---
title: "How Much Does a TB Test Cost? Skin Test vs Blood Test Prices by Setting, With and Without Insurance"
type: guide
url: "https://www.test-well.com/guides/tb-test-cost"
date_published: 2026-09-29
reviewed_at: 2026-09-29
---

# How Much Does a TB Test Cost? Skin Test vs Blood Test Prices by Setting, With and Without Insurance

*A TB test runs anywhere from free to $350 depending on where you get it, which test is used, and whether a visit fee is attached. Here is the price by setting, why the skin test is often not the cheapest option once you count the second visit, when insurance covers it, and what a positive result adds.*

> A TB test costs between $0 and about $350. County health departments are often free or under $40; a skin test at a pharmacy clinic runs about $30–$75 and needs two visits; urgent care charges $50–$100 for the skin test or $75–$350 for the blood test once the visit fee is added; Quest Health and Labcorp OnDemand list the QuantiFERON blood test at $149. Ordered online through TestWell, the same QuantiFERON blood test is $91.99 plus one $6 lab fee, drawn at any Quest or Labcorp in one visit with no appointment. With insurance, screening is covered without cost-sharing for adults at increased risk; tests required for a job or school are often not.

## Recommended tests

| Recommended | Type | Price | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test](https://www.test-well.com/tests/tuberculosis-blood-test) | Test | $91.99 | QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus — $91.99 + $6 fee, one draw at any Quest or Labcorp, no visit fee |

All prices are cash-pay plus one $6 lab processing fee per order; physician authorization is included.

## The One-Paragraph Answer

The same test for **TB infection** can cost nothing or several hundred dollars, and the difference is almost never the test itself — it is the visit fee attached to it and how many visits the route needs. Health departments subsidize the test. Pharmacy clinics and urgent cares charge for a provider visit, and the skin test they usually place needs a second visit to be read. The two national labs sell the QuantiFERON blood test directly for $149. Ordered online through TestWell, the same blood test at the same Quest or Labcorp draw sites is $91.99 plus a single $6 lab processing fee, with the physician's order included and no visit fee. If you have insurance and your doctor orders the test as screening because you are at increased risk, it is covered with no copay; if you need it for a job, a school or a visa, expect to pay.

## TB Test Cost by Setting

Prices below are self-pay. Where a provider itemizes, the skin test is often two charges — placement and reading — because it is two visits. Blood-test prices at clinics are quoted with the visit fee, because you cannot get the draw without it.

| Where | Test used | Visits | Typical self-pay cost | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| County or city health department | Skin test; blood test at some | 2 (skin) / 1 (blood) | $0–$40 | Cheapest route; limited hours, some restrict eligibility to residents or contacts of a TB case; forms fee at some |
| Pharmacy clinic (CVS MinuteClinic, Walgreens-located clinics) | Skin test | 2 | $30–$75 | Some itemize $30 placement + $30 reading; price varies by location — use the clinic's cost estimator; blood test rarely offered |
| Urgent care | Either | 2 (skin) / 1 (blood) | $50–$100 skin; $75–$350 blood | Visit fee plus test; blood-test send-out adds lab charges |
| Primary care office | Either | 2–3 incl. the appointment | Visit + test; insurance-dependent | Covered as screening if you are at increased risk; a job/school requirement may be billed as non-covered |
| Employer or school occupational health | Either, per program | 1–2 (4 for a two-step) | Often $0 to you | Check it fits your deadline; programs book out |
| Quest Health / Labcorp OnDemand (the labs' own sites) | QuantiFERON blood test | 1 | $149 | Physician order included; list prices checked monthly on our price index |
| TestWell (drawn at Quest, Labcorp or BioReference) | QuantiFERON blood test | 1 | $91.99 + $6 fee = $97.99 | Order online, physician authorizes, walk in the same day; results in 3–5 business days |

Two things the table hides. First, the skin test's second visit is a real cost even when it is free — a second trip, another wait, and a 48–72-hour window you have to hit or the test is void and starts over. Second, "free" at a health department can come with a wait of days for a clinic slot, which matters when a form is due Friday.

## Skin Test vs Blood Test: What You Are Actually Paying For

The **tuberculin skin test** (TST, PPD, Mantoux) is cheap to administer, which is why clinics lead with it — but it is a two-visit test by design. A nurse places it, and someone trained has to read your arm 48 to 72 hours later. Miss the window and the placement has to be repeated. If you were vaccinated with BCG as a child, the skin test can read falsely positive, which sends you on to a blood test or a chest X-ray anyway — so the "cheap" route can end up costing both tests plus imaging.

