This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot tell you whether you have an infection. A clinician can, and the testing options on this site are a good place to start.

Not having insurance does not have to stop you from getting tested. Austin has a public health clinic with a published fee, a community health center with a sliding scale, and nonprofit clinics that list free testing.

This guide shows how to compare those options. It covers what to look for, which details change the final price, and what to ask before you book. It does not recommend any paid product or lab kit.

What an STD test costs in Austin: the short version

People often ask how much an STD test costs. The honest answer is that it depends on where you go. The clinics below publish very different pricing.

Public health clinic: Austin Public Health says the fee for testing and treatment at its Sexual Health Clinic is $30.
Sliding scale: CommUnityCare says its sliding fee scale is set in a meeting with a Financial Eligibility Specialist. The page does not list a dollar amount.
Free: ASHwell says its services are always free, though medication may cost something. Vivent Health says its HIV testing is free and confidential.
Not published: Several clinics do not list a price. In that case, ask for one before you go.

Fees and hours can change. Austin Public Health's site carries a notice that content updates may be delayed, so confirm the fee by phone at 512-972-5430.

What to look for in a testing option

Price matters, but a low price only helps if the visit covers what you need. These are the quality signs worth checking.

A clear list of what is tested

Good clinics say exactly which infections they test for. Austin Public Health lists its standard tests as HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. It says it can test for genital herpes only when you have active symptoms. The UT Austin clinic lists chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV and syphilis.

A published list lets you compare options fairly. If a clinic does not list its tests, ask.

A real clinical team behind the results

Look for a clinic that is run by a health department, a university, a federally qualified health center or an established nonprofit. These operators connect results to follow-up care. That matters because the CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) say bacterial STIs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are curable with treatment from a clinician.

A plan for treatment and follow-up

A test result is only useful if someone can act on it. Ask whether treatment is available at the same clinic and whether it costs extra. ASHwell, for example, says treatment is only for its own patients, and that medication may carry a cost.

Privacy and consent rules you can trust

Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003 says a minor of any age may consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) says this includes HIV. Parental consent is not needed.

The same statute allows a physician to tell a parent or guardian about the treatment. That is permitted, not required. If you are under 18 and privacy matters to you, ask the clinic how it handles this before your visit.

Key features to compare

Use this table to compare the Austin options that publish details. Blank or unclear items mean the clinic's page does not say.

Clinic	Published cost	Tests listed	Walk-in?
Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic, 15 Waller Street	$30 for testing and treatment	HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia; herpes only with active symptoms	Page says to schedule online or call 512-972-5430
CommUnityCare IDEALhealth Program, 1000 E. 41st St., Suite 700	Sliding fee scale; no amount listed	STI and HIV testing and prevention	Not stated
Kind Clinic, Austin Koenig, 101 W Koenig Lane	Insured patients must use insurance for lab work; support for uninsured patients through its KPAP program	Gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, HIV, hepatitis C	Yes, walk-in testing; hours differ from clinic hours
ASHwell, 3100 Red River St, Suite 3	Services always free; medication may cost	STI testing, diagnosis and treatment	No walk-ins; call (512) 900-3116
Vivent Health, 104 E. Highland Mall Blvd, Suite 100	Free HIV testing	HIV, with STI and hepatitis C tests also listed by the CDC's NPIN directory	Call 512-458-2437 for walk-in hours or an appointment
UT Austin University Health Services	Not published	Chlamydia, gonorrhea, HIV, syphilis	Drop-in for people without symptoms; serves UT Austin students

For the full list with addresses and phone numbers, see our guide to where to get tested in Austin and what it costs.

Options by price point

These are not rankings. Each setting suits a different situation, and all details come from the clinics' own pages.

Free

ASHwell Sexual Health + Wellness says its counseling, testing, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections are always free. It does not accept walk-ins, so call (512) 900-3116 or email the address on its contact page. It also lists PrEP and PEP, and says PrEP office visits and labs are $0 out of pocket.

Vivent Health Austin says it offers free and confidential HIV testing at all of its locations. It also offers PrEP. The call line, 512-458-2437, is the way to get walk-in hours or book a testing appointment.

Test for Texas is run by Texas DSHS. It offers free mail-order at-home self-testing for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. You order at testfortexas.org. This is a state health department program, so it is a different thing from a commercial kit.

Vivent Health's online depot also lists free at-home HIV test kits for Austin residents. The CDC-funded Together TakeMeHome program mails free HIV self-tests to people 17 and older who live in the U.S.

Around $30

Austin Public Health Sexual Health Clinic is at the RBJ Health Center, 15 Waller Street, Austin, TX 78702. Its hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. Its page says to schedule a clinic appointment online or call 512-972-5430.

