AC Repair Cost 2026: $150–$650 Typical US Cost Range

Repairing one central air conditioner at a single-family house — the failed part and the labor in one price, on a weekday, with an outdoor unit the technician can reach — often clusters around $150–$650. That is the typical AC repair cost. How much does AC repair cost in that scope? It is that common repair, not a new air conditioner and not a capacitor priced on its own page. Air conditioner repair cost, when the part and the labor are in the price, is the same band. Central air repair cost, for that same visit, is the same band. The cost to repair an air conditioner, for that same visit, is the same band. A tune-up is $70–$200. A refrigerant leak repair is $200–$1,500. A compressor is $750–$2,000. The wider national spread, about $70–$2,000, covers that tune-up floor at the low end and a compressor at the high end. A capacitor is the capacitor guide. A new split system, ducts staying, is the central air guide. A matched furnace and air conditioner is the AC and furnace guide. These are typical planning ranges, not a survey and not a quote.

This page is one common repair on a central air conditioner at a single-family house. A bid may call it AC repair cost, how much AC repair costs, air conditioner repair cost, central air repair cost, or the cost to repair an air conditioner. The failed part and the labor are in the price when the number is the typical band. It is not a new air conditioner, which is the central air guide. It is not a capacitor on its own, which is the capacitor guide. It is not a matched furnace and air conditioner, which is the AC and furnace guide. A part from a shelf is a smaller product. This page does not price it as the typical band.

The price of the job is the part the technician installs and the trip that puts it on the unit. The failed part is the first cut. Whether the labor is already in the price is the second. A contactor, a fan motor, a circuit board, and a capacitor are ways to buy one repair. The part replaces a different part. It is not a second repair under a price you already have.

The rows below are ways to read one job. They are not added together. The job table is one visit at a house the technician can reach. The typical band is one common repair, labor in: that row in full. A tune-up replaces that rate from $70 to $200. A refrigerant leak repair replaces it from $200 to $1,500. A compressor replaces it from $750 to $2,000. Use a part row only for a line the visit row does not include. A part the proposal already includes is not a second part.

Job	Typical cost
Tune-up, not a repair	$70–$200
Common repair, part and labor	$150–$650
Refrigerant leak repair	$200–$1,500
Compressor, part and labor	$750–$2,000

Part or added line	Typical planning range
Service call, when the repair leaves it out	$75–$200
Drain-line flush	$75–$250
Refrigerant recharge, not the leak repair	$100–$600
Circuit board, installed	$150–$700
A second repair the visit left out	$150–$450
Capacitor, installed	$200–$400
Contactor, installed	$200–$450
Fan motor, installed	$200–$700

The job rows replace one another. Do not add a compressor price on top of a common-repair price for the same unit. The part row is a line the visit left out. A part the visit price already includes is not the part row on top. A service call the bid already folded into $150–$650 is not the service-call row on top.

A common repair — the failed part and the labor — is typically $150–$650. The floor of the row is the typical floor. The top of the row is the typical top. The whole row is the typical band. One hundred fifty can be this row at its floor, a tune-up inside its overlap, a circuit board at its floor, or a second repair at its floor. Six hundred fifty can be this row at its top, a leak repair inside its overlap, a fan motor inside its row, or a circuit board inside its row. Ask which reading the bid is.

A tune-up — a check and a cleaning, not a failed part — is typically $70–$200. The overlap with the typical band is $150–$200. Seventy dollars is the floor of this row and the floor of the wider spread, $80 under the typical floor. Two hundred is inside the typical band and $450 under the typical top. From $70–$150 the job sits under the typical band and inside the wider spread. From $150–$200 the job is inside the typical band and inside this row. Seventy dollars can be this row at its floor. It is not the typical band with a discount. Two hundred can be this row at its top or a common repair inside the typical band. Ask which visit the bid priced. Do not add the common-repair row under a tune-up for the same trip.

A refrigerant leak repair — find the leak, fix it, and put the refrigerant back — is typically $200–$1,500. The overlap with the typical band is $200–$650. Two hundred is $50 above the typical floor and the floor of this row. Six hundred fifty is the typical top and inside this row. One thousand five hundred is $850 past the typical top and $500 under the wider top. From $200–$650 the job is inside the typical band and inside this row. From $650–$1,500 the job has left the typical band and stays inside the wider spread. Two hundred can be this row at its floor or a common repair inside the typical band. One thousand five hundred can be this row at its top. It is not a compressor. A house whose price was already the common repair does not get the leak row on top.

