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 mean you have to skip testing. Dallas has several places that test for free, on a sliding scale, or for a posted fee.

This guide helps you compare them. It is not a list of products to buy. It covers what to look for, what to ask about price, which warning signs to watch for, and where to start. Every local detail comes from the clinics' own pages, the CDC's GetTested listings, or Texas health department sources, and each is named where it appears.

Why the price question comes up so often in Dallas

Testing is common here because STIs are common here. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported 22,073 chlamydia cases in Dallas County in 2022, a rate of 848.7 per 100,000 people. The statewide DSHS rate for the same year was 519.9 per 100,000.

DSHS also reported 10,696 gonorrhea cases in Dallas County in 2022, a rate of 411.3 per 100,000, compared with 207.0 for Texas. These are county figures, not city-only figures.

These numbers are not a reason for worry. They are a reason testing is routine and widely offered. Many local clinics expect uninsured patients and have a plan for them.

What to look for in a testing option

Price is only one part of the picture. A low fee is not a good deal if the visit misses what you came for. These are the quality markers worth checking.

A clinician who can explain results and treat

Bacterial infections such as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, and trichomoniasis, are curable with treatment from a clinician. A place that can both test and treat saves you a second trip. Ask whether treatment is offered on site or whether you would be referred elsewhere.

A clear list of what is included

Some places test for a set group of infections. Others test only for what you ask for. Ask which infections are covered and which are not. For example, the Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) Sexual Health Clinic page says it does not do routine herpes blood screening.

The right sample for the right body sites

The CDC STI Treatment Guidelines (2021) recommend that testing match the types of sex a person has had. That can mean throat, rectal or urine samples, not only a urine sample. Tell the clinician what applies to you so the right samples are collected.

Honest timing advice

Some infections are not detectable right after an exposure. The CDC publishes window periods for each test type. A good clinic will explain whether your timing is a good fit or whether a repeat test makes sense. Be cautious about any place that says one test answers every question at any time.

Privacy and consent

Ask how results are delivered and who can see them. In Texas, a minor of any age may consent to diagnosis and treatment of a reportable infectious disease, which covers reportable STIs and HIV, under Texas Family Code Sec. 32.003. The same law allows a physician to tell a parent or guardian about the treatment, so it is fair to ask a clinic about its practice before the visit.

Key features to compare

This table puts the main differences side by side for the Dallas places sourced in this guide.

Place	Cost information on file	Appointment	Source
DCHHS Sexual Health Clinic, 2377 N. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 100	County page lists no fees. Medicaid accepted. Contact the clinic about eligibility.	Required. Same-day or next-day appointments offered.	Dallas County HHS; CDC GetTested
Resource Center Health, 2603 Inwood Rd.	Posted prices (see below)	Request online. Walk-ins not mentioned.	Resource Center
Prism Health North Texas, Oak Lawn Health Center, 2801 Lemmon Ave, Suite 200	Sliding fee by household income and size. Accepts Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP and most private insurance.	Schedule in advance. Same-day and walk-in for urgent issues depending on availability.	Prism Health North Texas
Parkland Health, Southeast Dallas Health Center, 9202 Elam Rd	Free HIV test listed. Sliding scale and Medicaid accepted.	Appointment listed as needed	CDC GetTested
Foremost Family Health Centers, 2922-B MLK Jr Blvd	Sliding scale. Medicaid and Medicare accepted.	Appointment listed as needed	CDC GetTested
AHF Healthcare Center, 7777 Forest Ln Ste B 122	Sliding scale	Listed as not required	CDC GetTested
Neighborhood Medical Center, 5917 Belt Line Rd	Sliding scale. Insurance accepted.	Listed as not required	CDC GetTested

Several of these entries come from the CDC GetTested locator, not from the clinic's own page. Hours and policies change, so call before you go. Phone numbers are in the clinic list linked below.

Options by price point

There are no rankings here. These are groups of options, arranged from lowest to highest sourced cost.

Free testing

Texas DSHS runs a free mailed at-home testing program called Test for Texas. It covers HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia for anyone in Texas aged 13 or older, and no insurance is needed. You order at testfortexas.org.

For HIV only, the CDC-funded Together TakeMeHome program mails free HIV self-tests to anyone 17 or older in the U.S. who has not been diagnosed with HIV. Each package has two tests, and you can reorder every 90 days.

Resource Center in Dallas lists its confidential rapid HIV antibody test, its RNA early HIV test and its syphilis test as free. Parkland Health's Southeast Dallas Health Center is listed by CDC GetTested as offering a free HIV test.

Posted fees

Resource Center publishes its prices, which makes it easy to plan:

Gonorrhea and chlamydia testing is free with a $40 office visit.
Anonymous HIV antibody screening is $90.
A hepatitis A, B and C panel is $100.

Its page does not mention a sliding scale or insurance. Ask about both when you book.

