How Much Does a TB Test Cost at Walgreens?

Published on July 13, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 14 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

Walgreens, Walgreens Find Care, TriHealth Clinic at Walgreens, Labcorp, Quest Health, CDC guidance, county health departments, CVS MinuteClinic, PPD placement, TST reading, IGRA blood testing, QuantiFERON, employer clearance, school forms, and BCG vaccination history all sit inside the same buying decision.

Walgreens can be a convenient starting point for tuberculosis screening, but the fee is tied to the local clinic or lab path rather than one national menu. A practical self-pay benchmark is $60 for a two-touchpoint skin test at a Walgreens-located TriHealth clinic, based on published clinic pricing that lists $30 for placement and $30 for a negative reading as of July 2026.

Walgreens says TB testing is available at select locations, and the service may route through a store clinic, Find Care listing, or another care setting. The bill can be a placement fee, reading fee, provider visit, lab charge, or clearance document for work or school.

A TB screen is bought per visit or per lab order, not per pharmacy item. Local clinic operator, test type, insurance network, and form rules can move the out-of-pocket total before a reader sees a result. For skin testing, the second contact is time-limited because Walgreens says the reading happens in 48 to 72 hours, and missed readings require a repeat test.

TL;DR: A Walgreens-linked self-pay skin test can land near $60, and blood-test routes cost more because they use a lab order rather than only placement and reading.

How Much Does a TB Test Cost at Walgreens?

Jump to sections

• Entry Walgreens TB skin-test benchmark, $60 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 2 hours of work, before taxes) when placement and reading are billed as separate $30 line items.
• Blood-test benchmark, $149 before service fees at a direct lab seller.
• Reading window, 48 to 72 hours after placement for a skin test.
• Public clinic low point, $15 for one Florida county work or school TST listing.

Who this cost makes sense for

This route makes the most sense when the reader needs a basic TB screen for school, child care, senior care, a healthcare job, or a licensing form and a nearby Walgreens-linked clinic offers the exact document. A retail clinic can be a clean fit when the requirement is a negative PPD reading or a simple lab result, not a full exam for symptoms. CDC guidance for healthcare personnel says baseline screening includes a risk assessment, symptom review, and a TB test upon hire, so some workers only need a documented preplacement screen.

Makes sense if

• Your form accepts a retail clinic or lab result.
• You can return during the reading window.
• Your employer or school is paying or reimbursing the visit.
• You want a screening visit rather than a primary-care exam.

Doesn’t make sense if

• Your form names a county health department or campus clinic.
• You have symptoms, known exposure, or a prior positive result.
• You cannot return for the reading.
• Your insurance treats the clinic as out of network.

What you’re actually buying

A TB test checks whether your immune system has reacted to tuberculosis bacteria. At Walgreens, the practical path can differ by location because Walgreens may point shoppers to a pharmacy service, a clinic partner, a lab partner, or another local care setting. A skin test places testing material under the skin and needs a return reading. A blood test uses a lab draw and does not use the same placement-and-reading workflow.

The service is a screening step. It is not treatment for active tuberculosis and not a stand-alone diagnosis after symptoms or a known exposure. Substitutes include county health departments, CVS MinuteClinic, urgent care centers, employer clinics, and direct lab services such as Labcorp or Quest. The right fit depends on whether you need a signed form, a fast result, insurance billing, or a test type that matches prior BCG vaccination history. That distinction matters because the buyer is paying for documentation and test interpretation, not a product picked up from the pharmacy shelf.

What the price includes

The low Walgreens-linked skin-test total is really two smaller services. One visit places the PPD, and the second visit reads the arm and records the result. The math is simple when a clinic itemizes both pieces. $30 (about 1 hour of work at $30 per hour) for placement plus $30 for the negative read equals $60, before any exam or form charge that the clinic may require outside the PPD line items.

A blood test changes the bill because it moves the work to a lab. The CDC says a TB skin test requires two visits, and it also says people who received the BCG vaccine should be steered toward a blood test because BCG can cause a false-positive skin reaction. That is why two readers with the same Walgreens store nearby can see different totals. One may only need a school PPD. Another may need an IGRA blood test because the form, vaccination history, or return-visit schedule makes skin testing a poor match.

Self-pay and insurance benchmarks

Walgreens does not publish one national cash fee for every TB test path. Treat the numbers below as price checks from current public pages, not a promise that every Walgreens counter will quote the same figure. Insurance can lower the payment at the visit, but it can also route the claim through a deductible or reject an out-of-network retail clinic. Cash pay is easier to compare because each source names a line item.

Testing path	Published self-pay figure	What changes the real bill
Direct Labcorp blood test	$149 (about 5 hours of work at $30 per hour) as of July 2026 through a direct lab price	One lab draw, adult buyer limits, result timing, and no PPD reading visit.
Florida county work or school TST	$15 at DOH-Marion through its county work or school listing	Appointment rules, limited clinic days, and county-specific forms.
Imperial County work clearance	$26 skin test or $69 QFT through its work-clearance fee schedule	Public clinic eligibility, clearance wording, and local residency rules.
Quest Health blood test	$149 plus a $6 physician service fee through a blood-test listing	$149 plus $6 equals $155 before optional add-ons.
Urgent care a la carte testing	$75 TB skin test or $100 QuantiFERON through an urgent-care price list	Clinic location, bundled visit rules, and whether the test is tied to a physical.

