Rapid flu test cost in Houston, TX
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 18 hospitals list a cash price for rapid flu test (influenza antigen): from $16.22 to $1,955.11, with a median of $51.10. The lowest listed price is at Hsa St. Joseph — $34.88 less than the median here. Across Texas, the median is $93.18 at 222 hospitals.
- The median here, $51.10, is 15% below the US median of $60.40.
- That is 3.1× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($16.55).
- Houston, TX has the lowest median of 4 metro areas in Texas with at least 10 hospitals pricing this code.
- 6 of 18 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 18 facilities across 12 cities for code 87804, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Nov 4, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Feb 28, 2026 and Sep 8, 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hsa St. Joseph lowest Houston, TX · (713) 757-1000 INFLUENZA IA W DO File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $16.22 | $141.56 | $6.31–$141.56 | 89% |
| The Community Hospital of Brazosport Lake Jackson, TX · (979) 297-4411 INFLUENZA A File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $28.00 | $80.00 | $10.13–$69.73 | 65% |
| Sweeny Community Hospital Sweeny, TX · (979) 548-3311 Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for influenza virus File of Sep 8, 2026 · source file | $29.64 | $49.40 | $8.18–$49.40 | 40% |
| The Community Hospital of Brazosport Lake Jackson, TX · (979) 297-4411 INFLUENZA B File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $35.35 | $101.00 | $10.13–$81.21 | 65% |
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX · (832) 824-1000 TC POCT INFLUENZA ASSAY W/DIRECT OPTIC OBSERVATION+2 more lines at this price File of Mar 5, 2026 · source file | $38.86 | $58.00 | $15.66–$55.10 | 33% |
| St Luke's Patients Medical Center Pasadena, TX · (281) 487-0700 IMMUNOASAY W/OPTICAL OBS INFLU File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $40.95 | $117.00 | $13.21–$87.75 | 65% |
| Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center Liberty, TX · (936) 336-7316 Influenza A&b 1+1 more line at this price source file | $46.00 | $65.00 | $39.00–$62.00 | 29% |
| St. Lukes Hospital at the Vintage Houston, TX · (832) 534-5000 HC LAB INFLUENZA IA W/DO File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $51.10 | $146.00 | $11.92–$146.00 | 65% |
| St Luke's Lakeside Hospital The Woodlands, TX · (936) 266-4055 HC LAB INFLUENZA IA W/DO File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $51.10 | $146.00 | $11.92–$146.00 | 65% |
| CHI St. Luke's Health Baylor College of Medicine Medical Center Houston, TX · (832) 355-1000 HC LAB INFLUENZA IA W/DO File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $51.10 | $146.00 | $11.92–$146.00 | 65% |
| St Luke's Sugar Land Hospital Sugar Land, TX · (281) 637-7000 HC LAB INFLUENZA IA W/DO File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $51.10 | $146.00 | $11.92–$146.00 | 65% |
| CHI St. Luke's Health Springwood Village Spring, TX · (936) 266-4050 HC LAB INFLUENZA IA W/DO File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $51.10 | $146.00 | $11.92–$146.00 | 65% |
| St Luke's the Woodlands Hospital The Woodlands, TX · (936) 266-4050 HC LAB INFLUENZA IA W/DO File of Feb 28, 2026 · source file | $51.10 | $146.00 | $11.92–$146.00 | 65% |
| Shriners Childrens Texas Galveston, TX · (409) 770-6600 INFLUENZA ASSAY W/OPTIC File of Mar 18, 2026 · source file | $84.10 | $84.10 | $12.45–$31.78 | — |
| Liberty Dayton Regional Medical Center Liberty, TX · (936) 336-7316 Influenza Virus A Ag Qst+1 more line at this price source file | $155.00 | $222.00 | $133.00–$211.00 | 30% |
| Cornerstone Hospital Conroe Conroe, TX INFLUENZA A ANTIGEN File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $174.00 | $174.00 | — | — |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland Houston, TX · (713) 770-7000 Infectious agent antigen detection by immunoassay with direct optical (ie, visual) observation; Influenza +1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,166.37 | $1,166.37 | $68.28–$991.41 | — |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake Alvin, TX · (281) 332-2511 INFLUENZA VIRUS AG OIA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,341.19 | $1,341.19 | $80.47–$1,207.07 | — |
| HCA Houston Mainland Texas City, TX · (281) 332-2511 INFLUENZA VIRUS A AG OIA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,341.19 | $1,341.19 | $80.47–$1,207.07 | — |
| HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast Pasadena, TX · (713) 359-1000 INFLUENZA VIRUS B AG OIA+1 more line at this price File of Sep 1, 2026 · source file | $1,955.11 | $1,955.11 | $117.31–$1,759.60 | — |
Outpatient: lowest $16.22, median $51.10, highest $1,955.11 — a 120.5× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $51.10. 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 17 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 rapid flu test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Rapid flu test explained.