A compressor — the part and the labor, on the outdoor unit — is typically $750–$2,000. Seven hundred fifty is $100 past the typical top. Two thousand is the top of this row and the top of the wider spread. The whole row sits above the typical band. It is not a common repair with a different name. Seven hundred fifty can be this row at its floor. Two thousand can be this row at its top or a fan coil at its top, which is the same $2,000. It is not a new air conditioner. A house whose compressor was already sound does not get this row on top of $150–$650.

AC repair cost

AC repair cost is this page when the failed part is on the unit and the labor is in the price. How much AC repair costs, for that visit, is the same price. A bid that says AC repair cost and a bid that says air conditioner repair cost are the same dollars when the part, the house, and the labor match. The typical band, $150–$650, is one common repair. It is not a second part stacked on a visit you already have.

The visit is often the same day. The hours are inside the visit price. They are not a second bill on a number that was already the repair. A bid that already names $150–$650 does not get the hours on top.

How much does AC repair cost

How much AC repair costs is the visit price, not the price of a part on a shelf. For one common repair, that cost is $150–$650. A bid that prices the technician and a bid that prices a boxed part are not the same number. Keep the labor in the number when a technician is who makes the repair.

A second repair the same visit left out is another line, $150–$450, not a second $150–$650 visit. One hundred fifty plus $150 is $300, inside the typical band. One hundred fifty plus $450 is $600, inside the typical band. Six hundred fifty plus $150 is $800, which is $150 past the typical top, inside the leak row, inside the compressor row, and $1,200 under the wider top. Six hundred fifty plus $450 is $1,100, which is $450 past the typical top, inside the leak row, inside the compressor row, and $900 under the wider top. A visit that already fixed every failed part on the unit does not get a second repair.

A service call the same visit left out is $75–$200, and a completed repair price already holds that trip. One hundred fifty plus $75 is $225 only when the $150 left the trip out. One hundred fifty plus $200 is $350, inside the typical band, only when the $150 left the trip out. Six hundred fifty plus $75 is $725, which is $75 past the typical top, $25 under the compressor floor, inside the leak row, and $1,275 under the wider top. Six hundred fifty plus $200 is $850, which is $200 past the typical top, inside the leak row, inside the compressor row, and $1,150 under the wider top. A bid that already names the installed repair does not get the service call on top.

Air conditioner repair cost

Air conditioner repair cost is the installed repair, not a boxed part with the labor left out. When the job is one common repair, that cost is $150–$650. A price near $70 should say a tune-up, not a visit with a failed part and the labor in. A price near $150 should say whether the labor and the part are both in. One hundred fifty can be this band at its floor. It can also be a tune-up inside its overlap, a circuit board at its floor, or a second repair at its floor. Those can be the same dollars and the same job, read two ways. They are not two bills.

A capacitor, installed, is the capacitor guide, typically $200–$400, inside a wider spread of about $60–$600. The overlap with this typical band is the whole capacitor band, $200–$400. Two hundred is $50 above the typical floor. Four hundred is $250 under the typical top. Sixty dollars is $10 under this wider floor. Six hundred is inside this typical band and $50 under the typical top. A common repair that already includes the capacitor does not get the capacitor row on top. One hundred fifty plus $200 is $350, inside the typical band, only when the repair left the capacitor out. Six hundred fifty plus $400 is $1,050, which is $400 past the typical top, inside the leak row, inside the compressor row, and $950 under the wider top.

A contactor, installed, is typically $200–$450. The whole row sits inside the typical band. Two hundred is $50 above the typical floor. Four hundred fifty is $200 under the typical top. A fan motor, installed, is typically $200–$700. The overlap with the typical band is $200–$650. Seven hundred is $50 past the typical top and $1,300 under the wider top. A circuit board, installed, is typically $150–$700. One hundred fifty is the typical floor. Seven hundred is the fan-motor top and $50 past the typical top. These rows replace the common repair when the failed part is that part. Two hundred can be a capacitor, a contactor, or a fan motor at its floor, or a common repair inside this band. Four hundred fifty can be a contactor at its top or a common repair inside this band. Seven hundred can be a fan motor at its top or a circuit board at its top. Ask which part the bid priced. Do not put a contactor and a fan motor on one part.

Central air repair cost

Central air repair cost is the repair on one central air conditioner. One common repair, labor in, is $150–$650. A bid that says central air repair and a bid that says AC repair are the same dollars when the part, the house, and the labor match. A price near $75 should say a service call or a drain-line flush, not the common repair. A price near $750 should say a compressor at its floor.

