Cost estimate
Central air or heat pump replacement
What replacing a central air conditioner, or switching to a ducted heat pump, can cost per ton of capacity, built from published wages, shelf prices and a federal database.
Data last checked . Every input is dated below.
Typical cost
Planning range $4,700 to $9,800
About $2,400 per ton, typical.
typical
Where the money goes
- Labor$70010%
- Materials$4,00055%
- Permits and inspections$1302%
- Haul-away and disposal$901%
- Contractor overhead and profit$2,35032%
For information only. A planning range, not a quote. We take care, but our sources can lag and so can we, so a figure may be out of date. It combines the low end of every input and the high end of every input, so it is deliberately wide. Real quotes can still fall outside it.
What moves the price
The same job can quote very differently. These are the usual reasons.
- Size and efficiency
- Capacity and efficiency rating both raise the equipment price. A higher-efficiency or variable-speed unit costs more up front and less to run.
- Ducts and the indoor unit
- Reusing sound ducts is the lower-cost case. Leaky, undersized or missing ducts, or a new air handler in a tight space, add labor and parts.
- Electrical and refrigerant lines
- A longer line set, a new disconnect or an upgraded circuit adds cost. Older systems may need the lines replaced or flushed.
- Access and site
- A rooftop or attic install, a pad that must be rebuilt, or a tight side yard changes the time on site.
- Brand and warranty
- Contractor-grade brands, longer labor warranties and maintenance plans are priced into many quotes, and what is included varies.
- Rebates
- Utility and state rebates can lower a heat pump price a lot. They are not subtracted here because they depend on your address, and the federal home-energy credits ended for work after 31 December 2025 [reported].
The same job at other sizes, and in each state
Both tables use the same estimate as the calculator above and its first choice, central air conditioner. They are here to read across; the calculator takes your own size and state.
| Size | Typical | Range | Per ton |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 tons | $3,750 | $2,500 to $5,050 | $2,514 |
| 3 tons | $6,050 | $3,900 to $8,250 | $2,429 |
| 4 tons | $8,400 | $5,400 to $11,400 | $2,406 |
| 4 tons | $9,600 | $6,200 to $13,000 | $2,399 |
| 5 tons | $11,900 | $7,700 to $16,200 | $2,390 |
Small jobs cost more per ton because a contractor has a minimum charge, and the per-unit figure falls as the job grows until the minimum no longer applies.
Cost by state, at 3 tons
| State | Typical | Range | Against the US average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $6,750 | $4,400 to $9,100 | −7% |
| Alaska | $7,900 | $5,000 to $10,800 | +9% |
| Arizona | $6,900 | $4,450 to $9,350 | −5% |
| Arkansas | $6,600 | $4,300 to $8,900 | −9% |
| California | $7,800 | $5,000 to $10,600 | +8% |
| Colorado | $7,300 | $4,700 to $9,900 | +1% |
| Connecticut | $7,250 | $4,650 to $9,900 | about the same |
| Delaware | $7,050 | $4,550 to $9,550 | −3% |
| District of Columbia | $8,000 | $5,100 to $11,000 | +11% |
| Florida | $7,000 | $4,550 to $9,450 | −3% |
| Georgia | $7,050 | $4,550 to $9,500 | −3% |
| Hawaii | $8,000 | $5,200 to $10,800 | +10% |
| Idaho | $6,950 | $4,500 to $9,400 | −4% |
| Illinois | $7,700 | $4,900 to $10,500 | +6% |
| Indiana | $7,000 | $4,500 to $9,450 | −4% |
| Iowa | $6,850 | $4,400 to $9,250 | −6% |
| Kansas | $6,800 | $4,400 to $9,250 | −6% |
| Kentucky | $6,900 | $4,450 to $9,300 | −5% |
