COVID-19 PCR test cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 26 hospitals list a cash price for COVID-19 PCR test (SARS-CoV-2 lab test): from $16.16 to $441.00, with a median of $113.12. The lowest listed price is at St. Rose Hospital — $96.96 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).
- San Francisco, CA ranks 5th of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 12 of 26 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 26 facilities across 18 cities for code 87635, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 31, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 23, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
Lowest$16.16St. Rose Hospital
Median$113.12half of hospitals charge less
Highest$441.00in this market
Difference27.3×highest vs lowest
Where each hospital's price falls
Each dot is one hospital's cash price on a scale from the lowest to the highest in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
median
Lowest $16.16Highest $441.00
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Rose Hospital lowest Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 LC COVID-19NAA File of Feb 23, 2026 · source file | $16.16 | $53.88 | $26.94–$128.28 | 70% |
| Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CA · (650) 369-5811 RL-A-COVID19NAA 3002638 File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $25.52 | $74.80 | $15.71–$160.60 | 66% |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Sars-Cov-2 Covid-19 by Naa File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $38.00 | $95.00 | — | 60% |
| St. Rose Hospital Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 SARS COV-2 BY PCR File of Feb 23, 2026 · source file | $40.32 | $134.40 | $47.77–$128.28 | 70% |
| Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CA · (650) 369-5811 SARS-COV-2 CVD-19 PRB TCH File of Sep 30, 2026 · source file | $54.25 | $159.00 | $33.39–$160.60 | 66% |
| St. Rose Hospital Hayward, CA · (510) 782-6200 ST -MISC COVID TESTING PCR File of Feb 23, 2026 · source file | $63.00 | $210.00 | $47.77–$178.50 | 70% |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 AMPLIFED DNA OR RNA PROBE DETECTION OF SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS 2 (COVID-19) ANTIGEN File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $96.60 | $161.00 | $51.31–$2,330.00 | 40% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 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 - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 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 San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 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 - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 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 - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 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% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 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 Fnd Hospital - Richmond Campus Richmond, CA · (510) 752-1000 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 - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 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 - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 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% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 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% |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Labcovrespcr Cov-19+2 more lines at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $126.40 | $316.00 | — | 60% |
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley one side Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Labcovid19 Coronavirus Rt Pcr File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $126.40 | $316.00 | — | 60% |
| Novato Community Hospital Novato, CA · (415) 209-1300 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Mills Health Center San Mateo, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Mills-Peninsula Medical Center Burlingame, CA · (650) 696-5400 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Eden Medical Center Castro Valley, CA · (510) 537-1234 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Camp Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch, CA · (925) 779-7200 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center-Summit Campus-Hawthorne Oakland, CA · (510) 655-4000 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Ctr-Davies Campus Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus San Francisco, CA · (415) 600-6000 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Herrick Campus Berkeley, CA · (510) 204-4444 HCHG CORE IADNA SARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PROBE TQ+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $382.00 | $382.00 | — | — |
| Chinese Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Amplifed DNA or RNA probe detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Covid-19) antigen File of Jul 22, 2026 · source file | $441.00 | $441.00 | $51.31–$793.80 | — |
Hospital The hospital that published the price, its city and the line exactly as written in its price file.
Cash price The hospital's own price for a patient paying without insurance (“discounted cash” in its price file). Hospitals must publish it under federal law, 45 CFR 180.50. Call to confirm it before booking. More
List price The hospital's full chargemaster price (“gross charge”) before any discount. Almost nobody pays it; the gap to the cash price shows what the self-pay discount is worth. More
Insurers pay The lowest and highest rates this hospital has agreed with insurance plans for the same item, from its price file. If the cash price is below what your plan pays and you have not met your deductible, paying cash can cost you less. More
Off list How much lower the cash price is than the list price.
No cash discount This line's cash price equals the hospital's full list price. Many hospitals still reduce bills for uninsured patients: ask the billing office for its self-pay discount in writing. More
Outpatient: lowest $16.16, median $113.12, highest $441.00 — a 27.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 24 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 14 of 14 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 COVID-19 PCR test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: COVID-19 PCR test explained.
1 row held back from this comparison
It is priced below $1 or below a tenth of the national median for code 87635 ($81.00). 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.
| Hospital | Cash price | File |
|---|---|---|
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CASARS-COV-2 COVID-19 AMP PRB | $0.67 | file |
File Link to the hospital's own price file.