TonnageMapHow many tons your house actually needs, and what the swap costs.

How much does a 1.5-ton AC replacement cost in Portland, OR?

A central air conditioner replacement in Portland, OR
$3,956
2 tons · typical range $2,849 – $6,014
Typical total$2,638 per ton$3,956
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$2,849 – $6,014
Labor portion45% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$1,780
Material portion55% — bought at national prices$2,176
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay near Portlandabout $35/hr · Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro$72,700/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 49-9021$64,780/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +12.2% against the U.S. mean+$206
Design temperatures92°F summer and 25°F winter at Portland International Airport — the two numbers a Manual J starts from, and the reason equipment sized for one city is wrong in another—

Notes

  • Where the number comes from. The national price for a central air conditioner replacement is $2,500 per ton — central AC replacement pricing published for 2026, $1,800–$3,800 per ton installed. Labor is about 45% of that. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers near Portland, OR average $72,700 a year against a U.S. mean of $64,780 — a factor of 1.122 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, SOC 49-9021.
  • Why the city matters, not just the state. Trade pay moves inside a state as much as it does between states. Crews do not commute across a state to bid a job, and materials ship at national prices either way — so a metro wage is the honest input here and a state average quietly rounds four different cities into one number.
  • Design temperatures. 92°F summer and 25°F winter at Portland International Airport — the two numbers a Manual J starts from, and the reason equipment sized for one city is wrong in another.
  • What is in the price: the condenser, the matching indoor coil, a new line set where the run allows, refrigerant charge, a pad, electrical connection, permit and labor.
  • What is not: ductwork repair or replacement, a new electrical circuit or panel capacity, asbestos abatement on old duct wrap, and any drywall work. These are the lines that turn a $3,956 quote into a $4,945 invoice, so ask about each one before signing.
  • Use this as a bid check, not a quote. It prices an average job in average condition. Difficult access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a per-unit average.

a central air conditioner replacement in Portland, OR

$3,956 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $2,849 and $6,014.

That is $206 more than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 45% of this job is labor — $1,780 of the $3,956 above. Labor is the only part that moves locally; a bundle of material costs what it costs wherever it is nailed down.

Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers near Portland average $72,700 a year, against a U.S. mean of $64,780. That is a factor of 1.122, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, SOC 49-9021.

What the quote should include

Design temperatures

The lines that turn a quote into an invoice

Ask about each of them before you sign. On a job this size they are the difference between $3,956 and something a quarter higher.

Use it as a bid check, not a quote

This prices an average job in average condition. Access, the state of what is being replaced, the season, and a crew booked out three months all move the real number, and none of them are in a national average.

If a bid lands outside $2,849 – $6,014, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

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