How Much Does EKG Cost in 2026?With & Without Insurance
EKG costs between $52 and $78 without insurance. A typical all-in cash-pay visit runs about $60.
An EKG costs about $60 without insurance - the middle half of 1,125 hospital-disclosed cash prices for CPT 93000 fall between $52 and $78. The test is cheap; the visit it is ordered during is what makes the bill. Compare real cash prices and see what insurers pay.
Quick Price Summary
Cash-Pay Price Range
$52-$78
Typical all-in estimate: $60Covers the full visit. The verified benchmark below prices the primary billing code on its own.
With Insurance
$0-$24
After deductible
Based on published hospital and provider price-transparency disclosures, cash-pay benchmarks, and public fee schedules. Last updated September 2026.
What is EKG?
An electrocardiogram (EKG, or ECG) records the heart's electrical activity through ten electrodes placed on the chest, arms and legs. It takes about ten seconds of actual recording and detects arrhythmias, conduction blocks, evidence of a past or ongoing heart attack, and electrolyte abnormalities. It is one of the most frequently ordered tests in American medicine, which is exactly why it shows up on so many bills: it is routinely added to chest-pain evaluations, pre-operative workups and annual physicals for older adults. Billing splits into three codes - CPT 93000 for the complete service, CPT 93005 for the tracing alone, and CPT 93010 for a physician's interpretation and report.
What Affects EKG Cost?
- Which code was billed: CPT 93000 (complete EKG) has a median disclosed cash price of $60. Billed as separate components, CPT 93005 (tracing) runs a median $116 and CPT 93010 (interpretation) $22 - so an unbundled EKG can cost more than twice a bundled one.
- Setting: the EKG code prices similarly everywhere, but the encounter around it does not. A hospital outpatient department adds a facility fee; an emergency department adds a level-based facility charge with a median disclosed cash price of $236 (level 3) to $445 (level 4).
- Whether a cardiologist reads it: if the facility runs the tracing and an outside cardiologist interprets it, you get two bills from two entities for one test.
- Whether it is bundled into a "cardiac workup": packages that combine an EKG with an echocardiogram or stress test cost far more than the EKG alone. Ask for the line-item price of each component.
- Insurance status: insurers pay a median $24 for CPT 93000 across 57,114 negotiated rates. Before your deductible is met you pay that full negotiated rate; after it, only your coinsurance share.
- Screening vs. diagnostic: an EKG ordered as part of a routine physical in an asymptomatic adult is often not covered, because major guidelines do not recommend routine screening EKGs in low-risk patients.
How to choose where to get EKG
The cash-pay range on this page is $52-$78. Before you book, use these steps to find out which setting a quote comes from and what it includes.
Step by step
- Confirm exactly which version of the test is ordered. Variations of the same test are billed under different codes.
- Ask whether the price includes the physician's interpretation of the results, or whether that is billed separately.
- If the clinic is owned by a hospital, ask whether a separate hospital facility fee will be added to the professional fee.
- Check the hospital's own price list. Under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency rule, every US hospital must publish its standard charges, including its discounted cash price, and a consumer-friendly list of shoppable services. Source: CMS, hospital price transparency
- If you are uninsured or paying without insurance, ask each provider for a Good Faith Estimate. Under the No Surprises Act, providers generally must give you one when you schedule at least 3 business days ahead, or when you ask. Source: CMS, medical bill rights
- Keep every estimate. If a provider or facility bills you at least $400 more than its Good Faith Estimate, you can start the federal patient-provider dispute process for a bill dated within the last 120 days. The fee is $25. Source: CMS, dispute a bill
Care settings compared
| Setting | How it typically bills | What to ask for | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physician office or clinic | A charge for the test, with the interpretation often billed by the same practice. | One self-pay price that includes the test and the interpretation. | Routine testing when the office has the equipment. |
| Hospital-owned clinic | A professional fee, and in some cases a separate hospital facility fee. | Whether a facility fee applies to self-pay patients. | When your clinician or your records are already in that health system. |
| Hospital outpatient department | A hospital charge for the test, with the interpreting physician sometimes billing separately. | The discounted cash price from the hospital's price list. | When the test needs hospital equipment or monitoring. |
General information, not medical advice. Your clinician decides which setting is safe for you.
How to Save on EKG
Ask for the price of CPT 93000 specifically, not a bundled "cardiac evaluation" - the complete-service code is usually cheaper than the two component codes billed separately.
Have the EKG done at a primary care or urgent care office rather than a hospital outpatient department, which adds a facility fee to the same test.
