When to repair
The unit is under about 10 years old and the repair comes in under a third of a new system's price. Capacitors, contactors, fan motors, and drains almost always fall here — a couple hundred dollars against a system worth keeping.
Cost guide · Updated July 2026
How much does AC repair cost?
By the HVAC Service Call editorial team · Part bands single-sourced across our AC pages
The standing rules behind every figure here — the two-source requirement, what we refuse to publish, and how a national band is adjusted to your state — are set out in our methodology.
AC repair costs $150–$650 on average in 2026, with a typical bill near $350. The diagnostic visit is $75–$200, usually credited toward the repair. Your metro shifts these numbers — a capacitor is a couple hundred dollars; a compressor runs into the thousands.
TYPICAL BILL
~$350, in a $150–$650 range before any after-hours premium.
THE CHEAP FIX
A capacitor is $170–$400 — the common summer repair.
THE EXPENSIVE ONE
A compressor is $1,200–$2,800 — it forces the replace question.
01 · At a glance
The numbers, at a glance
Most AC repairs land between $150 and $650, with a typical bill near $350. The diagnostic visit is $75–$200, usually credited toward the repair.
~$350Typical bill
$150–$650Average range
$75–$200Diagnostic
1.5–2×After-hours
02 · By part
AC repair cost by part
Parts and labour included. Where itemized, labour alone runs $75–$150 an hour. The right-hand column flags whether the part is a straight repair or a run-the-numbers decision on an older unit.
| Part | Installed cost | Call |
|---|---|---|
| Capacitor | $170–$400 | Repair |
| Contactor | $150–$400 | Repair |
| Condensate drain clean | $100–$275 | Repair |
| Condensate pump | $250–$450 | Repair |
| Thermostat | $150–$500 | Repair |
| Condenser fan motor | $300–$700 | Repair |
| Circuit board | $200–$600 | Repair |
| Blower motor | $450–$1,800 | Weigh age |
| Refrigerant leak repair | $225–$1,600 | Weigh age |
| Refrigerant recharge | $200–$500 | Fix the leak |
| Evaporator coil | $600–$2,000 | Run the math |
| Compressor | $1,200–$2,800 | Run the math |
03 · By symptom
Cost by what you actually searched
The same symptom can trace to a cheap part or an expensive one — here's the likely cause and the range for each. Each links to the free troubleshooting article.
| Symptom | Range | Likely cause |
|---|---|---|
| Not cooling | $170–$1,600 | Refrigerant or capacitor |
| Won't turn on | $150–$600 | Capacitor, board, or thermostat |
| Leaking water | $100–$450 | Drain line or pump |
| Frozen unit | $150–$1,600 | Airflow or refrigerant |
| Loud noise | $300–$700 | Fan motor or bearings |
| Short-cycling | $150–$600 | Capacitor, board, or sizing |
04 · Where the money goes
Cost by system, and what's in the bill
System type shifts the range, and the bill itself is more than the part — a diagnostic fee, marked-up parts, hourly labour, and any after-hours premium.
| System | Typical repair |
|---|---|
| Central split | $150–$650 |
| Heat pump | $160–$1,400 |
| Mini split | $150–$1,000 |
| Packaged unit | $200–$800 |
| In the bill | Amount |
|---|---|
| Diagnostic fee (often credited) | $75–$200 |
| Parts (25–100% markup over wholesale) | stated plainly |
| Labour | $75–$150/hr |
| After-hours premium | 1.5–2× |
On permits and warranties
Permits ($50–$300) apply only when refrigerant-circuit or electrical work requires them. On warranties, parts are often covered while labour usually isn't — refrigerant beyond the quoted amount, ductwork, and panel faults are not usually included. The fee mechanics are on service-call cost.
05 · When repair stops paying ✓ ✕
The compressor, the coil, and the one-third rule
The two expensive AC parts — the compressor ($1,200–$2,800) and the evaporator coil ($600–$2,000) — both raise the same question: repair, or replace the whole system?
