Heating and cooling (HVAC): what owners spent in 2021–2023
The typical U.S. owner paid $5,500 for heating and cooling (HVAC) work; across 15 big metros the typical job ran $4,000 to $8,440.
What owners paid
$5,500
The typical (median) U.S. job: half of owners paid less, half paid more.
The Census table gives no margin of error for the national figure.
Lowest big metro, $4,000: Detroit. Highest, $8,440: Boston.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Housing Survey 2023, the latest release: work owners did in about 2021–2023. Checked .
What owners paid in each big metro
The typical (median) job in each of the survey's 15 metro areas, highest first. The margin of error is the Census Bureau's 90% range around each median.
- Boston$8,440
- Phoenix$8,000
- San Francisco$7,501
- Los Angeles$7,500
- Riverside$7,500
- Seattle$7,500
- Washington DC$7,000
- Dallas$6,000
- Houston$6,000
- Philadelphia$6,000
- New York City$5,800
- Atlanta$5,200
- Miami$5,000
- Chicago$4,023
- Detroit$4,000
What these figures cover: Heating, cooling and ventilation equipment, added or replaced, every system size together.
The figures as a table, with margins of error
Scroll the table sideways to see every column on a small screen.
| Metro area | Typical job (median) | Margin of error (90% confidence) |
|---|---|---|
| Boston | $8,440 | ±$1,453 |
| Phoenix | $8,000 | ±$834 |
| San Francisco | $7,501 | ±$1,796 |
| Los Angeles | $7,500 | ±$1,013 |
| Riverside | $7,500 | ±$885 |
| Seattle | $7,500 | ±$1,222 |
| Washington DC | $7,000 | ±$925 |
| Dallas | $6,000 | ±$950 |
| Houston | $6,000 | ±$879 |
| Philadelphia | $6,000 | ±$382 |
| New York City | $5,800 | ±$1,470 |
| Atlanta | $5,200 | ±$759 |
| Miami | $5,000 | ±$502 |
| Chicago | $4,023 | ±$729 |
| Detroit | $4,000 | ±$306 |
Source: Census Bureau and HUD, 2023 American Housing Survey, Table 16, category “HVAC” under “Interior Additions and Replacements”. Updated 2026-09-19. The metro values and margins of error use the survey's metropolitan areas, not city limits. A metro with no published figure stays blank; we never fill it in from its neighbors.
Why do cost guides disagree?
They measure different things. An estimate prices one defined job at today's rates; these figures are what owners actually paid, across every size and kind of job in the category. A full job on a large house can sit well above the typical figure, and a small one well below it. Your own quotes, compared line by line, are the price that counts.
Put your quotes side by side in the quote worksheet.
Before you compare quotes
If a quote is well above the typical $5,500, ask what is in it that the typical job is not. Compare equipment models, capacity and sizing basis, efficiency, ducts, electrical work, commissioning and warranty.