How Much Do a CBC and a CMP Cost? Routine Blood Work Prices by Setting, With and Without Insurance

A CBC and a CMP are the two most-ordered blood tests in the country, and because they are high-volume, automated tests they are cheap to run — which is why the same tube of blood can cost $22 or $300 depending on who bills it. Hospital outpatient labs charge list prices of $100–$300 per test, discounted for self-pay on request but rarely below $50. A doctor's office or urgent care adds a visit fee ($100–$250 without insurance) to the lab's bill. The labs' own storefronts — Quest Health and Labcorp OnDemand — sell a CBC for $29 and a CMP for $49, physician order included. Ordered online through TestWell the same tests at the same labs are $21.99 and $22.99, plus one $6 fee per order, and a four-test wellness panel that includes both plus a lipid panel and TSH is $49.99. With insurance, both are covered when a clinician orders them for a reason, but neither is a free preventive service under the Affordable Care Act, so the charge usually lands on your deductible — and a hospital lab's negotiated rate on your deductible can exceed the cash price elsewhere.

Self-pay prices. Where a route requires a visit, the visit fee is listed because you cannot get the test without it.

Two line items move the bill more than the tests. A facility fee at a hospital-owned lab can add $50–$150 to a draw that would be $0 extra at an independent patient service center. And a visit fee — the office or urgent-care charge for the appointment where the tests are ordered — is usually larger than both tests combined. Routes that skip the visit (the labs' sites, TestWell, some community programs) are cheaper for that reason, not because the tests differ.

The complete blood count measures the cells in your blood: red cells and hemoglobin (anemia), white cells (infection and immune function) and platelets (clotting). The version with a differential breaks the white count into its five types, which is what a clinician actually reads; at TestWell both versions are $21.99, so order the differential. The comprehensive metabolic panel is 14 chemistry markers from the liquid part of the blood: glucose, kidney function (BUN, creatinine, eGFR), liver enzymes and bilirubin, protein and albumin, and electrolytes including calcium. A basic metabolic panel is the eight-marker subset without the liver tests ($20.99 — the $2 saving is rarely worth losing the liver panel).

Together they cover blood cells, organs and metabolism, which is why "routine blood work" almost always means both. What they do not include: cholesterol (a lipid panel), thyroid (TSH), blood sugar over three months (A1c), vitamins or hormones. The General Wellness Panel bundles CBC, CMP, lipid panel and TSH for $49.99 — less than Quest Health charges for the CMP alone — and is the cheapest way to get the standard annual set. For how to read each result, see CBC with differential explained and CMP vs BMP.

Usually yes — but not for free. The Affordable Care Act requires plans to cover a defined list of preventive services without cost-sharing (blood pressure, cholesterol screening for certain adults, diabetes screening for adults with overweight or obesity, HIV and hepatitis screening, and so on). A CBC and a CMP are not on that list. When a clinician orders them — including at an annual physical — they are billed as diagnostic laboratory services and processed against your plan's lab benefit: a copay on some plans, the deductible on most high-deductible plans. The visit itself may be free as preventive care while the labs drawn at it are not, which is the surprise on many post-physical bills.

Where the draw happens matters once the charge is on your deductible. A plan's negotiated rate for a CMP at an in-network hospital lab can be $60–$150; at an independent lab it is often $10–$30; the cash price online is $22.99. If you have not met your deductible, ask the ordering office to send you to Quest or Labcorp rather than the hospital lab, or order the tests yourself for cash and bring the results to the visit. HSA and FSA funds pay in any setting.

Three things turn a $50 order into a $150 one. Add-ons after the fact. A CMP that shows a mildly high glucose or liver enzyme often leads to a second order — A1c, a repeat CMP in a few weeks, a hepatic panel — each with its own visit and bill if ordered through a clinic. Ordering the likely follow-ups in the same draw (A1c with the CMP if blood sugar is the question; a lipid panel with any annual set) is cheaper than a second visit. Fasting mistakes. The CMP's glucose reading is interpreted as fasting; eating beforehand can produce a high value that gets repeated. Fast 8–12 hours, water allowed. The CBC needs no fasting, so if you are drawing both, the CMP's rule governs. Reflex and "panel" pricing. Some providers list a "comprehensive wellness" panel at $200–$500 that is a CBC, CMP and lipid panel with a markup; check the component list against the $49.99 four-test panel before paying for a name.

• You just want the two tests, soon: order both online ($50.98 all-in through TestWell), fast overnight, walk into any Quest or Labcorp in the morning, results in 1–3 business days.
• You want the standard annual set: the General Wellness Panel (CBC, CMP, lipid panel, TSH) at $49.99 — the four tests bought separately would be $96.96.
• Insured with a met deductible, seeing a doctor anyway: have the office order them and send you to an independent lab, not the hospital's; your copay may be the cheapest route.
• Insured with a high deductible: compare your plan's negotiated lab rate (ask the office or check the plan's price tool) with the cash price — the cash price usually wins before the deductible is met.
• No insurance and tight budget: a community health center's sliding fee if you also need the visit; the online order if you only need the tests.
• Already have a result that needs a repeat: order the single test (CMP $22.99 or CBC $21.99) rather than another full panel.

Every test is drawn at Quest, Labcorp or BioReference and carries one $6 lab processing fee per order, charged once however many tests you add. CBC with Differential $21.99 (Quest 6399 / Labcorp 005009; CPT 85025) — Quest Health and Labcorp OnDemand $29. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel $22.99 (Quest 19110 / Labcorp 322000; CPT 80053) — $49 lab-direct. Basic Metabolic Panel $20.99. General Wellness Panel (CBC, CMP, lipid panel, TSH) $49.99. A licensed physician authorizes the order, the requisition is emailed, most locations take walk-ins, and results post to your account in 1–3 business days with reference ranges and a plain-language summary. Verified competitor list prices for each test are on the CBC cost and CMP cost pages and in the 2026 price index.