When to replace
The AC is 15-plus years old, or a compressor or coil has failed. Worked example: an $1,800 compressor on a 13-year-old unit, against a replacement running $3,800–$9,850 — measured at the $6,850 midpoint, the one-third threshold is $2,283, so $1,800 stays under it and the call turns on remaining life and the refrigerant transition rather than on the rule.
Under 10 years, repair; 10–15, run the rule; 15-plus, default to replace.
Don't overpay
Get a second quote on anything over $1,000, and ask for the bill itemised — diagnostic, parts, and labour broken out. The full framework is on repair or replace, and a new-system price on AC installation.
Run the one-third rule on your own AC quote
The rule compares your repair quote against what a replacement costs where you live — and that second number moves by state while the part price barely does. The calculator prices it from the same baseline the table above uses, adjusted by your state's regional price parity.
Verdict
Replace
At 16 years a central AC is past its service field, so age decides before the quote does.
// a central AC, 16 years old, $1,800 quote
Replacement band ....... $3,800–$9,850
Measured against ....... $6,850
One-third threshold .... $2,283
Repair quote ........... $1,800
By the one-third rule: $1,800 < $2,283 → repair
// At 16 years a central AC is past its service field, so age decides before the quote does.
Replacement band ....... $3,800–$9,850
Measured against ....... $6,850
One-third threshold .... $2,283
Repair quote ........... $1,800
By the one-third rule: $1,800 < $2,283 → repair
// At 16 years a central AC is past its service field, so age decides before the quote does.
The 50% rule says repair. The $5,000 rule says replace. The three rules disagree, so the age band decides.
Replacement band from our published cost baseline, priced at the national baseline. Pick a state to move it, or enter your own replacement quote to override it.
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06 · Where you live
AC repair cost by state and region
A national range averages places nobody lives in. The same repair costs measurably less in Alabama than in Tennessee, because labour and overhead differ while the part does not — and across the country the gap is far wider, with reported state averages for one AC repair running from about $330 in Texas and Florida to $575 in California.
Below, our national part bands adjusted by each state's regional price parity, published annually by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. These are the identical figures our 10 city pages render, so the two can never disagree.
| Repair | National | Alabama | Kentucky | Tennessee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic / service call | $75–$200 | $65–$180 | $70–$180 | $70–$185 |
| Capacitor | $120–$400 | $105–$355 | $110–$360 | $110–$370 |
| Condenser fan motor | $300–$600 | $265–$535 | $270–$540 | $275–$550 |
| Refrigerant recharge (R-410A) | $200–$600 | $180–$535 | $180–$540 | $185–$550 |
| Compressor | $800–$2,800 | $710–$2,485 | $720–$2,525 | $735–$2,575 |
A state multiplier is still an approximation of a metro. Where we have a city page it carries the real local band together with that market's licensing rule, permit office and climate load — all of which move the number more than a state average does:
- Alabama — Birmingham, Huntsville
- Kentucky — Bowling Green, Covington, Lexington, Louisville, Owensboro
- Tennessee — Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville
07 · What moves the number
What raises or lowers your quote?
Six variables account for nearly the whole spread between a $200 visit and a $2,500 one, and the first accounts for most of it:
- Which part failed
- The dominant variable by far. A capacitor is $120–$400; a compressor is $800–$2,800. Same unit, same technician, seven times the bill.
- Refrigerant type
- An R-22 system is the expensive case — production ended in 2020, so the remaining supply is reclaimed and priced accordingly. R-410A recharges are ordinary by comparison.
- Where the unit sits
- A ground-level condenser is straightforward. A rooftop unit, or an air handler in a sealed attic in August, adds hours of labour to an identical part swap.
- Age and parts supply
- Past roughly 12 years, matched coils and control boards start being discontinued, and a universal substitute takes longer to fit.
- When you call
- Peak cooling season is the busiest and priciest window, and an after-hours call carries a premium wherever a contractor charges one.
- Warranty status
- Parts are commonly covered for 10 years if the unit was registered. Labour and the call-out are not — which is why a covered compressor can still be a four-figure visit.