Austin Public Health also runs a Red Ribbon program with free HIV counseling and testing for people without symptoms. It lists a free 20-minute express testing service. Schedule at the same number. The page does not state a location.

Sliding scale

CommUnityCare uses a sliding fee scale. The IDEALhealth Program at the Hancock Health Center lists STI and HIV testing and prevention, DoxyPEP, and vaccines including HPV, hepatitis A and B, and mpox. The clinic's phone number is 512-978-9015.

Your fee is set in a meeting with a Financial Eligibility Specialist. Ask what paperwork to bring so the meeting goes smoothly.

Price not published

Kind Clinic lists walk-in testing at its Koenig location. Its page says patients with health insurance must use that insurance for lab work. If you are uninsured or cannot afford lab costs, it says its Kind Patient Assistance Program can help cover the cost. Call 833-937-5463 to ask about your total. Walk-in STI testing is not offered at the South Austin location.

UT Austin University Health Services serves students and does not publish a testing price on the page we reviewed. Its drop-in clinic is for people without symptoms. Ask the clinic at 512-471-4955.

Urgent care, lab-order services and other settings

Urgent care centers and online lab-order services also offer STD tests. None of the sources used for this guide publish Austin price ranges for them, so we will not guess.

If you consider one, ask for the total out-of-pocket price in writing. That includes the visit fee, the lab fee for each infection, and any fee for a follow-up visit or treatment. Prices can look low until those pieces are added.

Questions to ask about bundled panels

Many places sell a panel, which is a group of tests for one price. A panel can save money, but only if it matches what you and your clinician decide you need. Ask these questions.

Which infections are in the panel, and which are not?
Is the HIV test included, or priced separately?
Are there separate charges for the visit, the lab, or sample collection?
Are throat or rectal samples available if my clinician recommends them?
What does treatment cost if a result is positive?
Who calls me with results, and how long does it take?

Window periods, the time after an exposure when a test can miss an infection, differ by infection and by test type. The CDC publishes this information. Ask the clinician what timing applies to you.

Medicaid and Texas programs

If you have Medicaid or another coverage you were unsure about, tell the clinic when you book. Clinics often handle billing differently depending on coverage. Kind Clinic, for example, says insured patients must use insurance for labs.

The sources used for this guide do not list Medicaid eligibility rules or copays for STD testing. Confirm with Austin Public Health, the clinic, or the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Texas DSHS does not run its own PrEP medication assistance program. Its PrEP page points to manufacturer assistance, patient assistance foundations, PrEP navigators, and the DSHS PrEP Directory. Its HIV/STD funds cannot be used to buy PrEP medication. Local clinics fill some of that gap. CommUnityCare says oral PrEP is low or no cost for those who qualify. Kind Clinic helps patients get medications at little to no cost through its assistance program.

If a partner needs treatment, ask the clinician about expedited partner therapy. The CDC says Texas allows physicians and advanced practice nurses to prescribe STD medications for partners of an established patient. Pharmacists may dispense them. Only a clinician can decide whether it fits your situation.

Red flags to avoid

No list of tests. If a place cannot tell you what is included, you cannot compare prices.
A price with no breakdown. Ask what is not included.
Promises of certainty. No test is perfect. Be wary of anyone claiming results are guaranteed or free of error.
Pressure or scare tactics. A good clinic explains your options calmly and does not use fear to sell.
No link to care. Ask what happens if a result needs treatment or follow-up.
Unclear privacy practices. You should be able to ask how results are shared and stored.
Pitches for supplements or unrelated products. STD testing does not need them.

Why testing is worth the effort in Travis County

The Texas DSHS STD Surveillance Report for 2022 lists Travis County rates of 712.6 chlamydia cases per 100,000 people and 351.4 gonorrhea cases per 100,000. The statewide DSHS rates for the same year were 519.9 and 207.0.

These numbers describe reported cases in a population. They say nothing about any one person. They are a reminder that testing is routine health care in Austin.

Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV are notifiable conditions in Texas, according to Texas DSHS. Clinics and labs report them to public health authorities as the state requires.

Where to go next

If you are ready to book, start with the local testing list. For national options, the CDC's testing locator at gettested.cdc.gov lets you enter your ZIP code.

A simple plan works well:

Pick two or three options from the table above.
Call and ask for the total price, the tests included and the wait time.
Ask about treatment and follow-up.
Book the visit that fits your schedule and budget.

Asking about cost is normal, and clinic staff hear the question every day.

Low-Cost STD Testing in Austin Without Insurance