AC Repair Cost Calculator

Home size
1,800 sq ft
What is wrong
When
How old the system is
Your ZIP code

Showing the national average. Enter your ZIP code for local cost estimates.

Low $185
Typical $225
High $280

National average

System size: — tons Roughly one ton per 600 sq ft, which is the rule of thumb a rough sizing uses. If you know the model number, the size is in it: the digits 024, 030, 036, 042, 048 and 060 are thousands of BTU, so 036 is three tons.

Where these figures come from
  • Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors, United States: $42.44/hour, August 2026 (BLS CES CES2023822003)
  • Run capacitor: $30.00 per capacitor (price recorded October 2026, not index-adjusted)

AC Repair costs $185 to $280 for a typical 1,800 sq ft job in 2026, against a national benchmark of $225. Labor runs 1.4 crew hours at $42.44 an hour. Enter a ZIP code to apply that area's measured wages for this work and its regional price level.

Get in touch with an AC repair contractor

Talk to an AC repair contractor serving your area. Give them a call or request an estimate, and connect with a local firm that fits your project.

We are still adding AC repair contractors. Call the number below to talk to a contractor about your project.

Call (800) 152-1235

What makes up the price

Labor $80 1.4 hours at $42.44/hour, 40% burden, 1.00x regional
Run capacitor $30 1 capacitor at $30.00 each
Service call and truck stock $45
Age: ten plus $0 1.08x on the work above
Contractor overhead and profit $59 35% applied to the work above
Typical total $225 $185 to $280 depending on contractor

Cost by size

National averages, before any local adjustment. Computed from the same model as the calculator above, so the two always agree.

Home size Tons of cooling Typical Range
1,000 sq ft 1.5 $220 $180 to $275
1,450 sq ft 2.5 $225 $185 to $280
1,800 sq ft 3 $225 $185 to $280
2,450 sq ft 4 $230 $190 to $285
3,050 sq ft 5 $235 $195 to $290

The most likely answer is a $30 part

People put off calling because they are braced for a compressor. The actual distribution is nothing like that. The single most common failure on a residential air conditioner is the run capacitor — a cylindrical can about the size of a soup tin, bolted inside the outdoor unit, that costs around $30 and takes minutes to change.

The classic symptom: the outdoor fan spins but the compressor hums and will not start, or nothing outside runs at all while the thermostat calls for cooling. If that is what is happening, the likely bill is $225, not $2,000.

What it costs, on a three-ton system:

Typical What it is
Capacitor $225 The most common failure
Contactor or control board $325 It will not start, or will not stop
Blower motor $750 Runs, but moves little air
Refrigerant leak, found and recharged $875 Cooling poorly, iced lines
Compressor $2,050 The one that starts a replacement conversation

Before you call, check three things

Each takes two minutes and each is a reason the system is not cooling that is not a repair at all.

  1. The filter. A blocked filter chokes airflow, which makes the evaporator coil freeze, which stops cooling entirely. A system that cooled fine last month and nothing now, with ice on the lines, is very often this. Change it, turn the system off, let the ice melt for a few hours, try again.
  2. The breaker. Air conditioners have two: one in the panel and a disconnect by the outdoor unit. Both trip.
  3. The thermostat. Batteries, and that it is actually set to cool rather than to a schedule that thinks it is still spring.

If the system runs but the house is not getting cool and the filter is clean, stop there and call. Running an air conditioner that is low on refrigerant damages the compressor, which turns a $875 problem into a $2,050 one.

The diagnostic fee, and what it should buy

Expect $75 to $250 to have somebody come out and find the fault. Most companies credit it against the repair if you go ahead; some do not. Ask which, before they come.

What a proper diagnostic involves: gauges on both service ports, an amp reading on the compressor and the fan, a capacitor test under load, a look at both coils and the filter, and the temperature split across the evaporator. Fifteen minutes and a guess is not that.

Two things worth being wary of:

Repair or replace: the actual arithmetic

The useful rule is not a feeling about the system's age. It is this:

Replace when the repair costs more than a third of a new system, or when the system is over about twelve years old and the repair is over about a thousand dollars.

A new three-ton system is roughly $7,000 to $9,000 installed. So:

Three things that move the line toward replacing:

If the system runs R-22, this changes

R-22 — often called Freon — was phased out and has not been produced or imported in the United States since 2020. What remains is reclaimed and stockpiled, and it costs several times what R-410A does. Systems made before roughly 2010 use it.

That matters in a specific way: repairs that involve refrigerant become disproportionately expensive, and repairs that do not are unaffected. A capacitor on an R-22 system is still a capacitor. A leak repair that needs eight pounds of refrigerant is a different proposition.

So on an R-22 system, a big refrigerant-related repair is usually money spent on an asset with a short remaining life. Price a replacement alongside it before deciding.

If a contractor offers to "top up" an R-22 system without finding the leak, understand what that is: refrigerant does not get used up, so a system that is low has a leak, and topping it up is buying the same refrigerant again next summer.

Why it always fails in a heat wave

Not coincidence. A system that is marginal — slightly low on charge, a weak capacitor, a dirty condenser coil — works adequately at 85°F and fails at 100°F, because the hotter it is outside the harder it has to work to reject heat. The heat wave does not break it; it reveals it.

