Mini Split Installation Cost Calculator, Breakdown and Savings

This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. My recommendations are based on my research, expertise and experience.

The cost to purchase a mini split primarily depends on the brand and the energy efficiency (SEER rating). Japanese brands are usually more expensive while newer brands or dealers will sell at a very low margin. And, the higher the SEER rating, the higher the price.

On average, most mini split systems cost around 0.45 US dollar per BTU of cooling capacity. Meaning, if you need a 36k BTU system (regardless how many head units), you’ll likely see around $16k being quoted by many contractors.

If you already knew what size mini split you need and the quantity, you can estimate the total purchase + installation cost you’re likely to be quoted for using the below calculator.

Despite there are countless combination of mini split system sizes, house sizes and the quoted prices, I found a pattern; that is most mini split systems cost around 0.45 US dollar per BTU of cooling capacity. So, if you need a 36k BTU system (regardless how many head units), you’ll likely see around $16k being quoted by contractors.

Most contractors carry reputable brands like Daikin, Mitsubishi and Fujitsu. So, for 0.45 US$/BTU, you’ll get a good quality system that lasts you decades. Warranty from these brands are usually at least 8 years and up to 12 years – compressor and parts.

That said, I only based on limited data and the calculations are averaged out.

Naturally, the cost per BTU is higher if your system size is smaller. After all, whether you’re installing a 9k BTU or a 48k BTU system, the contractors still have to travel to your house, pay for the office rent, salary and etc. (the minimum cost per installation is there).

As your system size increases, contractors can afford to reduce their profit margin %. Hence, we see a reducing trend in the chart I plotted below:

The above is mini split cost/BTU against system size. The x-axis is the rated cooling capacity of mini splits expressed in BTU and the y-axis is the US$/BTU.

As you can see, the smaller the system size, the higher the cost/BTU. Meaning, getting a 9k BTU unit will feel a lot more expensive than a 24k BTU unit.

Mini Split Installation Cost Breakdown

Now, let me use one example and breakdown the cost structure to you. Assume the following:

The above calculation is given that the contractor is capable of installing a head unit within 4 hours and complete the 2-unit installation job in a day. Otherwise, the price will be higher.

So, it really depends on the competitiveness of the contractor and the complexity of the installation. If electrical is not involved, then it’ll be cheaper. If the piping between indoor and outdoor units is short, then it’ll also be less expensive.

Therefore, deciding where to put the mini split system can directly impact your installation cost.

Another item which you can opt out is the cover for the lineset. If you put the mini split at a strategic location, you might get away with having exposed linesets while looking not too bad.

Mini Split Online Selling Price

The total cost of installing a mini split system is also affected by what brand you use and the energy efficiency rating (SEER rating). Some brands are plain more expensive while others with higher SEER rating are sold at a higher price as well.

Below chart compares the online selling price against different tier of brands and SEER rating, grouped by the standard 9k, 12k, 18k and 24k BTU:

As you can see, Mitsubishi is the most expensive among other mini split brands. Within the same brand, higher SEER lead to higher selling price which is totally understandable.

ROVSUN is one of the few cheapest mini splits on the market now. Their 9000 BTU model is just $399.99!

C&H (Cooper&Hunter) consider as the standard online mini split. Among others are SENVILLE and PIONEER. They have been selling mini splits for years now compared to some of the ultra cheap new brands (or should I say dealers/resellers).

Many of the super cheap mini splits (below $500) are in fact OEM made by the same factory, mostly in China. So, it’s all about the price, service and responsiveness of the seller.

On the other end, we have the reputable brands like Daikin and Mitsubishi. Naturally, their selling price is higher than the standard online mini split. They don’t really sell their good units online. Mostly are outdated models.

International brands like to run the authorized dealership business model.

Basically, they have a bunch of high-quality contractors to help them sell and install. These contractors must undergo the brand’s standard training procedure and obtain a license/certificate that usually needs to be renewed every 1/3/5 years.

So, hiring an authorized contractor to help with the installation is beneficial. Not only the quality is assured but the after-sales service, spare part availability and warranty procedure are all being taken care of.

Of course, you have to pay more to get the good stuff.

Nonetheless, buying online and DIY installing the mini split is very tempting because the cost difference is huge! From my research, I found that the cost per BTU for DIY installers is as low as 0.15 US$/BTU. That’s a third of the cost of hiring a contractor.

For the 2 nos. of 12k BTU mini splits, DIY installation only cost you about $3.6k. $2.4k for the units and $1.2k for installation tools and materials. Compared to the $10k quoted by contractors, you can save over $6k.

Of course, we excluded the time cost of spending 8-10 hours figuring out how to install one mini split.

Mini Split Operating Cost

Apart from the cost of getting a mini split, you might also want to know about the cost of running a mini split. That way you can calculate your return on investment.

The operating cost of a mini split is primarily dictates by its SEER rating. The higher the SEER number, the greater the energy efficiency and thus, the lower the operating cost.

The operating cost of a mini split system can be estimated using the SEER formula as follows:

Operating Cost = (BTU/SEER) x (Operating Hour/1000) x Cost/kWh

For example, assume 24 hours operation and 90 days operation per year. The yearly operating hour is 2160 hours. Given the mini split cooling capacity is 12k BTU and the SEER rating is 20 SEER, the yearly operating cost based on an electricity rate of 0.14 $/kWh is:

Operating Cost = (BTU/SEER) x (Operating Hour/1000) x Cost/kWh
Operating Cost = (12000/20) x (2160/1000) x 0.14
Operating Cost = $181.44 per year

As you can see, even with the same SEER rating, the higher the cooling capacity, the higher the operating cost.

Below is a visual representation of the yearly operating cost of the 3 different tiers of Daikin mini split based on 2160 yearly operating hour at 0.14 $/kWh:

In conclusion, higher SEER mini splits are cheaper to operate. But, they are more expensive to purchase. Comparing the operating cost between two different SEER ratings will give you a better idea.

Mini Split Maintenance Cost

The maintenance of mini split systems are very easy. Basically, it cost you nothing to keep the system running. The typical maintenance work is as follows:

• Clean the air filter once every 1-2 months
• Clean the cooling coil once every year
• Maybe top up some gas every 5 years

Most people can do the work by themselves except the gas top up. Filter cleaning is very basic. And, if you feel like doing, you can absolutely clean the cooling coil with chemical you can buy from Amazon easily.

Hiring a professional to help you with the cleaning work is about $100 per coil unit. Per coil unit means if you have a single-zone mini split, then the cleaning fee is $200 because it has an indoor coil and outdoor coil to clean.

Mini Split Repair Cost

The repair cost of refrigerant leak in a mini split system is typically $500-$1000 depending on how much time is needed to find the leak. In some places, the repair fee is insanely high.

So, if your installation cost is low or your system size is small, repairing the system may not worth it. The good news is refrigerant leak usually happens at the piping. So, installing a new piping will resolve the issue.

If the leak is within the unit itself. Meaning the coil leaks. Then, hopefully it is still under warranty. Otherwise, it is almost impossible (not economically viable) to repair coil leaks. A new unit is needed.

A well-installed mini split normally doesn’t cause any problem for decades, especially problems related to workmanship like refrigerant gas leakage.

One thing that might worth replacing is the PCB or electronic control board. These PCBs can sometimes burn due to power surge or insect going inside and short the board which all has nothing to do with the quality of the mini split nor the workmanship.

If it is unfortunate that this happens, a PCB board cost about $200-300 to purchase and the replacement is easy enough to do it by yourself.