HVAC / AC replacement Cost by City
100 metro areas, ranked. A typical project runs from $6,618 in the cheapest metro to $9,002 in the most expensive — a spread driven almost entirely by local labor rates.
What's priced: Full system replacement — condenser, air handler and coil — for a typical single-family home, installed on existing ductwork. National typical for comparison: $7,875.
| Metro | Typical | Range | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $9,002 | $4,287–$13,718 | +14% |
| San Francisco, CA | $8,801 | $4,191–$13,411 | +12% |
| Seattle, WA | $8,754 | $4,169–$13,340 | +11% |
| Boston, MA | $8,517 | $4,056–$12,979 | +8% |
| New York, NY | $8,512 | $4,053–$12,970 | +8% |
| Chicago, IL | $8,495 | $4,045–$12,945 | +8% |
| Minneapolis, MN | $8,363 | $3,982–$12,743 | +6% |
| San Diego, CA | $8,352 | $3,977–$12,727 | +6% |
| Bridgeport, CT | $8,327 | $3,965–$12,689 | +6% |
| New Haven, CT | $8,324 | $3,964–$12,685 | +6% |
| Stockton, CA | $8,299 | $3,952–$12,647 | +5% |
| Los Angeles, CA | $8,294 | $3,950–$12,638 | +5% |
| Denver, CO | $8,280 | $3,943–$12,617 | +5% |
| Washington, DC | $8,255 | $3,931–$12,580 | +5% |
| Hartford, CT | $8,250 | $3,929–$12,571 | +5% |
| Worcester, MA | $8,244 | $3,926–$12,563 | +5% |
| Portland, OR | $8,211 | $3,910–$12,512 | +4% |
| Oxnard, CA | $8,181 | $3,896–$12,466 | +4% |
| Sacramento, CA | $8,170 | $3,890–$12,449 | +4% |
| Providence, RI | $8,134 | $3,873–$12,395 | +3% |
| Baltimore, MD | $8,118 | $3,866–$12,370 | +3% |
| Bakersfield, CA | $8,107 | $3,860–$12,353 | +3% |
| Milwaukee, WI | $8,107 | $3,860–$12,353 | +3% |
| Albany, NY | $8,082 | $3,848–$12,315 | +3% |
| Philadelphia, PA | $8,073 | $3,845–$12,302 | +3% |
| Fresno, CA | $8,065 | $3,841–$12,290 | +2% |
| Madison, WI | $8,065 | $3,841–$12,290 | +2% |
| Syracuse, NY | $8,054 | $3,835–$12,273 | +2% |
| Columbus, OH | $8,043 | $3,830–$12,256 | +2% |
| Indianapolis, IN | $8,043 | $3,830–$12,256 | +2% |
| Riverside, CA | $8,040 | $3,829–$12,252 | +2% |
| Kiryas Joel, NY | $8,021 | $3,820–$12,223 | +2% |
| St. Louis, MO | $8,013 | $3,816–$12,210 | +2% |
| Portland, ME | $8,007 | $3,813–$12,202 | +2% |
| Toledo, OH | $7,994 | $3,806–$12,181 | +2% |
| Allentown, PA | $7,985 | $3,803–$12,168 | +1% |
| Cleveland, OH | $7,966 | $3,793–$12,139 | +1% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $7,966 | $3,793–$12,139 | +1% |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $7,960 | $3,791–$12,130 | +1% |
| Rochester, NY | $7,958 | $3,789–$12,126 | +1% |
| Detroit, MI | $7,955 | $3,788–$12,122 | +1% |
| Des Moines, IA | $7,952 | $3,787–$12,118 | +1% |
| Harrisburg, PA | $7,933 | $3,778–$12,088 | +1% |
| Dayton, OH | $7,922 | $3,772–$12,071 | +1% |
| Reno, NV | $7,900 | $3,762–$12,038 | 0% |
| Buffalo, NY | $7,897 | $3,761–$12,034 | 0% |
| Cincinnati, OH | $7,897 | $3,761–$12,034 | 0% |
| Kansas City, MO | $7,878 | $3,751–$12,004 | 0% |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $7,869 | $3,747–$11,992 | 0% |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $7,850 | $3,738–$11,962 | 0% |
| Akron, OH | $7,842 | $3,734–$11,950 | 0% |
| Austin, TX | $7,839 | $3,733–$11,945 | 0% |
| Omaha, NE | $7,814 | $3,721–$11,908 | -1% |
| Ogden, UT | $7,798 | $3,713–$11,882 | -1% |
| Wichita, KS | $7,787 | $3,708–$11,866 | -1% |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $7,784 | $3,707–$11,861 | -1% |
