Estimate your AC repair cost
AC repair cost by part
| Repair | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Capacitor | $130–$400 |
| Thermostat | $100–$500 |
| Contactor | $150–$450 |
| Refrigerant recharge (R-410A) | $150–$700 |
| Condenser fan motor | $300–$900 |
| Blower motor (standard PSC) | $400–$1,200 |
| Control board | $500–$950 |
| Refrigerant leak repair + recharge | $400–$1,000 |
| Refrigerant recharge (R-22, older systems) | $600–$1,800 |
| Blower motor (variable-speed ECM) | $700–$2,400 |
| Compressor | $1,200–$4,650 |
| Evaporator coil | $1,000–$4,500 |
| Outdoor unit replacement ("condenser") | $3,000–$6,000 |
The part that failed sets the price. Small electrical parts like capacitors and contactors are quick, cheap fixes; sealed-system work — coils and compressors — costs far more because it involves recovering refrigerant, brazing, evacuating and recharging the system.
"Condenser replacement" usually means the whole outdoor unit
People often search for condenser replacement meaning two different things. A failed capacitor is a cheap electrical part ($130–$400). The condenser coil is welded into the outdoor unit and can't be swapped on its own — if it's punctured or corroded through, the fix is replacing the outdoor unit, $3,000–$6,000. Ask your technician which one they mean.
Check the capacitor before you pay for a compressor
A dead capacitor can stop the compressor from starting, which looks exactly like compressor failure. Since a capacitor costs a fraction of a compressor, get a second opinion on any compressor diagnosis where the capacitor wasn't tested first.
Refrigerant: R-410A vs R-22
Most systems made since 2010 use R-410A, which is moderately priced ($150–$700 for a recharge). Older systems use R-22, which hasn't been produced or imported in the US since 2020 — so what's left is scarce and a recharge runs $600–$1,800. If your system needs refrigerant, it has a leak: insist the technician finds and fixes it rather than just topping it up. On an old R-22 system, a big recharge bill is often the moment to consider replacement.
Diagnostic fees and after-hours calls
Almost every visit carries a diagnostic fee of $75–$200. Many good shops credit it toward the repair if you go ahead — ask when you book. After-hours and weekend calls add $50–$150 on top, which is the strongest argument for a spring tune-up that catches weak capacitors and low charge before the first heat wave.
Repair or replace?
Once a single repair heads past about $1,500 — typically a compressor or evaporator coil — on a system more than about 10 years old, replacement often makes more sense than repair. That's especially true for R-22 systems.
Methodology and sources
We price each confirmed repair as an installed total, split parts from labor, and adjust only the labor portion by your state's HVAC technician wages. Read how we estimate costs.
- ComfortCalc: AC repair cost by part
- HVAC Crew USA: AC repair cost guide
- UniColorado: AC repair pricing — outdoor unit and coil
- HVAC Calculator Hub: common HVAC repair costs — compressors, blower motors
- SaveOnMyQuote: AC repair cost — refrigerant
- HVAC Review Hub — parts/labor split
- ProFindr — after-hours surcharges
- BLS OEWS May 2025, State (SOC 49-9021, HVAC mechanics) — state labor index
Not yet reviewed by an HVAC contractor.
Changelog
- : Initial dataset. Priced per confirmed repair (installed: part + labor + materials), with most repairs cross-checked across 2-3 sources (ComfortCalc, HVAC Crew USA, a Denver contractor, HVAC Calculator Hub, SaveOnMyQuote, AllBetter). 'Condenser replacement' is modeled as outdoor-unit replacement because the condenser coil is welded into the unit (single source -- flagged). Labor share 50% from HVAC Review Hub's 35/50/15 parts/labor/overhead split. The diagnostic fee defaults to credited toward the repair, as several sources say good shops do; the user can add it. State wage index uses HVAC mechanics (SOC 49-9021); a conflicting national median ($32.75/hr) from one source was rejected after the official state file matched the other sources' DC and Arkansas figures exactly. Status stays draft pending an HVAC contractor's review.
- : Editorial review and publication. Every price field re-checked for a source; the calculator's typical default job tested against independently published benchmark ranges (tests/benchmarks.test.ts), which now run on every build. Published at the owner's decision with an explicit note that the page has not yet been reviewed by a licensed tradesperson; the page must not claim such a review until one has actually happened.