Nationally, homeowner-reported AC repair quotes run from about $310 for a capacitor to about $3,000 for a compressor, so the diagnosis decides the bill.
Prices: HVACPro analysis of 62 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.
| Job | Median | Middle half | Reports (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic or service-call fee | $190 | $100 to $290 | 62 |
| Capacitor | $310 | $220 to $400 | 26 |
| Condensate drain line or pump | $600 | $440 to $1,000 | 15 |
| Control board | $930 | $700 to $1,700 | 29 |
| Outdoor fan motor | $1,200 | $610 to $1,600 | 13 |
| Blower motor | $1,400 | $800 to $2,200 | 33 |
| Expansion valve (TXV) | $1,900 | $1,180 to $2,500 | 17 |
| Refrigerant recharge | $690 | $460 to $1,200 | 48 |
| Refrigerant leak repair | $1,320 | $800 to $3,000 | 32 |
| Evaporator coil | $3,000 | $2,000 to $4,500 | 57 |
| Compressor | $3,000 | $1,900 to $4,000 | 43 |
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by Bingqian Li via Pexels.
Most AC repair calls end one of two ways. Either a small part failed (a capacitor, a drain line, a control board) or a big one did (a coil, a compressor, a refrigerant leak). The middle half of capacitor jobs homeowners reported ran $220 to $400.
The middle half of evaporator coil jobs ran $2,000 to $4,500. That gap is why the visit that names the failed part matters more than the part.
Ask three things before you approve work: which part failed, whether that part caused the problem or is a result of another failure, and what the total is with labor. ENERGY STAR's checklist of what a technician should cover at a yearly visit is a good yardstick for a repair visit too: electrical connections, moving parts, controls, the condensate drain, both coils and the refrigerant level (ENERGY STAR checklist).
Cooling degree days are a measure of how hard a house works to stay cool, and the ring's climate stations record 3,149 to 3,928 of them a year (NOAA normals). That is the workload the equipment is built to carry, so a failing part shows up fast.
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.
Florida homeowners reported a median $12,000 for a full system (middle half $9,400 to $15,600, 55 reports). Against that, a compressor at $3,000 is 25 percent of a new system, and a capacitor at $310 is 3 percent.
ENERGY STAR suggests considering replacement once an AC or heat pump is more than 10 years old (ENERGY STAR replacement guide). So the age on the outdoor unit's data plate belongs in the decision as much as the quote does.
Share of the Florida full-system median (100 percent would equal the price of a new system)
Source: HVACPro analysis of 55 homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29 (Florida full system). Repair medians are U.S.-wide.
| Repair | Median (U.S.) | Share of a new system | Reports (N) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacitor | $310 | 3% | 26 |
| Thermostat | $580 | 5% | 12 |
| Condensate drain line or pump | $600 | 5% | 15 |
| Refrigerant recharge | $690 | 6% | 48 |
| Control board | $930 | 8% | 29 |
| Outdoor fan motor | $1,200 | 10% | 13 |
| Refrigerant leak repair | $1,320 | 11% | 32 |
| Blower motor | $1,400 | 12% | 33 |
| Expansion valve (TXV) | $1,900 | 16% | 17 |
| Evaporator coil | $3,000 | 25% | 57 |
| Compressor | $3,000 | 25% | 43 |
Five checks cost nothing and cover the first several causes on our troubleshooter: the filter, the thermostat batteries and mode, the breaker, debris around the outdoor unit, and a full drain pan tripping the float switch. Do those before you pay a diagnostic fee.
Stock photo, not our work. Photo by HUUM │sauna heaters via Pexels.
Open
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.
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.
No utility rebate in our data pays for a repair. The programs on file pay for replacement equipment or, in Lakeland, one tune-up a year. If the diagnosis ends in a new system, the AC replacement page lists them.
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 Yusuf Çelik via Pexels.
Both report a median of $3,000, about 25 percent of the Florida median for a full system. Whether that is worth it depends mostly on the age of the rest of the system. ENERGY STAR's threshold for considering replacement is more than 10 years old (ENERGY STAR replacement guide).
Line up three numbers: the repair quote, the Florida median for a full system ($12,000), and the age of the outdoor unit. A repair under a tenth of a new system on a young unit is an easy yes. A repair near a quarter of a new system on a unit past 10 years is where replacement deserves a real quote.
The typical first charge is the diagnostic or service-call fee: a median of $190 across 62 reports, middle half $100 to $290. The repair itself then depends on the part, from a median $310 for a capacitor to $3,000 for an evaporator coil or $3,000 for a compressor. The table above shows each one with its report count.
Look the license number up on the state's DBPR lookup, which shows class and status. Class A and B AC licenses cover installing and repairing, Class C is limited to servicing, and a certified mechanical license (CMC) covers unlimited size (F.S. 489.105). Each ring city page under Local below links to its list of businesses with an active license.
These questions come from the topic clusters below in our research on 2,095 mined questions (Compressor / condenser / coil / motor failures (pro repair): 239; Repair vs. replace, new system, sizing, installation: 94; Repair / service cost and quotes: 23; Choosing / trusting an HVAC contractor: 46). The wording and answers are ours; we do not republish anyone's post.
$190
Diagnostic or service-call fee: median reported price, from 62 homeowner reports
HVACPro analysis of 62 homeowner-reported quotes and invoices in public Reddit posts, 2025-01-01 to 2026-09-29.