| Las Vegas, NV | $7,776 | $3,703–$11,849 | -1% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $7,765 | $3,698–$11,832 | -1% |
| Dallas, TX | $7,745 | $3,688–$11,803 | -2% |
| Lexington, KY | $7,732 | $3,682–$11,782 | -2% |
| Nashville, TN | $7,721 | $3,677–$11,765 | -2% |
| Boise City, ID | $7,715 | $3,674–$11,756 | -2% |
| New Orleans, LA | $7,712 | $3,673–$11,752 | -2% |
| Atlanta, GA | $7,690 | $3,662–$11,719 | -2% |
| Houston, TX | $7,688 | $3,661–$11,714 | -2% |
| Memphis, TN | $7,685 | $3,659–$11,710 | -2% |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | $7,674 | $3,654–$11,693 | -3% |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $7,674 | $3,654–$11,693 | -3% |
| Miami, FL | $7,671 | $3,653–$11,689 | -3% |
| Charlotte, NC | $7,668 | $3,652–$11,685 | -3% |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $7,663 | $3,649–$11,677 | -3% |
| San Antonio, TX | $7,635 | $3,636–$11,635 | -3% |
| Jacksonville, FL | $7,621 | $3,629–$11,614 | -3% |
| Charleston, SC | $7,608 | $3,623–$11,593 | -3% |
| Durham, NC | $7,608 | $3,623–$11,593 | -3% |
| Raleigh, NC | $7,608 | $3,623–$11,593 | -3% |
| Richmond, VA | $7,608 | $3,623–$11,593 | -3% |
| Virginia Beach, VA | $7,602 | $3,620–$11,584 | -3% |
| Tulsa, OK | $7,597 | $3,617–$11,576 | -4% |
| Greensboro, NC | $7,594 | $3,616–$11,572 | -4% |
| North Port, FL | $7,588 | $3,614–$11,563 | -4% |
| Knoxville, TN | $7,583 | $3,611–$11,555 | -4% |
| Cape Coral, FL | $7,566 | $3,603–$11,530 | -4% |
| Greenville, SC | $7,564 | $3,602–$11,525 | -4% |
| Albuquerque, NM | $7,536 | $3,589–$11,483 | -4% |
| Columbia, SC | $7,519 | $3,581–$11,458 | -5% |
| Chattanooga, TN | $7,503 | $3,573–$11,433 | -5% |
| Orlando, FL | $7,503 | $3,573–$11,433 | -5% |
| Tampa, FL | $7,500 | $3,572–$11,429 | -5% |
| Provo, UT | $7,497 | $3,570–$11,425 | -5% |
| Tucson, AZ | $7,495 | $3,569–$11,420 | -5% |
| Winston, NC | $7,486 | $3,565–$11,408 | -5% |
| Fayetteville, AR | $7,451 | $3,548–$11,353 | -5% |
| Jackson, MS | $7,434 | $3,540–$11,328 | -6% |
| Huntsville, AL | $7,409 | $3,528–$11,290 | -6% |
| Birmingham, AL | $7,360 | $3,505–$11,215 | -7% |
| McAllen, TX | $7,263 | $3,459–$11,068 | -8% |
| Little Rock, AR | $7,258 | $3,456–$11,059 | -8% |
| El Paso, TX | $7,216 | $3,436–$10,996 | -8% |
| San Juan, PR | $6,618 | $3,152–$10,085 | -16% |
How this is calculated
- Labor share 35%. HVAC is equipment-dominated: the condenser, air handler, and coil are a majority of the cost and are priced nationally. That compresses the metro spread relative to roofing — local labor still matters, but it is moving a smaller share of the total.
- Metro labor factor: mean annual wage for hvac mechanics and installers in each metro ÷ the national mean for the same occupation.
- Materials: We vary labor by metro and hold materials at the national level. That is deliberate: shingles, copper, HVAC equipment, and cabinets are nationally traded and priced, and what actually varies locally is freight and sales tax — both small next to the labor spread. We have no metro-level materials index we can defend, so rather than invent one, we vary only what we can source.
- Coverage: 100 of 100 metros. The rest are missing because BLS suppresses wage data for this trade there, and we do not fill gaps with estimates.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), metropolitan area estimates, May 2025. Educational estimates — get local quotes before budgeting.