STD testing costs anywhere from $0 to about $300, depending on where you go, how many infections you test for, and whether you have insurance. A single test for one infection like chlamydia might run $50 or less, while a comprehensive panel covering eight or more infections can reach $250 or higher out of pocket. The good news: many people qualify for free or reduced-cost testing and don’t realize it.
What Insurance Covers at No Cost
Under the Affordable Care Act, most private insurance plans, Medicare, and Medicaid expansion plans must cover certain STD screenings with zero copay or deductible. The specific tests covered depend on your age, sex, and risk factors:
- Chlamydia and gonorrhea: Free screening for sexually active women 24 and younger, and for older women at increased risk.
- Syphilis: Free screening for anyone at increased risk, plus all pregnant women.
- HPV: Cervical cancer screening (which includes HPV testing) for women aged 30 to 65.
- HIV: Covered as a preventive screening for adults and adolescents at risk.
Medicare specifically covers one STD screening every 12 months for people who are pregnant or at increased risk, along with up to two behavioral counseling sessions per year. The catch with all of these: the no-cost guarantee applies to preventive screenings. If you’re getting tested because you have symptoms, insurance may classify the visit as diagnostic rather than preventive, which could trigger a copay or deductible. It’s worth asking your provider how the visit will be coded before you go.
Paying Out of Pocket at a Lab
If you want to skip a doctor’s visit and order tests directly, national lab companies let you purchase panels online and walk into a local draw site. Quest Health, for example, offers a basic STD panel for $149 and an expanded panel for $282 (plus a $6 physician service fee). A standalone herpes test adds another $105. These purchases are entirely out of pocket. Quest does not bill insurance and the tests can’t be submitted for reimbursement.
The advantage of this route is speed and privacy. You order online, get your blood drawn or provide a sample at a nearby lab, and receive results digitally. If results come back abnormal, an independent provider may follow up with treatment options. The disadvantage is cost: you’re paying retail prices with no negotiation.
Clinic and Urgent Care Pricing
Planned Parenthood estimates STD testing costs between $0 and $250, depending on which infections you test for, whether you need a physical exam, and your income. Many Planned Parenthood locations use a sliding fee scale, so what you pay is tied to what you earn. Some visits are completely free.
Urgent care clinics typically bundle the office visit and lab work into a single self-pay price. Novant Health, for instance, charges $250 for a comprehensive STD evaluation package that includes an exam, testing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, syphilis, trichomoniasis, herpes, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C, and even an antibiotic injection if needed. That’s a fairly complete package at a predictable price, though costs vary by chain and location.
County sexual health clinics often offer the lowest prices. San Diego County’s sexual health clinics, as one example, charge a flat $40 per visit covering a risk assessment, physical exam, comprehensive lab tests, treatment, and vaccinations. HIV-only testing is free. And if you can’t afford the $40, the fee can be waived entirely. Many counties across the U.S. run similar programs.
At-Home Test Kit Costs
Mail-in test kits let you collect a sample at home and send it to a lab for results. Prices range from about $69 to $249 depending on the company and how many infections the kit covers.
Everlywell sells kits ranging from $69 to $169 that test for combinations of chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis C, HIV, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. LetsGetChecked offers a tiered system: their basic kit ($99) covers chlamydia and gonorrhea, a mid-tier option tests five infections including HIV and syphilis, and their most comprehensive kit ($249) covers eight infections. Some newer companies and public health programs offer free home kits for HIV or limited STD panels, particularly for people in higher-risk groups. The CDC’s GetTested.cdc.gov site can help you find local free and low-cost options, including some that ship kits to your door.
Free and Low-Cost Testing Options
Completely free STD testing is more widely available than most people realize. The CDC maintains a national directory at gettested.cdc.gov that lists confidential, free, or low-cost testing sites by ZIP code. These include community health centers, local health departments, and nonprofit organizations. Eligibility for free testing usually depends on income, insurance status, or risk category, but many sites test anyone who walks in regardless of ability to pay.
Title X family planning clinics, federally qualified health centers, and many university health services also provide free or heavily subsidized testing. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, these are often your best bet. HIV testing specifically is free at most public health sites, since federal funding supports widespread screening.
Costs Beyond the Test Itself
The sticker price of the test itself doesn’t always tell the full story. At a doctor’s office or urgent care, you may also pay for the office visit ($100 to $200 without insurance), a specimen collection or “lab draw” fee, and potentially a follow-up consultation if results are positive. Some clinics bundle everything into one price, others bill each component separately. Always ask upfront what the total cost will be, not just the test fee.
If you test positive for a treatable infection like chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis, treatment usually involves a course of antibiotics. Under the ACA, insurance plans that cover the screening are not always required to cover the treatment at zero cost, so there may be a copay for the prescription. For uninsured patients, some clinics (like county sexual health clinics) include treatment in the visit fee. Generic antibiotics for common STDs are relatively inexpensive at pharmacies, often under $30 with discount programs like GoodRx, but costs rise if you need multiple treatments or have a more complex infection.
The most expensive route is getting a full panel at an urgent care or ER without insurance, where the combined visit, lab, and follow-up charges can exceed $400. The least expensive route is a public health clinic or community testing event, where the entire process from test to treatment can cost nothing.