Central AC Installation Cost by City (2026)

Nationally, homeowners pay about $6,000 to install central air conditioning, ranging from $3,500 to $12,000. Prices swing with local labor and materials — pick your city for a localized estimate.

Low end$3,500

Average$6,000

High end$12,000

Central AC Installation cost by city

New York, NY$8,400 San Francisco, CA$8,700 San Jose, CA$8,500 Los Angeles, CA$7,800 San Diego, CA$7,700 Oakland, CA$8,100 Sacramento, CA$7,100 Fresno, CA$6,300 Seattle, WA$7,800 Spokane, WA$6,100 Portland, OR$7,100 Boston, MA$7,900 Providence, RI$6,800 Hartford, CT$6,700 Newark, NJ$7,300 Jersey City, NJ$7,400 Philadelphia, PA$6,700 Pittsburgh, PA$5,900 Washington, DC$7,700 Baltimore, MD$6,600 Richmond, VA$6,100 Virginia Beach, VA$6,000 Chicago, IL$7,100 Minneapolis, MN$6,700 Milwaukee, WI$6,100 Detroit, MI$6,000 Columbus, OH$5,900 Cleveland, OH$5,800 Cincinnati, OH$5,800 Indianapolis, IN$5,700 Kansas City, MO$5,800 St. Louis, MO$5,700 Denver, CO$6,900 Colorado Springs, CO$6,300 Salt Lake City, UT$6,200 Boise, ID$6,100 Las Vegas, NV$6,300 Reno, NV$6,500 Phoenix, AZ$6,100 Tucson, AZ$5,700 Albuquerque, NM$5,500 Austin, TX$6,500 Dallas, TX$6,100 Fort Worth, TX$6,000 Houston, TX$6,000 San Antonio, TX$5,700 El Paso, TX$5,300 Oklahoma City, OK$5,400 Tulsa, OK$5,300 Atlanta, GA$6,100 Charlotte, NC$6,000 Raleigh, NC$6,000 Greensboro, NC$5,600 Nashville, TN$6,200 Memphis, TN$5,400 Knoxville, TN$5,500 Chattanooga, TN$5,400 Louisville, KY$5,600 Birmingham, AL$5,300 Jacksonville, FL$5,900 Orlando, FL$6,000 Tampa, FL$6,000 Miami, FL$6,800 New Orleans, LA$5,900 Baton Rouge, LA$5,400 Little Rock, AR$5,300 Wichita, KS$5,300 Omaha, NE$5,600 Des Moines, IA$5,600 Buffalo, NY$5,900 Rochester, NY$5,800 Honolulu, HI$9,000 Toledo, OH$5,600 Akron, OH$5,800 Dayton, OH$5,900 Youngstown, OH$5,400 Fort Wayne, IN$5,500 Evansville, IN$5,400 South Bend, IN$5,500 Grand Rapids, MI$5,900 Ann Arbor, MI$6,500 Lansing, MI$5,600 Flint, MI$5,500 Madison, WI$6,100 Green Bay, WI$5,800 Lincoln, NE$5,500 Sioux Falls, SD$5,600 Fargo, ND$5,800 Springfield, MO$5,400 Columbia, MO$5,600 Topeka, KS$5,300 Cedar Rapids, IA$5,600 St. Paul, MN$6,600 Rochester, MN$6,000 Peoria, IL$5,500 Springfield, IL$5,500 Rockford, IL$5,600 Naperville, IL$6,700 Fort Collins, CO$6,500 Aurora, CO$6,600 Provo, UT$6,000 Ogden, UT$5,900 Billings, MT$5,900 Cheyenne, WY$5,800 Eugene, OR$6,500 Salem, OR$6,100 Bend, OR$6,600 Tacoma, WA$6,900 Bellevue, WA$8,100 Vancouver, WA$6,600 Chandler, AZ$6,100 Mesa, AZ$6,000 Scottsdale, AZ$6,600 Gilbert, AZ$6,200 Henderson, NV$6,400 Santa Fe, NM$6,000 Las Cruces, NM$5,400 Arlington, TX$6,000 Plano, TX$6,300 Frisco, TX$6,500 Corpus Christi, TX$5,500 Lubbock, TX$5,400 Amarillo, TX$5,400 Waco, TX$5,400 McAllen, TX$5,300 Savannah, GA$5,800 Augusta, GA$5,500 Athens, GA$5,600 Durham, NC$6,000 Winston-Salem, NC$5,600 Fayetteville, NC$5,500 Asheville, NC$6,100 Cary, NC$6,100 Columbia, SC$5,600 Charleston, SC$6,100 Greenville, SC$5,700 Huntsville, AL$5,500 Montgomery, AL$5,300 Mobile, AL$5,400 Jackson, MS$5,200 Shreveport, LA$5,400 Lafayette, LA$5,500 Fort Lauderdale, FL$6,700 St. Petersburg, FL$6,100 Tallahassee, FL$5,800 Fort Myers, FL$6,100 Sarasota, FL$6,300 Cape Coral, FL$6,000 West Palm Beach, FL$6,700 Clarksville, TN$5,500 Murfreesboro, TN$5,900 Lexington, KY$5,600 Norfolk, VA$6,000 Chesapeake, VA$6,000 Roanoke, VA$5,600 Frederick, MD$6,600 Wilmington, DE$6,300 Erie, PA$5,500 Reading, PA$5,800 Scranton, PA$5,600 Lancaster, PA$5,900 Allentown, PA$5,900 Trenton, NJ$6,600 Edison, NJ$7,200 Paterson, NJ$7,100 Camden, NJ$6,300 Yonkers, NY$8,100 Syracuse, NY$5,800 Albany, NY$6,100 Bridgeport, CT$6,900 New Haven, CT$6,700 Stamford, CT$8,100 Worcester, MA$6,900 Springfield, MA$6,300 Cambridge, MA$8,100 Manchester, NH$6,500 Portland, ME$6,500 Burlington, VT$6,600 Warwick, RI$6,600

What affects central ac installation cost

System size (tonnage) and SEER rating
Existing vs. new ductwork
Home square footage
Brand and line-set routing