COVID-19 PCR test cost in Rochester, NY
In Rochester, NY, 8 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $42.00 to $176.30, with a median of $143.24. The lowest listed price is at Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital — $101.24 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $118.30 at 63 hospitals.
Cash prices at 8 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 Apr 1, 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 Rochester, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital lowest Dansville, NY · (585) 335-6001 HB Coronavirus Ql Pcr Low | $42.00 | — | — | — | — source file |
| F.F. Thompson Hospital Canandaigua, NY · (585) 396-6000 HB Coronavirus Ql Pcr Low | $76.00 | — | — | — | — source file |
| Clifton Springs Hospital And Clinic Clifton Springs, NY · (315) 462-9561 HC IADNA SARS_COV_2 COVID_19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $143.24 | $220.37 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Rochester General Hospital Rochester, NY · (585) 922-4000 HC IADNA SARS_COV_2 COVID_19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $143.24 | $220.37 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Newark-Wayne Community Hospital Newark, NY · (315) 332-2022 HC IADNA SARS_COV_2 COVID_19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $143.24 | $220.37 | — | 35% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Highland Hospital Rochester, NY · (585) 341-6711 HB Coronavirus Ql Pcr Low | $147.05 | — | $34.96–$69.28 | — | — source file |
| Strong Memorial Hospital Rochester, NY · (585) 275-2121 HB Coronavirus Ql Pcr Low | $147.05 | — | $34.96–$69.28 | — | — source file |
| The Unity Hospital of Rochester Rochester, NY · (585) 723-7000 HC IADNA SARS_COV_2 COVID_19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ | $176.30 | $220.37 | — | 20% | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
Outpatient: lowest $42.00, median $143.24, highest $176.30 — a 4.2× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 4 facilities here, median $143.24. 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 0 of 2 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.