Which has two consequences. The first is that the after-hours premium is real, commonly time and a half, and worth about a third of the bill if the house is tolerable until Monday. The second is that the cheapest time to have an air conditioner looked at is spring, when technicians are not busy and a weak component can be found before it strands you.

What actually prevents most of this

Questions worth asking

Common questions

How much does AC repair cost?

Most repairs land between $225 and $875. On a three-ton system a capacitor is about $225, a contactor or control board $325, a blower motor $750, and a refrigerant leak found and recharged $875. A compressor is around $2,050. The diagnostic visit itself is $75 to $250 and is usually credited against the repair.

What is the most common AC repair?

The run capacitor, by a wide margin — a can about the size of a soup tin inside the outdoor unit that costs around $30 as a part and about $225 fitted. The classic symptom is the outdoor fan spinning while the compressor hums and will not start, or nothing outside running at all. People brace for a compressor and usually have a capacitor.

What should I check before calling an AC repair company?

Three things, two minutes each. The filter — a blocked one chokes airflow, freezes the evaporator coil and stops cooling entirely, which is a very common cause of "it worked last month". The breakers, of which an air conditioner has two: one in the panel and a disconnect by the outdoor unit. And the thermostat, meaning its batteries and that it is actually set to cool. If ice is visible on the lines, change the filter, switch the system off for a few hours and try again.

Should I repair or replace my air conditioner?

Replace when the repair costs more than about a third of a new system, or when the system is over roughly twelve years old and the repair is over about a thousand dollars. A new three-ton system is $7,000 to $9,000 installed, so a $225 capacitor on a fifteen-year-old unit is worth doing at 3% of a replacement, while a $2,050 compressor on a twelve-year-old one is not. A failed compressor, a system running R-22, or a second big repair in two years all move the line toward replacing.

How much is a diagnostic fee and is it refunded?

It is $75 to $250 to have somebody come out and find the fault, and most companies credit it against the repair if you go ahead — though some do not, so ask before they come. A free diagnostic usually means the cost is in the repair price instead, which is not dishonest but does make the quote incomparable with one from a company that charges for the visit.

What should a proper AC diagnostic include?

Gauges on both service ports, an amp reading on the compressor and the condenser fan, a capacitor tested under load, an inspection of both coils and the filter, and a temperature split measured across the evaporator. That is twenty minutes to half an hour of actual measurement. A quick look and an opinion is not a diagnostic, and a repair quoted without one — "it is probably the compressor" — is a reason to get a second company out.

Why is R-22 refrigerant so expensive?

Because it has not been produced or imported in the United States since 2020. What remains is reclaimed and stockpiled, and it costs several times what R-410A does. Systems built before roughly 2010 use it. The effect is uneven: a capacitor on an R-22 system is still just a capacitor, but any repair involving refrigerant becomes disproportionately expensive — which is why a big leak repair on an R-22 system is usually the moment to price a replacement instead.

Can refrigerant just be topped up?

It can be, and you should understand what you are buying. Refrigerant is not consumed — a sealed system does not use it up — so a system that is low has a leak. Recharging without finding the leak means paying for the same refrigerant again next summer, and in the meantime running the compressor under-charged, which shortens its life. Ask whether they are finding the leak or recharging it, because only one of those is a repair.

How much does it cost to replace an AC compressor?

Around $2,050 on a three-ton system, from $1,850 on a two-ton to about $2,475 on a five-ton, since the compressor is the one part that scales strongly with capacity. The job itself is most of a day: recover the charge, unbraze and lift the old compressor out, braze the new one in, replace the filter-driers, pull a deep vacuum and weigh in a full charge. At that price on a system over about twelve years old, replacement is usually the better purchase.

Why does my AC always break in a heat wave?

Because the heat wave reveals the fault rather than causing it. A system that is marginally low on charge, or has a weak capacitor or a dirty condenser coil, works adequately at 85°F and fails at 100°F, since the hotter it is outside the harder it has to work to reject heat. The practical consequence is that spring is the cheapest and easiest time to have an air conditioner looked at, when technicians are not booked solid and a weak component can be found before it strands you.

Is it worth paying an after-hours rate?

The premium is real — commonly time and a half, which is about a third on top of the bill. Whether it is worth it depends on the house and who is in it. If there is an infant, an elderly resident or a genuine heat risk, pay it. If the house is tolerable with fans and open windows overnight, waiting until a normal appointment saves roughly a third and gets you a technician who is not on their eleventh call of the day.

What maintenance prevents AC repairs?

Change the filter every one to three months — more failures trace back to airflow than to anything else. Hose out the outdoor coil once a year, gently and from the inside out, because a coil packed with clippings makes the compressor run hot and that is how compressors die. Keep two feet clear around the outdoor unit. And put a cup of vinegar down the condensate drain each spring, since a blocked drain is the most common cause of water damage from an air conditioner.

Is my AC still under warranty?

Quite possibly, and it is commonly forgotten by both the homeowner and the contractor. Most systems carry five to ten years on parts from the manufacturer, sometimes ten if the original installation was registered. That covers the part but usually not the labor, which on a compressor is still several hundred dollars — but it is the difference between $2,050 and well under half that. Have the model and serial number off the outdoor unit ready when you call.

Where these numbers come from

Nothing here is copied from a contractor directory. Labor is priced from what the trades are actually paid, materials from published producer prices, and both are adjusted to your area using federal cost-of-living data.