A drain-line flush is typically $75–$250. The overlap with the typical band is $150–$250. Seventy-five is $5 above the wider floor and $75 under the typical floor. Two hundred fifty is inside the typical band and $400 under the typical top. From $75–$150 the job sits under the typical band and inside the wider spread. From $150–$250 the job is inside the typical band and inside this row. A refrigerant recharge, when it is not the leak repair, is typically $100–$600. The overlap with the typical band is $150–$600. One hundred is $30 above the wider floor and $50 under the typical floor. Six hundred is $50 under the typical top. From $100–$150 the recharge sits under the typical band. From $150–$600 it is inside the typical band. A recharge the leak repair already includes is not this row on top of $200–$1,500.

Six hundred fifty plus $700 for a fan motor the visit left out is $1,350, which is $700 past the typical top, inside the leak row, inside the compressor row, $150 under the leak top, and $650 under the wider top. That $1,350 can be a common repair at the typical top plus a fan motor at its top, a leak repair inside its row, or a compressor inside its row. Ask which reading the bid is.

Cost to repair an air conditioner

The cost to repair an air conditioner is the visit that deals with the failed part. One common repair, labor in, is $150–$650. A bid that says the cost to repair an air conditioner and a bid that says AC repair cost are the same dollars when the part, the house, and the labor match. A price near $70 should say a tune-up, not the repair. A price near $2,000 should say whether the number is a compressor at its top or a fan coil at its top.

A thermostat is typically $150–$350. One hundred fifty is the typical floor. Three hundred fifty is inside the typical band and $300 under the typical top. The whole thermostat row sits inside the typical band. A fan coil is typically $600–$2,000. The overlap with the typical band is $600–$650. Six hundred is $450 above the typical floor. Two thousand is the top of this row and the top of the wider spread. From $600–$650 the coil is inside the typical band and inside this row. From $650–$2,000 the coil has left the typical band and stays inside the wider spread. Six hundred can be a coil at its floor, a recharge at its top, or a common repair inside this band. Two thousand can be a coil at its top or a compressor at its top. Ask which one the bid priced. A repair that leaves the coil alone does not get the coil row.

Two common repairs at the typical top are two jobs. Six hundred fifty plus $650 is $1,300, which is $650 past the typical top, inside the leak row, inside the compressor row, and $700 under the wider top. That $1,300 can be two repairs at the typical top, a leak repair inside its row, or a compressor inside its row. Ask which reading the bid is.

What the range includes

The typical band assumes one common repair on a central air conditioner at a single-family house. The labor is in. The failed part is in. The outdoor unit is reachable. The day is a weekday. The common-repair row, $150–$650, is the band. A tune-up is in the band only from $150 to $200. A service call is in the band only from $150 to $200, and only when that call is the visit. A drain-line flush is in the band only from $150 to $250. A recharge is in the band only from $150 to $600. A circuit board is in the band only from $150 to $650. A capacitor is in the band in full, $200–$400. A contactor is in the band in full, $200–$450. A fan motor is in the band only from $200 to $650. A second repair the visit left out is in the band in full, $150–$450, when it is a line and not a second visit. A leak repair is in the band only from $200 to $650. A thermostat is in the band in full. A fan coil is in the band only from $600 to $650. A compressor is not in the band. A new air conditioner and a matched furnace and air conditioner are not in the band.

How long the work takes depends on the part and the access, and the bid’s schedule is the one that counts. A common repair is often the same day. The hours are a way to read that visit. They are not a second clock on a price that was already the repair. The next year’s tune-up is not in this price. How long an air conditioner lasts is not a number on this page.

The floor of the wider spread, $70, is a tune-up. It is not a common repair someone discounted. The top, $2,000, is the top of a compressor and the top of a fan coil. It is not the common-repair row plus every add-on. Six hundred fifty plus $450 for a second repair is $1,100, not $2,000. Six hundred fifty plus $650 for a second repair at the typical top is $1,300, not $2,000. A number above $2,000 should name a new air conditioner, a condenser past this page, or a coil that cleared the row. Ask which one.

None of the bands include a service call on a repair the bid already priced, except where that call is the visit itself. The service-call line is $75–$200. Seventy-five is $5 above the wider floor and $75 under the typical floor. Two hundred is inside the typical band. An installed price does not get this row.

None of the bands include a tune-up on a repair that already happened, except where the tune-up is the visit. The tune-up line is $70–$200. Seventy dollars is the wider floor. The overlap with the typical band is $150–$200. A repair that leaves the yearly check for another day does not get this row. A check that finds a failed part is the repair, not the check plus the repair, unless the bid left the part out.

