Full-system prices reported by homeowners rise from a median $9,520 at 1.5 tons to $16,300 at 4 tons.
Prices: HVACPro analysis of 588 homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29. Licenses: FL DBPR construction licensee extract (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), retrieved 2026-10-05.
Reported price, U.S. dollars
Source for every price on this page: HVACPro analysis of homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29. Repair figures are U.S.-wide; only rows marked Florida are Florida. The posts do not always say what a price included, and people who post are not a random sample. N is the number of quotes behind each figure.
Reported price, U.S. dollars
Source for every price on this page: HVACPro analysis of homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29. Repair figures are U.S.-wide; only rows marked Florida are Florida. The posts do not always say what a price included, and people who post are not a random sample. N is the number of quotes behind each figure.
| Job | Median | Middle half | Reports (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full system, all sizes, all U.S. reports | $13,650 | $10,000 to $18,500 | 588 |
| Full system, Florida homeowners | $12,000 | $9,400 to $15,600 | 55 |
| Size | Median | Middle half | Reports (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 tons | $9,520 | $9,000 to $10,800 | 16 |
| 2 tons | $11,200 | $8,700 to $15,000 | 55 |
| 2.5 tons | $11,120 | $9,900 to $13,800 | 54 |
| 3 tons | $14,000 | $11,000 to $17,290 | 93 |
| 3.5 tons | $13,050 | $9,900 to $16,710 | 22 |
| 4 tons | $16,300 | $12,900 to $22,000 | 47 |
| 5 tons | $16,000 | $12,800 to $19,250 | 37 |
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by HUUM │sauna heaters via Pexels.
A first-time installation, such as an addition, a converted garage or a house with only window units, has no existing ducts or outdoor pad to reuse. Our price data does not separate new installs from replacements, so read every figure here as a replacement price and treat them as a floor: a first install adds ducts, electrical work and a pad that a changeout may reuse.
Size drives price, and the table below shows it: the reported median rises with tonnage. Read the 3.5-ton row with care. Its median sits below the 3-ton median only because it has 22 reports against 93, and that is sample noise, not a pricing rule.
Sizing itself should come from a Manual J load calculation. ENERGY STAR says a system that is too large or too small struggles to meet your comfort needs, and tells you to ask contractors whether they will measure your home and size the equipment with Manual J (ENERGY STAR heat pumps) (ENERGY STAR hiring tips).
Who may install matters in Florida. A Class A AC contractor is unlimited in size, Class B is limited to 25 tons of cooling and 500,000 Btu of heating in one system, and Class C is limited to servicing (F.S. 489.105). A home system is well inside Class B.
The count of businesses by license class in the ring is below. Permits go with the job: Hillsborough County requires a mechanical permit for installing or replacing an AC (Hillsborough County permits).
Simplified drawing, not to scale. Real systems vary: the indoor unit can sit in an attic or closet, the ducts can run in the attic or under the floor. Original illustration, not a photo.
A 3-ton system, the most-reported size, has a median of $14,000 (middle half $11,000 to $17,290). Ask each bidder for the model numbers, the SEER2 rating and the Manual J result in writing. ENERGY STAR recommends written, itemized estimates so you can compare cost, efficiency and warranty (ENERGY STAR hiring tips).
Installation is not a DIY job. The only checks worth doing first are the ones that tell you an existing system is still savable: filter, breaker, thermostat and a clear outdoor unit.
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by Yusuf Çelik via Pexels.
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Need a licensed HVAC pro in the Tampa Bay outer ring? Call and we'll connect you with a licensed local contractor.
HVACPro is a free referral service for homeowners, not an HVAC company. We don't do the work, and we may be paid by the contractor. Check any contractor's license on the state's lookup before you hire.
Every city below has an A-to-Z list of the businesses with an active Florida HVAC license there. The number on each chip is that count.
Counts: businesses with an active license and a city address in the Tampa Bay outer ring, from FL DBPR construction licensee extract (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), retrieved 2026-10-05. A license says the state permits the work, not that the work is good.
A business with offices in two cities counts in each city's list. The city chips above open each A-to-Z list.
Number of businesses; a business with licenses in several classes counts once, at its highest
Source: FL DBPR construction licensee extract (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), retrieved 2026-10-05; license classes per F.S. 489.105. Registered licenses are valid only where registered.
Source: FL DBPR construction licensee extract (CONSTRUCTIONLICENSE_1.csv), retrieved 2026-10-05. A license says the state permits the work; it says nothing about quality. Check any license on the state's live lookup before you hire. No ratings, rankings or reviews.
The utility programs in our data are replacement-only. Lakeland Electric's says so outright (no new construction), and Tampa Electric's and Duke Energy Florida's are written for replacing an old system.
We found no program for a first-time install. See AC replacement for the programs that apply to a changeout.
Need a licensed HVAC pro in the Tampa Bay outer ring? Call and we'll connect you with a licensed local contractor.
HVACPro is a free referral service for homeowners, not an HVAC company. We don't do the work, and we may be paid by the contractor. Check any contractor's license on the state's lookup before you hire.
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by Alex Domínguez via Pexels.
The right size comes from a Manual J load calculation of your house, not from square footage alone. ENERGY STAR advises asking every bidder whether they will measure your home and size the equipment with Manual J (ENERGY STAR hiring tips). Reported full-system medians rise from $11,200 at 2 tons to $16,300 at 4 tons, but those prices do not tell you which size you need.
Hillsborough County lists installing or replacing an AC as a mechanical permit job (Hillsborough County permits). Other ring counties and cities set their own rules, so ask your contractor which permit applies and confirm it with the building department where you live.
Reported medians: $11,200 at 2 tons (55 reports), $11,120 at 2.5 tons, $14,000 at 3 tons, $16,300 at 4 tons and $16,000 at 5 tons. Those include some heat pump systems and are not limited to Florida.
These questions come from the topic clusters below in our research on 2,095 mined questions (Repair vs. replace, new system, sizing, installation: 94; Repair / service cost and quotes: 23). The wording and answers are ours; we do not republish anyone's post.
$13,650
Full system, all sizes, all U.S. reports: median reported price, from 588 homeowner reports
HVACPro analysis of 588 homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29.