How much does an urgent care visit cost?

Key takeaways

• The cost of an urgent care visit can vary greatly depending on whether or not you have insurance. According to Debt.org, uninsured patients typically pay between $100 and $200 out of pocket for the visit — though the cost can be much higher — while insured patients often pay much less depending on their plan. In comparison, a visit to the emergency room for a minor issue can easily cost over $2,000, making urgent care a far more affordable option for non-life-threatening needs.
• Care you get — like lab tests, X-rays, or stitches — can add $50 to $300 to the bill even if you have insurance.
• Insurance doesn’t just reduce costs — it also gives you access to more clinics and helps avoid surprise bills and access faster, more affordable care. With eHealth, you can compare plans and find one that fits your budget and urgent care needs.

What is urgent care?

Urgent care centers are walk-in clinics that treat minor illnesses and injuries when you need quick care — usually when your doctor’s office is closed. They’re great for things that can’t wait but aren’t emergencies.

Common reasons people visit urgent cares include:

• Sprains and minor fractures
• Cuts that may need stitches
• Sore throats and strep tests
• Ear infections
• Flu-like symptoms
• Pink eye
• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Skin rashes or allergic reactions
• Minor burns or sunburns
• Fever, especially in children
• Mild asthma attacks or breathing issues
• Cold or sinus infections
• Back pain or muscle strains
• Mild dehydration
• Vaccinations or flu shots

In short, urgent care clinics are known for their convenience, shorter wait times, and significantly lower costs compared to hospital emergency rooms — making them a smart option for unexpected, but not critical, medical issues.

What affects your urgent care cost?

Several factors can impact what you actually pay at urgent care, including:

• Insurance: Do you have it? Have you met your deductible?
• In-network or out-of-network: In-network usually costs less.
• Location: City clinics may charge more. Costs can also vary by state.
• Clinic type: Clinics linked to hospitals often cost more.
• Services needed: More tests or treatments = higher costs.

How much does an urgent care visit cost?

Urgent care costs with insurance:

Urgent care costs with insurance depend on your specific plan payment details — including what you may need to pay for copays (a flat fee per visit), deductibles (the amount you pay before insurance starts covering costs), and coinsurance (your share of costs after meeting the deductible). Based on current federal health plan and urgent care pricing lists, many insurance plans in 2025 charge:

• Flat copays between $20 and $75 per visit when you use in-network urgent care centers
• Or coinsurance of 15% – 30% after you’ve met your deductible, typically for in-network care if no copay applies

If you go to an urgent care center that’s out of network and haven’t met your deductible yet, you may have to pay the full cost — and possibly more if the provider (or urgent care center) charges more than what your insurance usually covers.

This amount can vary depending on the complexity of care and location — and can range roughly between $155 and $290 depending on the services provided.

Once your deductible is met, you typically pay a smaller share of the cost — usually a fixed copay or a percentage, called cost sharing.

Urgent care costs without insurance

How much does urgent care cost without insurance? If you don’t have coverage, you’re responsible for the full cost of the visit. Many urgent care centers openly list their prices, but they can also vary by center and region.

Typical uninsured urgent care base costs fall within the $100 – $200 range, based on service needs and location — but can also be higher.

For a general example, you can expect:

• Basic visits: $100 – $150
• Moderate complexity: $150 – $250
• Extensive services: $200 – $300+

For a more in-depth look at specific examples, UCHealth in Colorado lists “prompt‑pay”, or self‑pay tiers for all of their locations across the state, based on the services needed:

• Simple visits – around $165
  Includes care for minor illnesses such as sore throats, coughs, sinus infections, earaches, or rashes — without additional testing or procedures.
• Moderate visits – around $230
  Includes everything in a simple visit, plus one or more basic diagnostic services, such as a single X-ray, strep test, or urinalysis.
• Complex visits – around $290 and up
  Involves more extensive care like multiple tests, IV fluids, EKGs, or minor procedures such as stitches or splinting.

Another example from CareNow Urgent care (with locations in cities across the US), has self-pay tiers with similar pricing brackets:

• Standard services – $180
• Advanced services – $235
• Complex services – $350

These tiers show how your price can increase based on the number of services or tests you need at the urgent care visit.

Additional costs to watch for

For centers that don’t offer tiered pricing levels, it’s important to note that your price will often include more than just the visit fee.

The following chart contains estimated price ranges for additional add-on services in 2025, based on pricing lists from different urgent care locations across the US:

Urgent care additional service key:

Service:	Typical Price Range:
X-ray	$50 – $150
Lab tests	$20 – $200
Stitches	$100 – $250
IV fluids	$150 – $300
Flu or COVID tests	$20 – $100

Urgent care vs. other care options

Visiting an urgent care center may not always be the best choice, based on your condition.

Wondering what the cost of your visit might be at an urgent care verses other types of care centers? The chart below shows how these different locations may measure up based on your needed services, whether or not you have insurance, and differences in insurance plans.

Urgent care comparison chart:

Type of Care:	Average Cost	Best For:
Urgent care	$20 – $300	Sudden illness and minor injuries
Emergency Room (ER)	$500 – $3,000+	Life-threatening conditions
Primary Care Visit	$20 – $200	Ongoing care and checkups
Telehealth Visit	$0 – $60	Simple issues like infections or rashes

How to keep urgent care costs low

For guidance on how to keep costs manageable when an urgent care center is your only or best option, here are some recommended tips:

• If you have insurance, confirm coverage details with the particular urgent care location before your visit.
• Use in-network clinics whenever possible.
• Ask for cash-pay or prompt-pay pricing lists beforehand if you’re uninsured.
• Consider joining or switching to an insurance plan with good coverage at urgent care centers, to know that you have it when needed.

Prepare before you need care

At eHealth, we help individuals, families, and seniors compare and enroll in health insurance and Medicare plans — free of charge. Whether you’re looking for an ACA Marketplace plan or a Medicare Advantage plan with urgent care benefits, our licensed agents can help you find coverage that keeps out-of-pocket costs manageable.

Urgent care visits are just one example of why having the right plan can make a big difference when you need it most.

Conclusion

Urgent care centers can be a fast, cost-effective alternative to the ER for non-emergency conditions. While prices vary greatly across the US, most insured patients will pay between $20 and $75 or more, and uninsured visits may cost $100 to $300+, especially when additional services are required.

If you need help choosing a plan that makes urgent care affordable, eHealth is here to help you enroll — for free.