None of the bands include a capacitor the visit left out, except as the capacitor guide, typically $200–$400. That whole band sits inside this typical band. A repair that already changed the capacitor does not get this row. A shelf capacitor is that guide’s part row, not this page.

None of the bands include a fan motor the visit left out, except as its own row, typically $200–$700. The overlap with the typical band is $200–$650. Seven hundred is $50 past the typical top. Six hundred fifty plus $700 is $1,350, inside the leak row and $650 under the wider top, only when the common repair left the motor out. A repair that leaves the motor alone does not get the motor row.

None of the bands include a compressor, typically $750–$2,000. Seven hundred fifty is $100 past the typical top. Two thousand is the wider top. A common repair that leaves the compressor alone does not get this row. A compressor bid that already includes the labor does not get $150–$650 on top.

None of the bands include a new air conditioner, which is the central air guide, often $5,500–$9,500 for a typical split system when the ducts stay, inside a wider spread of about $4,000–$14,000. Four thousand is the floor of that wider spread. One hundred fifty plus $5,500 is $5,650, inside that guide’s typical band. Six hundred fifty plus $5,500 is $6,150, inside that guide’s typical band. That sum is a repair plus a new air conditioner. A system the bid is already replacing does not get this page on top. The new unit brings its own parts.

None of the bands include a matched furnace and air conditioner, which is the AC and furnace guide, often $7,000–$14,000 on existing ducts, inside a wider spread of about $5,500–$28,000. Seven thousand is the floor of that typical band. One hundred fifty plus $7,000 is $7,150, inside that guide’s typical band. Six hundred fifty plus $7,000 is $7,650, inside that guide’s typical band. A pair that already includes the outdoor unit does not get this page on top.

The band is the repair price. A coupon on the visit is not subtracted. Read the form before you take a number off the bid. A credit you have not received is not inside the planning range. This page does not price a coupon, and it does not name a percentage of the cost that comes back at resale.

Warranties are part of the contract, and this page is not a reading of one company’s form. A repair warranty commonly splits the part from the labor. Read it. The warranty is not a dollar line in the planning range.

A standard homeowners policy is built around sudden and accidental damage. A part that wore out is the kind of repair those policies commonly leave with the owner. A storm that damages the outdoor unit, when the form responds to it, is a different question from a part you are replacing. Read the form before you treat the policy as the budget. The $150–$650 band is not an insurance estimate. A home warranty is a different contract. Neither one is inside the planning range.

A permit the city requires is a line on that bid. This page does not price a city’s fee on top of a complete repair price. A permit the proposal already includes is not a second permit.

As a cross-check, not a bid: one common repair, labor in, is $150–$650, the typical band. A tune-up is $70–$200. A refrigerant leak repair is $200–$1,500. A compressor is $750–$2,000. A capacitor is $200–$400. A fan motor is $200–$700. If a bid and that reading are far apart, the bid is a different part, a leak, a compressor, a fan coil, or a new system.

What moves the price

Driver	How it changes the bid
The visit	One common repair, labor in, is $150–$650, the typical band. A tune-up is $70–$200, and the typical band includes that row only from $150 to $200. A leak repair is $200–$1,500, and the typical band includes that row only from $200 to $650. A compressor is $750–$2,000 and sits above the typical band. The visit picks the row. It is not a second bill.
The part	A capacitor is $200–$400. A contactor is $200–$450. A fan motor is $200–$700. A circuit board is $150–$700. The part reads one repair. It is not added on top of a visit that already includes it. Seven hundred can be a fan motor or a circuit board at its top.
The trip	A service call the bid leaves out is $75–$200. Seventy-five is $5 above the wider floor. A completed price of $150–$650 already holds the trip. One hundred fifty plus $75 is $225 only when the $150 left the trip out.
A second repair	A second repair the visit left out is $150–$450. One hundred fifty plus $450 is $600. Six hundred fifty plus $450 is $1,100, inside the leak row and $900 under the wider top. A visit that already fixed the part does not get this row.
The refrigerant	A recharge that is not the leak repair is $100–$600. A leak repair is $200–$1,500. One thousand five hundred is $500 under the wider top. A leak price that already includes the refrigerant does not get the recharge row.
The drain	A drain-line flush is $75–$250. The typical band includes that row only from $150 to $250. A repair that leaves the drain alone does not get that row.
The compressor	A compressor is $750–$2,000. Seven hundred fifty is $100 past the typical top. Two thousand is the wider top. A visit that leaves the compressor alone does not get that row.
The coil and the thermostat	A thermostat is $150–$350, inside the typical band. A fan coil is $600–$2,000, and the typical band includes that row only from $600 to $650. Two thousand can be the coil or the compressor at its top.
The new system	A new air conditioner is $5,500–$9,500 on the central air guide, inside a wider spread of about $4,000–$14,000. A matched pair is $7,000–$14,000 on the AC and furnace guide. A system the bid is replacing does not get this page on top.
Access	An outdoor unit the technician can reach on a weekday is the visit this page prices. A roof unit, a tight side yard, a high-cost metro, and a second trip can clear the top of the typical band on a one-part job.

