A cell isolation method includes: a cell trapping step of allowing a test liquid to pass through a cell trapping filter which has a plurality of through-holes in the thickness direction, thereby trapping isolation target cells contained in the test liquid on one surface of the cell trapping filter; a gel embedding step of introducing a stimulus-responsive hydrogel onto the one surface of the cell trapping filter on which the cells have been trapped in the cell trapping step, thereby embedding the cells in the stimulus-responsive hydrogel; a gel hardening step of applying a stimulus to the stimulus-responsive hydrogel in which the cells are embedded, thereby hardening the stimulus-responsive hydrogel; and a detachment step of detaching the stimulus-responsive hydrogel that was hardened in the gel hardening step from the cell trapping filter.