Cost guide · Greater Boston
How much does heating and cooling work cost in Boston?
Most HVAC projects in Boston run $5,000 – $11,400, with a typical HVAC project around $8,200. Adjust the estimate for your job below. Figures reviewed 2026-07.
Estimated range
$5,000 – $11,400
Typical HVAC project around $8,200
A ballpark from regional averages — not a quote. Your price depends on the specifics of the job, so get written quotes from two or three licensed pros before deciding.
How this estimate works
A ballpark from regional averages — not a quote. Your price depends on the specifics of the job, so get written quotes from two or three licensed pros before deciding.
- Bands are installed prices — equipment, labor, permit — for like-for-like replacement; adding or repairing ductwork, relocating equipment, and oil-to-gas conversions ($12,000–$20,000+) price above them.
- The steam-boiler band is national-sourced; with local HVAC labor running roughly 1.36× the national average, the region's steam jobs tend to land mid-band and up.
- The Mass Save whole-home rebate pays $2,650 per ton up to $8,500 and requires the heat pump to serve as the home's sole or primary heat — a single-zone mini-split usually earns the smaller per-ton amount, not the cap.
- Mass Save's HEAT Loan finances qualifying projects at 0% up to $25,000 — the rebate line here reduces the price; the loan spreads what's left.
- Tune-up pricing spans $89 flat-rate offers to $300 full-service visits; a diagnostic call when something is actually broken runs $85–$220.
Ranges reflect published Greater Boston contractor pricing and regional cost data, last reviewed 2026-07.
What drives the price
What system — and what fuel
Boston's housing stock heats with boilers far more than most of the country, and boilers cost roughly twice what a comparable furnace does to replace. Steam systems — common in the region's pre-war stock — need installers who genuinely know steam, a shrinking pool that shows up in the price.
Tons and zones
Sizing runs about one ton of capacity per 500–600 sq ft, and price follows capacity. On mini-splits the lever is zone count: each zone adds a head, line set, and electrical work, which is why a three-zone system costs more than triple a one-zone — and why an honest installer sizes the system to the house rather than the brochure.
Ductwork and the bones of the house
The same condenser can be a cheap job or an expensive one depending on what it connects to. Sound existing ducts keep a central-AC swap at the low end; leaky or absent ones push the money into sheet metal. That's the calculation that makes ductless mini-splits competitive in the region's older homes.
Rebates change the math in Massachusetts
Mass Save's whole-home heat-pump rebate ($2,650/ton, up to $8,500) and 0% HEAT Loan (to $25,000) can move a heat pump from the expensive option to the competitive one. Compare systems on net price after incentives — and make sure the quote states which rebates the installer is assuming.
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See all 522 hvac contractors in BostonHeating And Cooling Work cost questions, answered
- How much does central air conditioning cost in Boston?
- A central AC replacement runs $5,000–$11,400 installed in the Boston area, with the average landing around $8,150. Tonnage and efficiency tier move the number, but the biggest swing is the ductwork: reusing sound existing ducts keeps you at the low end, while repairing or extending them does not. Homes with no ducts at all should price a mini-split against the cost of adding ductwork.
- How much does a ductless mini-split cost in Boston?
- Zone count dominates: a single-zone system runs $7,000–$9,500 installed, two zones $12,000–$21,000, and three or more zones $24,000–$40,000 — all-in, multi-zone systems work out to roughly $8,000–$10,000 per zone. The jump isn't linear because more zones mean a larger outdoor unit, longer line-set runs, and more electrical work, not just extra heads.
- How much is the Mass Save heat pump rebate in Massachusetts?
- The whole-home rebate pays $2,650 per ton of installed capacity, capped at $8,500, when the heat pump becomes your home's sole or primary heating system. You'll need to follow the program's process — a no-cost home energy assessment first, then an installer working within Mass Save — and the 0% HEAT Loan can finance up to $25,000 of the project on top. On a typical whole-home system the rebate takes thousands off, which changes the comparison against a like-for-like boiler or furnace swap.
- How much does boiler replacement cost in Boston?
- A like-for-like gas boiler swap runs $9,000–$17,000 in the Boston area, typically around $12,000; high-efficiency condensing models run $11,000–$19,000, steam boilers $7,500–$20,000, and oil-to-gas conversions $12,000–$20,000 and up. National articles quoting boiler swaps under $5,000 are averaging in part replacements, not full installs — treat them as a different product.
- How much does an HVAC tune-up cost?
- Annual tune-ups run $89–$300 — flat $89 offers are common in Massachusetts, while a thorough multi-point service on a combustion system lands toward the top. That's maintenance pricing: a diagnostic visit when the system is actually down runs $85–$220 before any repair. On steam and older hydronic systems, the annual visit is the cheapest heating insurance you can buy.