| Louisiana | $6,700 | $4,350 to $9,050 | −7% |
| Maine | $7,100 | $4,550 to $9,600 | −2% |
| Maryland | $7,550 | $4,800 to $10,300 | +4% |
| Massachusetts | $7,450 | $4,700 to $10,100 | +2% |
| Michigan | $7,000 | $4,500 to $9,500 | −3% |
| Minnesota | $7,450 | $4,700 to $10,100 | +3% |
| Mississippi | $6,800 | $4,400 to $9,150 | −6% |
| Missouri | $6,950 | $4,500 to $9,450 | −4% |
| Montana | $6,950 | $4,500 to $9,400 | −4% |
| Nebraska | $6,800 | $4,400 to $9,250 | −6% |
| Nevada | $7,000 | $4,500 to $9,500 | −3% |
| New Hampshire | $7,300 | $4,650 to $9,900 | +1% |
| New Jersey | $7,900 | $5,000 to $10,800 | +9% |
| New Mexico | $6,850 | $4,450 to $9,200 | −6% |
| New York | $7,850 | $5,000 to $10,700 | +9% |
| North Carolina | $6,900 | $4,500 to $9,350 | −5% |
| North Dakota | $7,050 | $4,550 to $9,600 | −2% |
| Ohio | $6,900 | $4,400 to $9,350 | −5% |
| Oklahoma | $6,750 | $4,350 to $9,100 | −7% |
| Oregon | $7,650 | $4,900 to $10,400 | +5% |
| Pennsylvania | $7,200 | $4,650 to $9,750 | −1% |
| Rhode Island | $7,200 | $4,600 to $9,750 | −1% |
| South Carolina | $6,850 | $4,450 to $9,250 | −5% |
| South Dakota | $6,900 | $4,450 to $9,350 | −5% |
| Tennessee | $6,900 | $4,450 to $9,300 | −5% |
| Texas | $7,050 | $4,550 to $9,500 | −3% |
| Utah | $6,950 | $4,500 to $9,400 | −4% |
| Vermont | $7,150 | $4,600 to $9,650 | −2% |
| Virginia | $7,200 | $4,650 to $9,750 | −1% |
| Washington | $7,800 | $4,900 to $10,600 | +7% |
| West Virginia | $6,800 | $4,450 to $9,150 | −6% |
| Wisconsin | $6,950 | $4,450 to $9,450 | −4% |
| Wyoming | $6,800 | $4,400 to $9,200 | −6% |
Each state's wages for this trade, material price level and permit level are applied to the same job. They are statewide averages; towns within a state differ, and an expensive city and a rural county can sit far apart.
How we got these numbers
Labor, parts, overhead and permits, added up. Each assumption below says how solid it is.
Checked sourcePublished, secondhandOur estimate
- Checked sourceCentral air conditioner equipment and parts of $1,000 to $1,600 a ton start from Lowe's 3-ton condensers at $1,768 to $2,276 ($590 to $760 a ton) plus an indoor fan coil or air handler at $872 to $1,683 ($290 to $560 a ton), a line set and allowances for a pad, disconnect, drain parts and thermostat. The top end covers contractor-grade brands we did not price.
- Our estimateLabor hours of 4 to 7 a ton for a central air conditioner (removing the old outdoor unit and coil, setting the new ones, brazing lines, evacuating, charging, wiring and testing) are our estimate: we found no time study.
- Our estimateDisposal of $0 to $60 a ton covers hauling the old equipment; legally required refrigerant recovery is part of the job.
- Checked sourcePermit fees of $70 to $190: an HVAC change-out permit cost about $70 to $126 in the official city fee schedules we read (Auburn CA, Pleasanton CA, Albany NY; a small sample, not a national survey); the top end allows for surcharges and higher-priced places.
- Checked sourcePayroll costs of 27% to 35% of wages follow the Census 2022 figure for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors (fringe benefits 29.4% of payroll).
- Checked sourceOverhead and profit of 35% to 55% is added on top of wages with payroll costs, materials, permits and disposal. Census 2022: these contractors' receipts were 53% above direct cost; NAHB's remodeler study gives 43%. Contractors also mark up equipment, so retail shelf prices plus this margin may overstate what a contractor pays wholesale.
