Possibly having to replace a 3.5 ton AC, 10k or more?

depends on the brand and seer

My last unit was 13k for a 17 seer Carrier.

I did a full system replacement a couple months ago with a 17 seer2 two stage 5 ton system, $16k

I paid 6k for a trane xr system. Coils replaced but furnaced not replaced. Goodman is going to be more expensive than name brands right now because they have already switched over to the new standard that starts next year

I had a 4 ton American Standard 14seer condenser, and indoor slab coil changed for $5800

Did not change air handler, did not touch duct work

No duct work being replaced

Basic 3.5T charged outdoor unit plus coil plus new air handler and furnace should start around $4200 not including a day of labor for a two man crew.
Full price is between $5500 and the sky. $6000 is probably rock bottom in February.

Following threads of this sort, it appears to me location has a great deal with pricing, for example in BR prices seem to be much higher, thousands more, than many other locations - why I don’t know, as equipment cost by manufactures-suppliers to HVAC companies I think should be comparable, including labor rates - particularly in the South.

For example, I had a HVAC changeout Feb 2023, Trane XR-14 SEER 2, 4-ton single stage, gas furnace, plus 1 new return duct added (added +$350 to the overall cost - no pun intended with the 350). Cost was $13.5K. I got 4 bids, 3 small companies (1 owner-operator plus a helper), 1 medium size company (multiple employees, several + trucks). All 4 bids were within $1K of each other, and with 3 different manufacturers of HVAC equipment. And the highest price quoted was not the medium size company.

And I had my changeout at a slow time of the year where some claim you get better pricing.

What is the reason for replacing ductwork? Mine is 16 years old, and still looks like it did on day one of use.
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The plastic wrap on mine was tearing and allowing the fiberglass insulation to open up exposing the enclosed duct. The house is 35 years old. Glad we swapped when unit exchange.

Note: I have a 60 year old rental that still has the original hard ducting that is fine.

I recently had this inverter variable system installed and get the 30% tax credit because it's a heat pump system. Much more efficient than standard systems and works beautifully. $2700 for system (inside and outside unit with 10 year warranty) and got lucky finding an indepent installer do the install for $1200! so $3900 installed for a full system then I get 30% back on my taxes.

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