000 HC Sars-Cov-2 by Pcr+1 more line at this price File of Jun 1, 2026 · source file | $25.50 | $255.00 | $49.26–$4,108.83 | 90% |
| Virtua Willingboro Hospital lowest Willinboro, NJ · (609) 835-2900 HC Sars-Cov-2 by Pcr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $25.50 | $255.00 | $49.26–$4,108.83 | 90% |
| Roxborough Memorial Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 483-9900 Hc Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prb File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $51.00 | $246.29 | $35.49–$238.90 | 79% |
| Lower Bucks Hospital Bristol, PA · (215) 785-9200 Hc Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 Amp Prb File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $51.00 | $210.37 | $35.49–$168.30 | 76% |
| The Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA · (610) 526-3000 Hc Sars-Cov-2, Pcr (Covid-19)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $63.20 | $158.00 | — | 60% |
| Paoli Hospital Paoli, PA · (610) 648-1000 Hc Sars-Cov-2, Pcr (Covid-19)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $63.20 | $158.00 | — | 60% |
| Riddle Memorial Hospital Media, PA · (610) 566-9400 Hc Sars-Cov-2, Pcr (Covid-19)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $63.20 | $158.00 | — | 60% |
| Lankenau Medical Center Wynnewood, PA · (610) 645-2000 Hc Sars-Cov-2, Pcr (Covid-19)+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $63.20 | $158.00 | — | 60% |
| Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center Meadowbrook, PA · (215) 947-3000 SARS-COV-2 by PCR File of Sep 21, 2026 · source file | $103.91 | $173.17 | $51.31–$76.97 | 40% |
| Nazareth Hospital Philadelphia, PA · (215) 335-6000 HC POCT Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $125.45 | $193.00 | $51.31–$473.55 | 35% |
| St Mary Medical Center Langhorne, PA · (215) 750-2003 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19+1 more line at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $125.45 | $193.00 | $19.30–$183.35 | 35% |
| Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Darby, PA · (215) 237-4000 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $125.45 | $193.00 | $47.91–$208.47 | 35% |
| St. Francis Hospital Wilmington, DE · (302) 421-4100 HC Infectious Agent Nucleic Acid Amplified Probe Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19 File of Mar 31, 2026 · source file | $146.90 | $226.00 | $50.28–$343.14 | 35% |
| Inspira Medical Center Elmer Elmer, NJ · (856) 363-1000 SARS-CoV-2 RNA (COVID19) and Respiratory Viral Panel, Ql NAAT-Q+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $165.97 | $165.97 | $33.56–$164.71 | — |
| Inspira Health Center Woodbury Woodbury, NJ COV-19 AMP PRB HGH THRUPUT (Quest)+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $165.97 | $165.97 | $31.75–$164.71 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mannington Salem, NJ IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $165.97 | $165.97 | $27.97–$164.71 | — |
| Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill Mullica Hill, NJ · (856) 363-1000 IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ+3 more lines at this price File of Mar 24, 2026 · source file | $165.97 | $165.97 | $33.56–$164.71 | — |
| Union Hospital of Cecil County Elkton, MD · (410) 392-7009 POCT COVID File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $193.59 | $193.59 | — | — |
| The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA · (215) 590-1000 Covid 19 Pcr_Arup+4 more lines at this price File of Dec 31, 2025 · source file | $219.00 | $219.00 | $36.14–$197.10 | — |
| St Luke's Hospital - Upper Bucks Campus Quakertown, PA · (267) 985-1000 HB SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $263.70 | $293.00 | $35.49–$242.66 | 10% |
| St Luke's Hospital - Grand View Campus Sellersville, PA · (215) 453-4000 HB SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB File of Feb 26, 2026 · source file | $263.70 | $293.00 | $41.57–$4,081.35 | 10% |
| Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware Wilmington, DE · (302) 651-4000 Infectious Agent Detection by Nucleic Adic Coronavirus 2 (Covid-19)+1 more line at this price File of Mar 10, 2026 · source file | $271.00 | $271.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $25.50, median $125.45, highest $271.00 — a 10.6× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 17 facilities here, median $146.90. 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 12 of 19 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 5 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 COVID-19 PCR test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: COVID-19 PCR test explained.