The failed part is the first cut, and it is not a rate you add to itself. A contactor at $300, a capacitor at $300, and a common repair at $300 can share those dollars. They are not the same part three times. Three hundred is inside the capacitor row, inside the contactor row, inside the fan-motor row, inside the circuit-board row, and inside the typical band. Ask which part is in the price.

The labor is the second cut. A visit at $200 and a service call at $200 can share those dollars. One is the typical band. One is the service-call top, or a tune-up at its top. The higher number is not a typical visit that someone misread as a second part.

The same one-part repair in a lower-cost area and in a high-labor city can sit at opposite ends of $150–$650 without either bid being wrong. Ask whether the price is the part, the labor, or both, and ask whether a leak, a second part, or the compressor is in. Central air replacement, a capacitor, and a matched furnace and air conditioner are the projects that meet this unit and are not the common repair. Price them on their own pages. Two bids that disagree about the part, the labor, and whether the compressor is included are not the same job.

DIY or hire

Hire the repair. Refrigerant handling needs an EPA certification. A capacitor stores a charge after the power is off. A contactor and a fan motor are live electrical parts. The disconnect, the match to the unit, and the refrigerant are the job. A weekend swap is where those three get missed.

A part on a shelf is a different product. The capacitor, installed, is $200–$400 on the capacitor guide. That number is the installed capacitor, not a boxed part, and it is not every repair on this page. On the one pro visit, the common repair is $150–$650. That is the failed part and the labor together.

Do not treat a boxed part as the visit. If the outdoor unit still has to be opened, you are pricing a technician’s job without the technician. The person who makes the repair should say what happens if the compressor is the part that failed.

Repair or replace

Repair the air conditioner when the system is young and the compressor is sound. That job is the typical band, $650 at the top and $150 at the floor, when the method is that visit. A quote near $70 should say a tune-up, not a technician replacing a part. A quote near $150 should say whether the labor and the part are both in. A quote near $650 can be a common repair at its top, a leak repair inside its overlap, a fan motor inside its row, or a circuit board inside its row. Ask which reading the bid is.

Price a tune-up on $70–$200. Price a leak repair on $200–$1,500. Price a compressor on $750–$2,000, and do not read that compressor as the common-repair band with a different name. Do not read a new air conditioner as the repair band with a different name.

Send a failed compressor on a system that is being replaced, or an air conditioner that is being replaced, to the central air guide, typically $5,500–$9,500 when the ducts stay. Send a capacitor that is the only failed part to the capacitor guide, typically $200–$400. Send a furnace and an air conditioner that both have to come out to the AC and furnace guide, typically $7,000–$14,000. If the same season includes any of those, they are separate scopes. Do not fold them into the repair price.

How long an air conditioner lasts is not a number on this page. A one-part repair is not a warranty that the compressor will keep running. A new system is not a warranty that a part will never fail again. The bid’s scope is the work you bought.

How to use this number

Ask two or three HVAC companies for a written price that names the failed part, whether the price is a lump sum, whether the part and the labor are both included, whether the service call is already inside the price, and what happens if the compressor is the part that failed. Compare one common repair, labor in, with $150–$650. Compare a tune-up with $70–$200, a leak repair with $200–$1,500, and a compressor with $750–$2,000. Keep the part and the labor inside those rows. Put a left-out service call at $75–$200, a second repair at $150–$450, and a capacitor at $200–$400, on their own lines.

A very low bid on one installed repair is a reason to ask whether the labor and the part are included, not a reason to celebrate. A quote near $70 should say a tune-up, not a technician. A quote near $150 should say whether the labor is in. A high bid should point at a leak, a compressor, a fan coil, a roof unit, or the labor market. Two or three local bids on the same part, the same unit, and the same house are the number that matters. How this site sets the band is explained on the methodology page.