Air Conditioner Repair Costs in 2025

Your air conditioner isn’t working or is working poorly. Something’s wrong. So what’s it going to cost you?

If you’re in this situation, you’re not looking for a runaround from a cooling technician. You want pricing and options, right. We’re going to give you average pricing, factors that can affect that pricing, and a handful of other things you should be considering.

This article is intended to get you the info you need without the fluff. It’s part of our business ethos here at CABS, since we always want to be direct and honest with our customers.

Factors That Affect AC Repair Cost

The section below has typical pricing, but we can’t account for a lot of factors that affect different people in the country. Below we’ve listed the biggest ones.

This way, if your bill is perhaps 20% higher than our averages below, you’ll have a sense of why that is, and if it makes sense for you where you live. Not every contractor is reputable, so knowing these factors can help.

1. Cost of Living – this is a big one, since the cost of the same repair in New York City will be a lot more than rural South Dakota. The reason is labor fees and how it relates to cost of living where you are. Labor can be over 50% of the repair cost!
2. Service or Diagnostic Fee – not all companies have this, so it’s important to ask first. Is there a fee just to come out and diagnose the problem, or only for the repair itself? For clarity, a diagnostic fee isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can identify problems that might be too small to notice otherwise, and save you more repair money in the long run.
3. Brand and Model of AC – major AC brands and the companies who service them often have parts in a warehouse or storage unit. However, if it’s a very old or rare brand or model, parts may have to be specially ordered at a premium cost.
4. Refrigerant Type Used – if your refrigerant (sometimes called Freon, even though that’s a specific type of refrigerant) is older, it may be more expensive to replace. This is because as safety and environmental standards have increased in the country, some older refrigerants have been discontinued that were worse for the environment. This makes it more expensive, since there’s less of it now.
5. Emergency Repairs – after-hours or emergency repairs often come with an additional convenience fee. Companies pay more for that on-call or late-hours technicians.
6. Air Conditioner Warranty – particularly if your AC unit is less than 10 years old (sometimes longer), you should be checking the warranty to see if your repair is covered. You may end up paying less or not at all, depending on the stipulations of the warranty.
7. Loyalty Programs – many companies have a loyalty program – such as the CABS Comfort Club – and membership comes with discounts on repairs.

Ok, now let’s look at average costs and typical ranges, which will be affected by the factors mentioned above.

Average Air Conditioner Repair Costs

Ranges vary pretty wildly depending on the exact part and repair procedure. There’s no such thing as an accurate average for all types of AC repair. That said, let’s hone in on some typical types of repairs and show potential costs:

• Air Compressor (Replacement): $1,200-$3,000
• Capacitor (Replacement): $125-$400
• Circuit board $100–$600
• Ductwork cleaning: $250–$1,250
• Ductwork repair $600–$2,500
• Fan Motor (aka Blower Motor): $250-$750
• Hard Start Kits: $125-$300
• Refrigerant leak: $250–$1,500
• Refrigerant recharge: $100–$500
• Thermostat Replacement: $150–$350

This isn’t a comprehensive list, but should start to give you a good idea of what some major issues can be, and how much it’s likely to cost.

What If My AC Is Leaking Water?

Here are some quick steps to take if your air conditioner is leaking water:

1. Turn off the AC immediately. This prevents further risk to the equipment.
2. If you know how to identify your drain pan, check to see if it’s overflowing or has a leak in it.
3. Check your air filter, which can cause backups of moisture if it’s clogged and excessively dirty.
4. Identify the likeliest source of the leak to inform a technician.
5. Call a trusted HVAC contractor to discuss options for diagnosis and possible repair.

How Long Do AC Repairs Take?

Ideally, repairs should happen in a single day, and many won’t take the majority of the day. The only exceptions to this rule are when a part needs to be ordered and won’t arrive the same day. Local suppliers often keep major parts, so this is rare, but not unheard of.

The other time a repair can last longer than a day is when it ends up being a replacement of either a major part, or the entire system. We talk about this a bit more below.

Should I Repair or Replace My Air Conditioner?

Good question. Want to know the answer? Of course you do. Since more than one person is reading this, we can’t give you a single definitive answer. But here’s a handy checklist to help you decide:

1. Is your air conditioner still under warranty? Many repairs will be covered or cheaper.
2. What’s the age of your air conditioner? Anything over 10 years and the calculation for repair vs. replacing starts to favor replacing with all but minor repairs.
3. Use the $5,000 rule (detailed below)
4. Are you happy with the cooling of your home? Does the unit seem to operate less efficiently than it did in prior years even before it needed to be repaired?
5. How much longer are you planning on living in your home? If it’s under five years, repairing might be a better option, whereas longer time periods will allow you to enjoy the benefits of a new system for longer.

Let’s be clear about another thing: HVAC companies want you to replace your air conditioner because they make more money on the installation. It’s tricky, because this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re wrong if they recommend a replacement. You might really be better off than letting an older system operate inefficiently while costing you on repairs.

What this does mean, though, is that you should think through when and why you’ll be willing to replace your system instead of getting it repaired. Discussing options with a contractor who isn’t trying to be pushy about replacing can be valuable, but knowing your own preferences beforehand is the best way to stay prepared.

The $5,000 Rule For Repairing or Replacing an AC Unit

The $5,000 rules for HVAC repairs states that you should multiply the age of your system (in years) by the cost of the repair, and if it’s greater than $5,000, it’s probably better to replace.

This is NOT a hard-and-fast rule that always makes sense. The list above, including warranty expirations and expected time you’ll stay in the home, can change your personal calculation.

However, it’s often used as a general calculation to help homeowners with the decision. It’s great for estimating whether or not you’ll enjoy lower cost of cooling long-term, accounting for efficiency gains in the new system.

Preparing for a Repair vs. Replace Decision

If your repair is more than minor, your cooling technician should probably be talking to you about replacement.

The good news is, it’s entirely your decision. Getting options is never bad. And going through the checklist above and calculating your expected costs can be a great way to prepare for this conversation with your HVAC contractor.

Good companies should also be prepared to give you free quotes on both repairs and replacement. There’s no reason you can’t compare them at your leisure before deciding.

The Importance of Tune-Ups and AC Maintenance

The other piece of advice we would be remiss in not mentioning relates to air conditioner tune-ups.

A typical tune-up will cost you between $50 and $200. Depending on the time of year, many companies will run tune-up specials, while maintenance during peak season can be a lot more expensive.

Either way, though, the cheapest repair is the one you don’t have to make.

That’s where tune-ups come in, because they’re great at preventing the premature breakdowns of parts and systems that cause you to get less efficiency and fewer years out of your system. That small investment each year can literally save you thousands in costs in the years and decades to come.

AC Repair in Sacramento, CA

CABS Heating and Air Conditioning is locally owned and operated here in Sacramento. While this article can be useful to any homeowner looking to repair their AC system, for those in the Sacramento area, we also hope that it’s given you the confidence to talk with a CABS professional about your system options.

We offer free estimates and can give you options for repair, replacement, and also have a thorough tune-up process guaranteed to keep your system running at optimal efficiency, reducing the chance that you’ll need repairs down the line.

If you’re ready to work with Sacramento’s most trusted air conditioner repair specialists, give us a call today!