If you have a recent EKG on file, ask whether it can be used for a pre-operative clearance instead of repeating it at the hospital.
Check your bill for CPT 93000 appearing alongside 93005 or 93010 - that is a duplicate charge for one test and should be removed.
If insurers pay a median of $24 for this code, that is a defensible number to quote when you ask a provider for a self-pay discount.
Use FairVisitHealth to compare EKG prices from providers near you before the test is ordered.
Real prices from our database
Not an estimate. These figures come from actual disclosed prices for code 93000 (EKG, complete: tracing with interpretation and report) in FairVisitHealth's price-transparency corpus.
Typical cash price
$60
Most fall between $52 and $78 (25th-75th percentile)
Based on 1,125 disclosed cash prices
Your negotiation target
$24
Median rate insurers actually pay for the same code
Across 57,114 insurer-negotiated rates - ask providers to match it
This prices the EKG only. The office, urgent care or emergency visit it is ordered during is billed on a separate code and is usually the larger charge.
Source: FairVisitHealth analysis of 1,125 hospital-disclosed cash prices and 57,114 insurer-negotiated rates for code 93000, from CMS hospital price-transparency machine-readable files and insurer Transparency-in-Coverage files. Data as of August 2026.
EKG Cost by City
Local self-pay prices for ekg in 39 cities, from providers in each metro area.
These are averages. Get your exact local answer.
The Self-Pay Playbook builds your plan for EKG: posted cash prices from facilities near you, lower-priced options nearby, and the exact words to say when you call.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an EKG cost without insurance?
The EKG itself costs about $60 for self-pay patients. Across 1,125 hospital-disclosed cash prices for CPT 93000 (the complete EKG: tracing, interpretation and report), the middle half fall between $52 and $78. What usually makes an EKG bill larger is not the test - it is the office, urgent care or emergency visit it was ordered during, which is billed on its own code.
Why was I billed two charges for one EKG?
Because an EKG can be split into two billing codes. CPT 93005 covers the tracing (the machine and technician) and CPT 93010 covers a physician reading and writing the report. Hospitals disclose a median cash price of $116 for 93005 and $22 for 93010. When one provider does both, it should be billed once as CPT 93000. Seeing 93005 and 93010 on the same bill is normal if a facility ran the test and a separate cardiologist read it - seeing 93000 AND one of the components is a duplicate, and worth disputing.
How much does an EKG cost with insurance?
Insurers pay a median of $24 for CPT 93000 across 57,114 negotiated rates in our corpus. If you have met your deductible, your coinsurance is a share of that $24, so the EKG line is usually a few dollars. Before the deductible is met you pay the full negotiated rate, which is still typically well under the $60 cash price - so it is worth asking which is lower in your case.
Is an EKG cheaper at urgent care than at the ER?
Almost always. The EKG code prices similarly in both settings, but the visit wrapped around it does not. A level-3 emergency department facility charge has a median disclosed cash price of $236 and a level-4 charge $445, before any physician fee - against a median $69 for an established-patient office visit. If your symptoms are not an emergency, urgent care or your primary care office is the far cheaper place to have the same test.
Do I need an EKG before surgery, and will I be charged for it?
Pre-operative EKGs are routine for older patients and for anyone with cardiac history, but they are not automatically required for low-risk surgery in a healthy adult. Ask the surgical scheduler whether the EKG is clinically indicated or a facility default, and whether a recent EKG from your primary care doctor can be used instead. If it is ordered, ask for it to be done at your doctor's office rather than added to the hospital pre-admission bill.
How can I get an EKG for less?
Ask for the cash-pay price up front and specifically for CPT 93000 rather than a bundled "cardiac workup". Have it done at a primary care or urgent care office instead of a hospital outpatient department, which adds a facility fee. If a cardiologist ordered the test, ask whether their office can perform and read it in one visit so you are billed 93000 once instead of 93005 plus 93010 from two entities.
What is the difference between an EKG, a stress test and a Holter monitor?
An EKG is a 10-second snapshot of the heart's electrical activity at rest and is the cheapest of the three. A stress test records the same signal while you exercise and costs several hundred dollars because it adds staff time and monitoring. A Holter or event monitor records continuously for 24 hours to 30 days and is billed on separate codes. A doctor who suspects an intermittent rhythm problem will often order the monitor even after a normal EKG.
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Medical Disclaimer: This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Pricing information is based on publicly reported data and may not reflect your actual costs.
Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider for medical decisions. Prices shown are estimates for self-pay patients and may vary by provider, location, and individual circumstances.