Should you repair or replace your AC?

How do you weigh a repair against a replacement?

Start with what you will spend over the next few years, not just this week. A repair that costs less today can still be the more expensive choice if the system needs another one next summer. A replacement costs far more up front, but new equipment usually comes with a new warranty and needs fewer repairs in its first years.

Most AC problems can be repaired, so the real question is whether this repair makes the system worth keeping.

What do common AC repairs cost in Georgia?

These are estimates from what Georgia HVAC companies publish, not quotes, and we do not name any company. A service call fee, which pays for the visit and the diagnosis, typically runs $70 to $90+. A refrigerant leak repair typically runs $430 to $850+. Replacing the compressor, usually the costliest part of the outdoor unit, typically runs $1,600 to $2,300+.

A leak means refrigerant is escaping, and adding more without finding the leak only buys time, because the level will fall again. A failed compressor is a bigger repair on a part that does the hardest work in the system. See what moves the price of an AC repair.

When does a repair stop making sense?

No single sign decides it. These are the ones to weigh.

• Age: An older system has more parts near the end of their life. If one major part has just failed, others may follow.
• Repairs that keep coming back: A repair every season or two is a pattern, and each one adds to what you have already spent.
• The quote next to a new system: When one repair gets close to the price of a replacement, get a replacement quote before you decide.
• Comfort and power bills: Rooms that never cool, loud running or bills that keep climbing can point to a system that is wearing out, even when each repair looks small.
• Your plans for the house: If you expect to stay for many years, you get more years of use from a new system. If you plan to sell soon, a repair may fit better.

Age alone is not a reason to replace a system that runs well. A well-kept older unit with a modest repair can be a sound choice.

What does a replacement cost?

An AC unit installation is estimated at $4,750 to $8,500+. A full system replacement, which usually changes the outdoor and indoor equipment together, is estimated at $6,850 to $10,400+. Replacing only the AC usually leaves the furnace or air handler in place, and the new unit has to work with it. Ask the company whether the pieces are a good match, or whether replacing both makes more sense.

Size, efficiency level, the condition of your ducts and what the quote includes all move these ranges. See what goes into a replacement price. Seeing a replacement quote does not commit you to a replacement, and it gives you something to hold the repair price up against.

What should you ask before you decide?

• What exactly failed, and can you show me?
• Is the repair a flat price, or based on time and parts?
• Does the repair come with a warranty on the part and on the labor?
• If it is a leak, are you finding and fixing it, or only adding refrigerant?
• What would a replacement cost, in writing, with the equipment and everything it includes listed?
• If I hire you, is the service call fee taken off the bill?

Ask for the repair quote and the replacement quote together, even if you expect to repair, so you can compare them side by side.

Prices mentioned here come from our Georgia HVAC cost ranges, built from the prices and cost guides Georgia HVAC companies publish on their public websites, collected September and October 2026.