The **QuantiFERON blood test** (an interferon-gamma release assay, or IGRA) costs more per test but is one visit, is not affected by BCG vaccination, and produces a lab report programs accept. For healthcare onboarding that requires a baseline [two-step skin test](https://www.test-well.com/guides/two-step-tb-test) — four visits over one to three weeks — a single blood draw is accepted by most programs in its place and is usually cheaper once your time is counted. The [skin-test versus blood-test guide](https://www.test-well.com/guides/tb-blood-test-vs-skin-test) covers the clinical differences; the short version for cost is: one visit against two, and no repeat for BCG.

Both tests test for TB infection — whether your immune system has encountered TB bacteria. Neither one tells you whether an infection is latent or active; that is what the follow-up evaluation after a positive is for, and it is where the real hidden cost lives (below).

## Does Insurance Cover a TB Test?

It depends on *why* the test is ordered. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gives screening for latent TB infection a Grade B recommendation for asymptomatic adults at increased risk — people born in or who have lived in countries where TB is common, people who live or work in high-risk congregate settings such as shelters, correctional facilities or healthcare facilities, and people with conditions that weaken the immune system. Under the Affordable Care Act, non-grandfathered private plans and Medicaid expansion plans must cover Grade A and B preventive services with no cost-sharing when an in-network provider orders them. If your clinician orders the test as screening on that basis, you should owe nothing for the test itself; the office visit may still carry a copay.

A test required by an employer, a nursing or allied-health program, a visa or immigration process, or a volunteer placement is a different billing situation: many plans treat it as an administrative or occupational requirement rather than preventive screening, and it is often the patient's cost. Traditional Medicare has no national coverage determination for TB screening, so coverage varies by plan. When in doubt, ask the office how the visit will be coded before you go — and compare that answer with the self-pay routes above, which are often cheaper than a coded visit plus a deductible.

Health savings and flexible spending accounts pay for a TB test in any setting, including self-pay orders; keep the itemized receipt.

## The Hidden Cost: What a Positive Result Adds

Budget for the test you are buying, and know what a positive would add. **A positive result** means your immune system has responded to TB proteins, which is evidence you have been infected with TB bacteria at some point. It does not tell you whether that infection is latent (dormant, not contagious) or active TB disease. These are different conditions with different treatments, and no blood test can tell them apart on its own. The next step is an evaluation with a clinician — usually a review of your symptoms and history plus a chest X-ray.

That evaluation is the cost most price comparisons leave out: a clinician visit and a two-view chest X-ray, and sometimes a repeat or second-type test if the first was a skin test in someone who had BCG. The least expensive place to have a positive evaluated is usually the county health department, which does this routinely, often at low or no cost. If you use an imaging center, ask for the self-pay price at a freestanding facility rather than a hospital outpatient department, where facility fees can multiply the charge.

**A negative result** means TB infection is unlikely, but doesn't completely rule it out — particularly if you have symptoms or a weakened immune system. Timing matters too: it can take 8 to 10 weeks after exposure for these tests to turn positive. If you were recently exposed, a negative result should be repeated 8 to 10 weeks after your last exposure, which is a second test to budget for. **Already had a documented positive?** Don't retest — programs typically want proof of the prior result plus a chest X-ray or clinical evaluation, and a repeat test is money spent for a result that won't change.

## How to Pay the Least for a TB Test

- **No insurance, need it this week:** order the QuantiFERON blood test online ($97.99 all-in through TestWell), walk into the nearest Quest or Labcorp the same day, results in 3–5 business days. One visit, no reading appointment, accepted by employers and schools that don't specifically require the skin test.
- **No insurance, time to spare, low income:** the county health department. Call first about walk-in days, eligibility and whether they offer the blood test or only the skin test.
- **Insured and at increased risk:** ask your primary-care clinician to order it as screening — covered without cost-sharing under the ACA. Confirm the coding before the visit if a form for work or school is the reason.
- **Healthcare worker or clinical student:** use the employer or school program first; it is usually free to you. If it books out past your deadline, the online blood test is the fallback that arrives with a lab report.
- **Your form says PPD or Mantoux:** some programs still require the skin test by name. Ask whether an IGRA is accepted before paying for two visits; most programs following CDC guidance accept either.
- **BCG-vaccinated:** skip the skin test. A positive skin test after BCG usually leads to a blood test anyway, so start with the blood test and pay once.

