Why this page exists now
This topic sat on our blocked list since the section opened, because only one publisher had a usable guide and we do not build a page on one source. Fixr's new boiler guide is the second, and it is dated. That is the only thing that changed.
The two published ranges
| Source | Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Fixr, January 2026 | $3,000 to $8,500 | $6,100 |
| This Old House, April 2026 | $4,500 to $10,000 | not stated |
$1,500 apart at the bottom and $1,500 apart at the top, our subtraction. Two guides from the same quarter of the same year, and they do not overlap at either end.
Then they size the job, and the gap closes
| Home size | This Old House | Fixr |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 sq ft | $4,000 to $6,000 | $4,000 to $6,500 |
| 1,500 sq ft | $4,500 to $7,000 | $4,500 to $7,000 |
| 2,000 sq ft | $5,000 to $8,000 | $5,100 to $8,000 |
| 2,500 sq ft | $5,500 to $9,000 | $5,500 to $8,800 |
| 3,000 sq ft | $6,000 to $10,000 | $6,000 to $10,000 |
Two of the five rows are identical and the rest sit within $500, our comparison. The 1,500 and 3,000 square foot rows match exactly.
We have learned to be suspicious when two publishers agree this closely, because it usually means they drew on the same upstream data. That is what we found on our evaporator coil page, where both guides disclosed Angi as a source. Here the disclosures point the other way. Fixr states it builds figures from pricing databases, licensed contractors and industry experts. This Old House writes:
Note: We estimated costs based on industry data and market research.
Neither names the other, and neither names a shared aggregator. Our reading, marked as ours: this looks like genuine convergence rather than a shared source, which makes the sized rows the most trustworthy figures on this page. We would plan from the row that matches your house and treat both headline ranges as marketing-width.
The labor figures point the same way. This Old House says labor can add around $2,000. Fixr gives $1,000 to $3,500. The first sits in the middle of the second.
Fuel type is the real lever
Fixr prices the same job by what burns:
| Fuel | Replacement cost |
|---|---|
| Electric | $2,500 to $6,000 |
| Propane | $2,800 to $9,000 |
| Oil | $4,800 to $9,000 |
| Natural gas | $4,000 to $10,000 |
One figure on that page does not match itself. The table gives electric as $2,500 to $6,000; the paragraph immediately below it says electric boilers cost between $2,500 and $6,500. A $500 difference inside one section. We use the table figure and flag the prose, the same way we handled the widget on our evaporator coil page.
Our note, marked as ours: the electric row being cheapest to install is not the same as cheapest to run, and neither guide claims it is. Electricity per unit of heat is usually dearer than gas in most of the US. If you are weighing fuels rather than replacing like for like, the running cost dominates, and our heat pump page covers the electric option that does not simply burn resistance heat.
By boiler type
| Boiler type | Cost |
|---|---|
| Conventional or standard | $2,200 to $7,000 |
| Combination | $2,600 to $10,000 |
| System boiler | $3,000 to $6,500 |
| Condensing, high-efficiency | $4,000 to $11,000 |
All four are Fixr's. The condensing row tops out at $11,000, which is above the top of Fixr's own headline range of $8,500 and above This Old House's $10,000. Our reading: the headline range describes a standard replacement, not the efficient one many people are actually being quoted.
This Old House frames the same split by price point: a basic boiler can cost less than $3,500, while a top-tier high-efficiency model can exceed $8,000 before labor.
The brand table, and why we label it
This Old House publishes equipment costs for thirteen brands, from Bryant at $1,500 to $4,500 to Peerless and Viessman at the top, both reaching $7,100. We are not reproducing all of it, because the page says plainly what it is:
Most boiler manufacturers and installation companies don't publish pricing data online. However, based on our industry research, we estimated typical [costs]
That is an estimate of a price, not a price, and the guide deserves credit for saying so. Treat those rows as a rough ordering of brands, not as quotes.
What else lands on the bill
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permits | $50 to $300 | Fixr |
| Converting fuel type, piping or gas line work | $500 to $2,500 | Fixr |
| Annual service afterwards | $200 to $500 | Fixr |
This Old House adds the incentive: an ENERGY STAR certified gas boiler at 95% AFUE or better can qualify for a federal tax credit of 30% of project costs, up to a maximum of $600.
Our arithmetic, marked as ours. On the $6,100 average, 30% would be $1,830, so the $600 cap binds long before the percentage does. On any real boiler job the credit is effectively a flat $600, and it is worth asking whether the efficiency upgrade that qualifies costs more than $600 extra.
Repair or replace
Fixr states it directly: boiler repair costs an average of around $450, a full replacement an average of $6,100.
Our arithmetic. That makes the average repair about one fourteenth of the average replacement. The ratio is far more favourable than on the cooling side, where our AC compressor page found that a single repair can run a third of a new system. Our boiler repair page has what the individual faults cost and where the ratio stops holding.
Before you get quotes
- Give them your square footage and ask for the sized figure, not the national range. That is where both publishers agree.
- Ask whether the quote is for a condensing boiler. At $4,000 to $11,000 it is a different product from a standard unit at $2,200 to $7,000.
- Ask what the labor line is. $1,000 to $3,500 is a wide band for the same work.
- Ask about the AFUE rating before the brand. At 95% or better the $600 federal credit is in play.
- Ask what the boiler will be feeding. Radiators and heated floors are different loads, and our radiant floor heating page prices the floor half separately.
- Ask whether a furnace is even an option here. Usually it is not, and our furnace vs boiler page explains why the distribution system, not the machine, decides. If you are weighing fuels rather than machines, our propane and oil pages price the two that need a tank.
- If you are changing fuel, add $500 to $2,500 for the pipework before you compare the two quotes.
- Ask what the annual service will cost. At $200 to $500 a year it is a real part of the lifetime cost, and our maintenance page covers how those contracts are priced.
Sources
- Fixr, How Much Does a New Boiler Cost?, updated January 28, 2026 (the $3,000 to $8,500 range, the $6,100 average, costs by fuel type, boiler type and home size, labor, permits, annual service, the repair-or-replace comparison)
- This Old House, How Much Does Boiler Replacement Cost?, updated April 2, 2026 (the $4,500 to $10,000 range, the equipment cost by home size, the estimated brand table, labor, the federal tax credit, and its note on how the figures were derived)
Price figures are national US ranges from the sources above as of the date shown. Your local price depends on labor rates, permits and site conditions. Read how we get our numbers.