Rapid strep test cost in Buffalo, NY
In Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 6 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $10.21 to $58.72, with a median of $32.00. The lowest listed price is at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center — $21.79 less than the median here. Across New York, the median is $36.20 at 61 hospitals.
Cash prices at 6 facilities across 3 cities for code 87880, 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 Aug 25, 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center lowest Niagara Falls, NY · (716) 278-4000 DETECTION TEST BY IMMUNOASSAY WITH DIRECT VISUAL OBSERVATION FOR STREPTOCOCCUS; GROUP A (STREP) | $10.21 | $14.59 | $11.11–$19.84 | 30% | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Pbb Strep a Assay W/Optic | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 Strep a Assay W/Optic - POCT Rapid Strep A | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Strep a Assay W/Optic - Rapid Strep a Screen | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 HC Pbb Strep a Assay W/Optic | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 Strep a Assay W/Optic - POCT Rapid Strep A | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 HC Strep a Assay W/Optic - Rapid Strep a Screen | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Strep a Assay W/Optic - Rapid Strep a Screen | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.79–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 Strep a Assay W/Optic - POCT Rapid Strep A | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.79–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 HC Pbb Strep a Assay W/Optic | $32.00 | $32.00 | $3.79–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 STREP QUICK TEST | $48.77 | $129.90 | $3.79–$116.91 | 62% | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
| Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, NY · (716) 898-3936 RAPID STREP A SCREEN | $48.77 | $129.90 | $3.79–$116.91 | 62% | Aug 25, 2026 source file |
| Roswell Park Cancer Institute Buffalo, NY Streptococcus Group A -Rapid | $58.72 | $58.72 | — | — | Apr 1, 2026 source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $74.20 | $23.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | -223% | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $74.20 | $74.20 | $3.22–$42.29 | — | — source file |
| Mount St. Mary's Hospital Lewiston, NY · (716) 297-4800 Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $74.20 | $23.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | -223% | — source file |
| Sisters of Charity Hospital Buffalo, NY · (716) 862-1000 Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $74.20 | $23.00 | $3.22–$42.29 | -223% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital of Buffalo Buffalo, NY · (716) 826-7000 Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $74.20 | $74.20 | $3.79–$42.29 | — | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $10.21, median $32.00, highest $58.72 — a 5.8× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 5 facilities here, median $32.00. 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 5 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
A rapid strep test checks a throat swab for group A strep bacteria, the cause of strep throat, and gives a result in minutes. It helps the clinician decide whether antibiotics are needed.
What the price covers
The price usually covers the rapid test only. The visit is billed separately, and a backup throat culture, if done, has its own charge.