For a reader with a high deductible, a listed cash price may be clearer than a visit processed through insurance. For a reader with strong in-network coverage, the copay could be lower than the cash total, but that must be checked with the plan before the appointment.

Real cases and hidden add-ons

School form case. A student who only needs a negative PPD result and can return on time may land near the low retail benchmark. The bill can be the skin-test placement plus reading, and the main risk is a missed read window. If the school accepts a county clinic, the public-health option may undercut retail pricing, but hours can be narrower.

Healthcare job case. A new hire may need baseline TB screening before a start date. If the employer accepts a retail clinic document, Walgreens-linked testing is simple. If the employer has an occupational-health vendor, using that vendor can avoid rejected paperwork. Readers comparing retail clinics can also use CVS TB test costs as a nearby benchmark.

BCG history case. A reader vaccinated with BCG may be pushed toward a blood test. That can raise the cash price, but it may avoid a false-positive skin test trail and extra clearance steps. The hidden-cost range is $15-$75 for a restart or alternate skin-test path in the public price checks above, and Shasta County says its skin test costs $52, missed readings require paying for another test, and positive tests may lead to X-ray costs.

Worked total

Use this as a clean self-pay example, not as a national Walgreens guarantee. A reader books a Walgreens-located clinic that itemizes PPD services, attends placement, returns inside the read window, and receives a negative result for a work form. The itemized math is $30 placement plus $30 negative reading plus $0 for extra lab work because no blood test is used. That makes the visit total $60.

The same person would spend more if the form required a blood test, if the reading visit was missed, or if a provider exam was needed because of symptoms or a prior positive result. The broader tuberculosis test cost market is wider because hospitals, urgent care centers, public clinics, and direct labs bill different line items. The useful question is not whether Walgreens is cheap in every city. It is whether the local Walgreens-linked path produces the document your school or employer will accept without a second paid route.

Walgreens vs CVS, county clinics

Walgreens sits in the retail access lane. Its advantage is location density and the chance to pair a store trip with a clinic or lab appointment. The limit is that TB testing is only at select locations, and the operator behind the visit matters. A similar retail-clinic route is CVS MinuteClinic, which describes TB testing as a placement-and-reading process and says charges are based on services provided during the visit.

County clinics can be cheaper for work or school forms, but they may restrict appointment days or require a local process. Direct labs can be easier for a one-visit blood draw, yet the cash price is higher than a basic skin test. If the TB screen is part of a larger exam, compare the whole visit, not only the PPD line item. A Walgreens physical may add separate exam charges, so pairing TB testing with a Walgreens physical exam can change the total even when the PPD line itself looks modest.

What we verified

We checked current public pages for store access, clinic service listings, public-health rules, and lab-test pricing. The main pricing boundary is clear. Walgreens can be an access point, but local clinic operators and lab partners control the actual line items.

The check separated access pages from fee pages. Walgreens Find Care can show where a reader may start, but the amount due comes from the clinic, lab seller, insurance contract, or public-health fee schedule attached to the actual appointment.

• Checked that Walgreens Find Care lists lab testing services at select Walgreens locations.
• Confirmed that TriHealth Clinic at Walgreens lists PPD/tuberculosis test placement and reading under health screenings and testing.
• Cross-referenced the lab-test distinction because Quest Diagnostics says IGRA blood tests use a single blood draw and contrasts them with TST visits.

The reader should verify the exact location before booking because a Walgreens pharmacy counter, a clinic inside Walgreens, and a lab partner are different billing paths. Ask whether the quoted amount includes both placement and reading, whether a form fee applies, and whether the provider can sign the document you need.

Article Highlights

• A Walgreens-linked self-pay PPD benchmark is $60 when placement and reading are separate $30 line items.
• Walgreens does not publish one national TB test price for all stores.
• Blood testing costs more but avoids the return visit required for skin testing.
• County clinics can be cheaper, but scheduling and form rules may be stricter.
• Missed skin-test readings can force a new paid test.

Answers to Common Questions

Does every Walgreens offer TB testing?

No. Walgreens describes TB testing as available at select locations. Use the local Find Care or clinic listing and confirm that the site can provide the exact test and paperwork you need.

Is a Walgreens TB test covered by insurance?

It may be covered, but the answer depends on the clinic operator, your plan network, the reason for testing, and whether the visit is billed as screening, lab work, or an exam.

Is the skin test cheaper than the blood test?

In the public prices checked here, yes. The low skin-test examples are below the direct blood-test prices, but a missed reading or rejected form can erase that savings.

Can I use a Walgreens TB test for work or school?

Often yes, but the employer or school controls what paperwork it accepts. Confirm the provider signature, test type, result format, and deadline before paying.