Rapid strep test cost in St. Louis, MO
In St. Louis, MO-IL, 14 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $23.12 to $144.72, with a median of $58.44. The lowest listed price is at Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital — $35.32 less than the median here. Across Missouri, the median is $53.30 at 31 hospitals.
Cash prices at 14 facilities across 11 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 24, 2026 and Jun 12, 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 St. Louis, MO-IL.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list | File date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital lowest Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 Streptococcus Group A AG, w/ Reflex to Culture | $23.12 | $28.89 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| Gateway Regional Medical Center Granite City, IL · (618) 798-3000 STREP A ASSAY W-OPTI | $24.75 | $41.25 | $41.25 | 40% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $26.65 | $41.00 | $14.88–$24.55 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $26.65 | $41.00 | $14.88–$37.19 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $27.95 | $43.00 | $15.95–$22.92 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Troy, MO · (636) 528-8551 POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $29.25 | $45.00 | $15.95–$22.92 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $53.30 | $82.00 | $5.33–$82.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital South Saint Louis, MO · (314) 525-1000 Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $53.30 | $82.00 | $14.88–$37.19 | 35% | — source file |
| St Elizabeths Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis O'Fallon, IL HC OPTICAL STREP | $56.88 | $79.00 | $7.41–$79.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital St Louis Saint Louis, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $57.20 | $88.00 | $14.88–$37.19 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities Washington, MO Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$68.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities Washington, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$68.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospitals East Communities Washington, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$68.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO Iaadiadoo Streptococcus Group A | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Lincoln Elsberry, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $60.00 | $80.00 | $40.00–$72.00 | 25% | Jun 12, 2026 source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $66.95 | $103.00 | $6.70–$103.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Jefferson Festus, MO POC Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $66.95 | $103.00 | $6.70–$103.00 | 35% | — source file |
| Mercy Hospital Washington Washington, MO Rapid Strep Dir Optical Observ | $69.55 | $107.00 | $6.96–$96.30 | 35% | — source file |
| Shriners Childrens - St Louis Saint Louis, MO · (314) 432-3600 STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC | $94.20 | $94.20 | $10.78–$20.66 | — | — source file |
| Hshs Holy Family Hospital Greenville, IL · (618) 664-1230 HC OPTICAL STREP | $105.12 | $146.00 | $7.78–$146.00 | 28% | — source file |
| St Josephs Hospital Hospital Sisters Third Order of St Francis Breese, IL · (618) 526-4511 HC OPTICAL STREP | $105.12 | $146.00 | $7.41–$146.00 | 28% | — source file |
| Ranken Jordan Home for Convalescent Crippled Children Hospital Maryland Heights, MO · (314) 872-6400 Streptococcus, Group A Culture | $129.96 | $162.45 | — | 20% | Apr 24, 2026 source file |
| St Josephs Hospital of the Hospital Sisters of the Third Order of St Francis Highland, IL · (618) 651-2600 HC OPTICAL STREP | $144.72 | $201.00 | $17.24–$201.00 | 28% | — source file |
Outpatient: lowest $23.12, median $58.44, highest $144.72 — a 6.3× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 10 facilities here, median $58.64. 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 10 of 13 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.