COVID-19 PCR test cost in Sacramento, CA
In Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, 13 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $13.81 to $360.00, with a median of $113.12. The lowest listed price is at Mercy General Hospital — $99.31 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $94.62 at 212 hospitals.
- The median here, $113.12, is 14% above the US median of $98.92.
- That is 2.2× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($51.31).
- Sacramento, CA ranks 4th of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 4 of 13 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 13 facilities across 8 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 30, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 19, 2026 and Sep 30, 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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercy General Hospital lowest Sacramento, CA · (916) 453-4453 RL-A-COVID19NAA 3002638 File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $13.81 | $74.80 | $26.18–$76.97 | 82% |
| Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA · (916) 537-5000 RL-A-COVID19NAA 3002638 File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $16.85 | $74.80 | $8.23–$74.80 | 77% |
| Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento, CA · (916) 423-6010 RL-A-COVID19NAA 3002638 File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $18.11 | $74.80 | $26.18–$74.80 | 76% |
| Woodland Memorial Hospital Woodland, CA · (530) 662-3961 RL-A-COVID19NAA 3002638 File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $18.93 | $74.80 | $8.23–$74.80 | 75% |
| Mercy Hospital of Folsom Folsom, CA · (916) 983-7400 RL-A-COVID19NAA 3002638 File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $27.91 | $74.80 | $8.23–$74.80 | 63% |
| Marshall Medical Center Placerville, CA · (530) 622-1441 RF LABCORP COVID-19 File of Feb 19, 2026 · source file | $29.23 | $51.31 | $26.17–$102.62 | 43% |
| Mercy General Hospital Sacramento, CA · (916) 453-4453 SARS-COV-2 CVD-19 PRB TCH File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $34.90 | $189.00 | $48.39–$189.00 | 82% |
| Marshall Medical Center Placerville, CA · (530) 622-1441 RF ARUP COVID-19 File of Feb 19, 2026 · source file | $37.03 | $65.00 | $33.15–$102.62 | 43% |
| Mercy San Juan Medical Center Carmichael, CA · (916) 537-5000 SARS-COV-2 CVD-19 PRB TCH File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $42.57 | $189.00 | $20.79–$189.00 | 77% |
| Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Sacramento, CA · (916) 423-6010 SARS-COV-2 CVD-19 PRB TCH File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $45.75 | $189.00 | $48.39–$189.00 | 76% |
| Marshall Medical Center Placerville, CA · (530) 622-1441 HC COVID-19 File of Feb 19, 2026 · source file | $47.13 | $82.73 | $42.19–$102.62 | 43% |
| Woodland Memorial Hospital Woodland, CA · (530) 662-3961 SARS-COV-2 CVD-19 PRB TCH File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $47.82 | $189.00 | $20.79–$189.00 | 75% |
| Marshall Medical Center Placerville, CA · (530) 622-1441 HC COVID-19 NAAT File of Feb 19, 2026 · source file | $58.05 | $101.90 | $51.31–$102.62 | 43% |
| Mercy Hospital of Folsom Folsom, CA · (916) 983-7400 SARS-COV-2 CVD-19 PRB TCH File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $70.52 | $189.00 | $20.79–$189.00 | 63% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Sacramento Sacramento, CA · (916) 973-5000 IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $113.12 | $202.00 | $48.00–$150.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Roseville Roseville, CA · (916) 784-4000 IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $113.12 | $202.00 | $48.00–$150.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Sacramento Sacramento, CA · (916) 688-2000 IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMPLIFIED PROBE TQ File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $113.12 | $202.00 | $48.00–$150.00 | 44% |
| Marshall Medical Center Placerville, CA · (530) 622-1441 HC SARS-COV-2 2019-NCOV COVID-19+1 more line at this price File of Feb 19, 2026 · source file | $113.94 | $200.00 | $51.31–$180.00 | 43% |
| Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital Auburn, CA · (530) 888-4500 HCHG IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $360.00 | $360.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Davis Hospital Davis, CA · (530) 757-5108 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $360.00 | $360.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento Sacramento, CA · (916) 454-2222 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $360.00 | $360.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Roseville Medical Center Roseville, CA · (916) 781-1000 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $360.00 | $360.00 | — | — |
Outpatient: lowest $13.81, median $113.12, highest $360.00 — a 26.1× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $113.12. 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 9 of 9 hospitals that publish insurer rates for this code here, the cash price is below the highest rate a health plan has negotiated, and at 2 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.