The most expensive part to fix
The compressor, at $800–$2,800 installed — it is the pump at the heart of the refrigerant circuit, and replacing one on a system past about ten years old is the moment the repair-or-replace question stops being theoretical. A failed evaporator coil ($650–$2,300) sits just behind it for the same reason.
08 · Reading the quote
How do you avoid overpaying?
Cooling failures happen in heat, and heat makes people agree to things. Five checks, none of which buys you a thinner repair:
- Get a second written quote above about $1,000. At compressor and coil money the gap between two contractors is routinely wider than the diagnostic fee you pay to find it.
- Ask for the bill itemised — diagnostic, part and labour as separate lines, in writing, before work starts. A lump sum cannot be compared with anything.
- Do not accept a recharge without a leak search. A sealed system does not consume refrigerant. Refilling it every summer is paying rent on a leak nobody has found.
- Ask whether the diagnostic fee credits toward the repair. Most shops credit it on a same-visit approval; some credit nothing. That one question is worth $75–$200.
- Check the parts warranty before agreeing to the part. Ten-year coverage is common where the unit was registered — you would still owe labour, but not the compressor.
If a technician recommends replacing the system before naming the failed component, that is a sales step, not a diagnosis. How to pick between contractors is on choosing an HVAC company.
09 · Our numbers
Where our numbers come from
Every band on this page is a consensus figure, not one publisher's estimate. We cross-reference published 2026 consumer pricing from HomeGuide, Angi and Forbes Home, and a part only gets a printed range once at least two named sources agree on it — which is why heat pump auxiliary heat strips have no number here at all. The bands live in one shared file that every AC page on this site reads, so the capacitor price in the table above and the capacitor price on a city page cannot drift apart.
State figures are that national band multiplied by the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parity for the state, published annually. Nothing is estimated by hand and nothing is rounded to look tidier than the source. The set was last reviewed in July 2026.
What we do not do: we do not perform the repair, we do not quote it, and we take no cut of it. We are not a contractor — we route your call to a licensed one, and the number you sign for comes from the person who sees your system. Nothing on this page sits behind a form.
10 · Questions
Common questions
Why is AC repair so expensive?
The part is one line of the bill. You also pay the diagnostic fee, labor at $75–$150 an hour, refrigerant-handling that's federally regulated, and a warranty-backed part at contractor pricing. Sealed-system work — coils and compressors — is labor-intensive, which is why those repairs climb into the thousands.
How much does it cost to recharge refrigerant?
A recharge runs $200–$500, but recharging without repairing the leak is a subscription, not a fix — the refrigerant will leak back out. Low refrigerant always means a leak, and finding and sealing it ($225–$1,600) is the actual repair.
Is a $400 capacitor quote fair?
It's within the normal range. A capacitor part is cheap, but the quote bundles the diagnostic, labor, and a warranty-backed part — $170–$400 installed is typical. Well above that, get a second opinion.
Does home warranty cover AC repair?
Partially, sometimes. A home warranty may cover the repair minus a per-visit service fee, with coverage caps and maintenance requirements. Read the contract — refrigerant, code upgrades, and pre-existing faults are common exclusions.
Can I repair the AC myself?
Electrical parts like a capacitor are legal to DIY but genuinely hazardous — capacitors hold a charge that can injure you. Refrigerant work is off-limits without EPA-608 certification. Filter changes, drain clearing, and thermostat swaps are the safe DIY jobs.
Do AC repair prices differ by city?
Yes — metro labor rates swing an identical repair by up to 40%, and reported state averages for the same job run from about $330 in Texas and Florida to $575 in California. We publish the local band per metro rather than a national guess: see the by-state table above, or open the city page for your market from our areas we serve index.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace a 10-year-old AC?
At 10 years you're in the run-the-numbers zone: repair if the cost is under a third of a new system. Against a replacement midpoint of $6,850 the threshold is $2,283, so an $1,800 compressor stays on the repair side of the rule — factor in the R-410A vs newer-refrigerant transition before deciding.
How much is the diagnostic fee if I don't repair?
You owe the service-call fee only — typically $75–$200 — for the visit and diagnosis. It's credited toward the repair only if you go ahead with the work.
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