Rapid strep test cost in California

In California, 156 hospitals publish a cash price for rapid strep A antigen test from a throat swab, read visually: from $8.00 to $460.35, with a median of $107.89. The lowest price is at Pacifica Hospital of the Valley (Sun Valley). The highest price is 57.5× the lowest.

• The median here, $107.89, is 83% above the US median of $59.00.
• That is 6.5× Medicare's 2026 national rate for the same service ($16.53).
• California ranks 46th of 50 states by median, cheapest first.
• 36 of 156 hospitals list a cash price equal to their full list price, with no self-pay discount.

California law (Health and Safety Code §127405): if you are uninsured or have high medical costs and your family income is at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, a hospital may not expect you to pay more than it would expect from Medicare or Medi-Cal, whichever is greater. That can be less than the cash prices below; ask the hospital for its discount payment policy. A separate physician fee may still apply. Other states' laws.

Outpatient cash prices, one line per hospital — its lowest listed price for code 87880. Prices for both sides of the body and inpatient prices are not mixed in. Collected Nov 8, 2026. See them on a map