## What a TB Test Costs Through TestWell

The [Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test](https://www.test-well.com/tests/tuberculosis-blood-test) is the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (Quest test code 36970, Labcorp test number 182879, CPT 86480) for $91.99, plus one $6 lab processing fee per order — $97.99 all-in for the test alone, and the fee is not repeated if you add titers or other tests to the same order. A licensed physician reviews and authorizes the requisition, which is emailed to you; most Quest and Labcorp patient service centers take walk-ins. New York and New Jersey orders draw at BioReference. Results post to your account in 3–5 business days as a lab report you can download for an employer or school. Quest Health and Labcorp OnDemand list the same test at $149 (prices checked monthly on our [price index](https://www.test-well.com/research/blood-test-price-index)), and a clinic visit for the blood test commonly runs $150–$350. If your paperwork also asks for MMR, varicella or hepatitis B titers, the [compliance checklist](https://www.test-well.com/guides/titers-for-nursing-students) shows which lab draws which so you make one trip.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does a TB test cost without insurance?

From $0 at many county health departments to about $350 at an urgent care once the visit fee is included. A pharmacy-clinic skin test is typically $30–$75 across its two visits. The QuantiFERON blood test is $149 on Quest's and Labcorp's own consumer sites, and $91.99 plus a $6 fee ($97.99) ordered through TestWell for the same draw at the same locations.

### How much is a TB test at CVS or Walgreens?

Pharmacy clinics generally quote about $30–$75 for the skin test, and some itemize it as roughly $30 to place and $30 to read, because it is two visits 48–72 hours apart. Prices vary by location, so use the clinic's online cost estimator. Most pharmacy clinics do not offer the blood test; for that, a lab draw is the usual route.

### Is the TB blood test more expensive than the skin test?

Per test, yes; per result, often not. The skin test is cheap to place but needs a second visit to read, can read falsely positive after BCG vaccination, and a healthcare baseline may require a two-step version — four visits. The blood test is one visit, unaffected by BCG, and $91.99 plus a $6 fee through TestWell. Count your visits and the risk of a repeat before choosing on sticker price.

### Does insurance cover a TB test?

When a clinician orders it as screening for an adult at increased risk, yes — it is a USPSTF Grade B service, so ACA-compliant plans and Medicaid expansion plans cover it without cost-sharing in network. When the test is required for a job, a school, a visa or a volunteer placement, plans often treat it as non-covered. Traditional Medicare coverage varies by plan. Ask how the visit will be coded before you go.

### How much does a QuantiFERON test cost?

Quest Health and Labcorp OnDemand list the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus at $149 with the physician order included. Through TestWell the same test at the same Quest or Labcorp locations is $91.99 plus a $6 lab processing fee. At a clinic, expect $150–$350 once the visit fee is added.

### What does it cost if my TB test is positive?

A positive result is evidence of TB infection at some point; it does not say whether the infection is latent or active, so the next step is a clinician evaluation with a chest X-ray. That visit and X-ray are the costs most comparisons leave out. County health departments evaluate positive results routinely, often at low or no cost; at an imaging center, ask for the self-pay price at a freestanding facility rather than a hospital department.

## Sources

- [CDC — Testing for Tuberculosis](https://www.cdc.gov/tb/testing/index.html)
- [USPSTF — Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Adults: Screening (Grade B, May 2023)](https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/latent-tuberculosis-infection-screening)
- [CDC — Tuberculosis Preventive Service Coverage Tables (ACA plans that cover LTBI screening without cost-sharing)](https://www.cdc.gov/high-quality-care/hcp/resources/tuberculosis-preventive-service-coverage.html)
- [CVS MinuteClinic — TB Testing (placement and reading; charges based on services provided)](https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/services/tb-testing)
- [Quest Health — Tuberculosis Blood Test (consumer list price)](https://www.questhealth.com/product/tuberculosis-blood-test/36970M.html)
- [Labcorp OnDemand — Tuberculosis (TB) Blood Test (consumer list price)](https://www.ondemand.labcorp.com/lab-tests/tuberculosis-test)

---

Medically reviewed by Youmna DiStefano, MD (Medical Reviewer, TestWell); last reviewed 2026-09-29. Review policy: https://www.test-well.com/reviewers/youmna-distefano-md

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Prices are cash-pay, in USD, and include physician authorization; every order adds one flat $6 lab processing fee. Educational content is not a diagnosis — discuss results with a clinician.