- Checked sourceCross-check: the REMDB government database (2023 dollars) puts a 3-ton central air conditioner at 14 SEER at about $3,100 (low), $5,100 (middle) and $7,200 (high) installed, and at 16 SEER at $4,200, $6,900 and $9,700. Our typical figure for 3 tons (about $7,400) is above the REMDB middle at 14 SEER and about 7% above it at 16 SEER, and inside its low-to-high band at 16 SEER but just above the top of the band at 14 SEER. New units today are rated 14.3 SEER2 or better.
- Checked sourceThe Census figure of $171 of work per field labor-hour is an average over all heating and air-conditioning work including repairs. Equipment replacement is more equipment-heavy, so our figures per labor-hour run higher than that average.
- Not includedNew ductwork, a new furnace, electrical panel work, a new circuit, a rebuilt pad, a gas line, extended warranties and permits for structural changes are not included.
- Checked sourceDucted heat pump: Equipment and parts of $1,520 to $2,300 a ton start from Lowe's 3-ton ducted heat pump systems at $3,886 to $4,630 ($1,295 to $1,543 a ton) plus a line set, pad, disconnect and thermostat. The top end covers contractor-grade brands and two-stage or variable-speed units we did not price.
- Our estimateDucted heat pump: Labor hours of 5 to 8 a ton are our estimate; a heat pump with an air handler takes longer than a condenser and coil.
- Checked sourceDucted heat pump: Cross-check: the REMDB government database (2023 dollars) puts a 3-ton ducted heat pump at 14 SEER at about $6,900 (low), $12,500 (middle) and $18,000 (high) installed, and at 16 SEER at $8,000, $14,200 and $20,500. Our typical figure (about $10,300 for 3 tons) sits inside that band but below its middle; REMDB leans on California and Massachusetts program data, where costs run high.
Sources
Where each input comes from, and when we last looked.
- Checked sourceU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data year 2025, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceU.S. Census Bureau, 2022 Economic Census, table EC2223BASIC (Construction: Summary Statistics), NAICS 238220 Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors, United States; fringe benefits are 29.4% of payroll and revenue is 53% above direct cost. Data year 2022, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceLowe's shelf prices read on lowes.com, Columbus OH store, 5 Nov 2026: 3-ton central air conditioners $1,768 to $2,276, indoor fan coils and air handlers $872 to $1,683, 3-ton ducted heat pump systems $3,886 to $4,630, line sets $440 (25 ft) to $723 (50 ft). Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-05.
- Our estimateNo official or trade time study found. The hours are our estimate for a two-person crew replacing the outdoor unit and the indoor coil or air handler on existing ductwork, bounded by the Census figure of $171 of work per field labor-hour. Data year 2022, checked 2026-11-05.
- Published, secondhandNAHB Remodelers' Cost of Doing Business Study, 2026 edition (fiscal 2024), as reported by NAHB's Eye on Housing blog, 8 Apr 2026: revenue about 43% above direct cost (33% in 2021). Data year 2024, checked 2026-11-04.
- Checked sourceNREL National Residential Efficiency Measures Database (REMDB), 2024 release, central air conditioner and ducted air-source heat pump rows (2023 dollars, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0): installed cost = retail regression x installation multiplier 1.5 (minus a $1,384 circuit allowance for heat pumps). Used only as a cross-check; our arithmetic. Data year 2023, checked 2026-11-05.
- Checked sourceOfficial city building permit fee schedules read 5 Nov 2026: City of Auburn CA (building fees, 24 May 2025), City of Pleasanton CA (building permit and plan review fees) and City of Albany NY (building and zoning permit application fees, revised Feb 2026). Three small or mid-size cities, not a national survey; fees in larger cities and valuation-based schedules can be higher. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-05.
- Our estimateOur working assumptions, marked as estimates on this page; not checked against contractor quotes. Data year 2026, checked 2026-11-05.
- Published, secondhandU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state (US = 100), as republished by FRED (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis). Goods parity is used for materials and all-items parity as a rough stand-in for permit fees. Data year 2024, checked 2026-11-04.