COVID-19 PCR test cost in Portland, ME
In Portland-South Portland, ME, 6 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $33.54 to $156.00, with a median of $82.80. The lowest listed price is at Mercy Hospital — $49.26 less than the median here. Across Maine, the median is $55.75 at 22 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 5 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 Sep 9, 2025 and Apr 29, 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 Portland-South Portland, ME.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy Hospital lowest Portland, ME SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB | $33.54 | $129.00 | $68.89–$98.30 | 74% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital lowest Portland, ME COVID CEPHEID | $33.54 | $129.00 | $68.89–$98.30 | 74% | — source file |
| Bridgton Hospital Bridgton, ME · (207) 647-6000 HC SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB | $56.00 | $182.50 | $51.31–$182.50 | 69% | Apr 29, 2026 source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 CHG IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $81.00 | $81.00 | $40.50–$107.52 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC DETECT AGENT NOS DNA AMP PR(COVID 19) | $84.45 | $84.45 | $51.31–$79.72 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Brunswick, ME · (207) 729-0181 HC SARS-COV-2 ANOW (COVID 19) | $84.45 | $84.45 | $51.31–$79.72 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME HC SARS-COV-2 ANOW (COVID 19) | $84.60 | $84.60 | $51.31–$79.52 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Biddeford, ME HC DETECT AGENT NOS DNA AMP PR(COVID 19) | $84.60 | $84.60 | $51.31–$79.52 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 B* HC SARS-COV-2 AB-ID NOW (COVID 19) | $86.85 | $86.85 | $51.31–$81.64 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| MaineHealth Portland, ME · (207) 662-0111 B* HC DETECT AGENT NOS DNA AMP PRB (COVID 19) | $86.85 | $86.85 | $51.31–$81.64 | — | Sep 9, 2025 source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 COVID 19 PCR | $156.00 | $260.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 COVID ABBOT ID NOW TEST | $156.00 | $260.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 SEACOAST COVID-19 PCR | $156.00 | $260.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 COVID 19 PCR HIGH THROUGHPUT | $218.40 | $364.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
| York Hospital York, ME · (207) 351-2478 SARS COVID PCR | $218.40 | $364.00 | — | 40% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $33.54, median $82.80, highest $156.00 — a 4.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $84.60. 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 3 of 5 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.