Rapid strep test cost in San Francisco, CA
In San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, 15 hospitals list a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $17.20 to $235.80, with a median of $171.36. The lowest listed price is at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley — $154.16 less than the median here. Across California, the median is $107.89 at 156 hospitals.
- The median here, $171.36, is 190% above the US median of $59.00.
- That is 10.4× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($16.53).
- San Francisco, CA ranks 5th of 5 metro areas in California by median, cheapest first.
- 3 of 15 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.
Cash prices at 15 facilities across 13 cities for code 87880, as an outpatient — the setting a self-pay patient normally buys. Collected Oct 29, 2026; the hospital files themselves were last updated between Mar 26, 2026 and Jul 22, 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 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
Hospitals, cheapest first
| Hospital | Cash price | List price | Insurers pay | Off list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley lowest Pleasanton, CA · (925) 847-3000 Rapid Strep a Test File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $17.20 | $43.00 | — | 60% |
| Chinese Hospital San Francisco, CA · (415) 677-2480 Detection test by immunoassay with direct visual observation for Streptococcus, group A (strep) File of Jul 22, 2026 · source file | $51.87 | $51.87 | $8.57–$260.90 | — |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland/Richmond Oakland, CA · (510) 752-1000 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro San Leandro, CA · (510) 454-1000 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont Fremont, CA · (510) 784-4000 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City Redwood City, CA · (650) 299-2000 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch Antioch, CA · (925) 813-6500 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Fnd Hospital - Richmond Campus Richmond, CA · (510) 752-1000 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco San Francisco, CA · (415) 833-2646 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco South San Francisco, CA · (650) 742-3200 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael San Rafael, CA · (415) 444-2000 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek Walnut Creek, CA · (925) 295-4000 IAADIADOO STREPTOCOCCUS GROUP A File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $171.36 | $306.00 | $16.00–$50.00 | 44% |
| Novato Community Hospital Novato, CA · (415) 209-1300 HCHG STREPTOCOCCUS A BY IMMUNOASSAY W/ DIRECT OPTICAL OBSERVATION+1 more line at this price File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $209.00 | $209.00 | — | — |
| Sutter Delta Medical Center Antioch, CA · (925) 779-7200 HCHG STREPTOCOCCUS A BY IMMUNOASSAY W/ DIRECT OPTICAL OBSERVATION File of Apr 1, 2026 · source file | $209.00 | $209.00 | — | — |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 DETECTION TEST BY IMMUNOASSAY WITH DIRECT VISUAL OBSERVATION FOR STREPTOCOCCUS; GROUP A (STREP) File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $235.80 | $393.00 | $13.35–$2,330.00 | 40% |
| MarinHealth Medical Center Greenbrae, CA · (415) 925-7900 STREP A ASSAY W/OPTIC File of Mar 26, 2026 · source file | $249.95 | $416.58 | $13.35–$2,330.00 | 40% |
Outpatient: lowest $17.20, median $171.36, highest $235.80 — a 13.7× difference within the same market.
As an inpatient, the same code is billed by 13 facilities here, median $171.36. 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 2 of 12 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 strep test is, what the price covers and why prices differ: Rapid strep test explained.