Sliding scale

A sliding scale means your fee depends on your income and household size. Prism Health North Texas says it does not deny care based on ability to pay. Foremost, AHF and Neighborhood Medical Center are listed by CDC GetTested as sliding scale, and Parkland as sliding scale for non-HIV services. Bring something that shows your income if the clinic asks.

County clinic

The DCHHS Sexual Health Clinic page lists no fees. CDC GetTested lists Medicaid as accepted and says to contact the organization about eligibility. That means the honest answer on price is to call and ask. The clinic lists testing for HIV, hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis and mpox. It also lists treatment for syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomoniasis and genital herpes outbreaks.

Urgent care and lab-order services

The Dallas facts on file do not include sourced prices for urgent care centers or for services that let you order lab tests yourself. This guide will not guess at those numbers. If you consider one, ask for the total price in writing before the test is done. The questions in the next section apply there too.

How much is an STD test? What to ask about price

There is no single price, because the answer depends on the setting and on which infections are included. A clinic may charge a visit fee, a separate fee per test, or one fee for a group of tests. These questions turn a vague quote into a real one:

Is there a visit or office fee, separate from the lab tests?
Which infections are in the price, and which are extra?
Is a bundled panel cheaper than picking tests one at a time?
Will a lab bill me separately after the visit?
Is there a sliding scale, and what proof of income do you need?
What does treatment cost if I need it, and is it offered here?
Is a repeat test needed later, and is it charged again?

The last two are easy to overlook. A test is only part of the cost if a treatment visit or follow-up test comes after it.

Medicaid and Texas programs

If you have Medicaid, several of the clinics above accept it. The CDC GetTested listings for DCHHS, Foremost, Parkland and others show Medicaid as accepted. Prism also accepts Medicare and CHIP.

For HIV prevention, the Texas DSHS PrEP page says PrEP is free for many insured people. It also says manufacturer and other programs help people who are uninsured or underinsured, and that PrEP navigators work across Texas. DSHS names no state-run PrEP assistance program. The DCHHS Sexual Health Clinic offers PrEP and post-exposure care (nPEP), and CDC GetTested lists "PrEP for uninsured" there. Resource Center's PrEP Care Program is at 214.540.4469.

Red flags to avoid

Most places that offer testing are trustworthy. These are the signs that should make you pause.

No price until after the test. You are entitled to ask for the total cost first.
Vague test lists. "Full panel" with no named infections tells you nothing.
Claims of certainty. No test is perfect. Be wary of anyone who says results can never be wrong or that timing does not matter.
No path to treatment or follow-up. A result is only useful if someone can explain it and act on it.
Pressure to buy extras. Add-on services you did not ask for are worth questioning.
Fear or shame in the sales pitch. Good care is calm and nonjudgmental, whatever your gender, orientation or history.
Unclear privacy practices. You should be told who sees your results.

Where to get tested in Dallas

A few practical details help you pick a place:

DCHHS Sexual Health Clinic: (214) 819-1819. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The phone line opens at 7:45 a.m. and closes at 3:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. Per the county page, appointments are required, and routine testing without symptoms is directed to the DCHHS Mobile Medical Unit.
Resource Center Health: 214.528.2336.
Prism Health North Texas: 214-521-5191. It also lists testing at Oak Cliff, Uptown, South Dallas and Worth Street locations.
Parkland Southeast Dallas: (214) 266-1600.
Foremost MLK Jr Family Clinic: (214) 426-3645.
AHF Dallas: (972) 383-1060.
Neighborhood Medical Center: (972) 726-6464.
Children's Health Adolescent and Young Adult clinic: (214) 456-9099. The clinic's page says a parent or guardian must give general consent for a minor to be treated there, so ask them before booking.

For the full list with addresses and services, see our Dallas testing list and cost guide. You can also use the CDC's locator at gettested.cdc.gov to find more places.

If your partner needs care too

Texas does not have an expedited partner therapy statute. Per CDC's page on the legal status of EPT in Texas, administrative rules let a physician prescribe STD medication for the partner of an established patient without a separate practitioner-patient relationship. Advanced practice nurses may do the same, and pharmacists may fill such prescriptions. If you are treated for an STI, ask the clinician what is allowed for your partner.

If you are pregnant

Texas Health and Safety Code Sec. 81.090 calls for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis B tests at the first prenatal visit. It also calls for syphilis and HIV tests in the third trimester, not earlier than the 28th week, and syphilis and hepatitis B tests on admission for delivery. The woman may object to the HIV tests but not the syphilis tests. Ask your prenatal provider how these are billed if you are uninsured.

A simple plan

Decide what you want tested, or ask a clinician what fits your situation.
Pick two or three places from the list above and call.
Ask the price questions listed earlier.
Ask about treatment and follow-up.
Book the visit and keep any paperwork about your fees.

If any detail here is out of date when you call, trust the clinic. For anything not covered in this guide, check with the clinic or with Dallas County Health and Human Services.

Low-Cost STD Testing in Dallas Without Insurance