FurnaceTallyInput BTU, output BTU, and the gap nobody explains.

How much does a 90% AFUE furnace replacement cost in Denver, CO?

A 90% AFUE furnace replacement in Denver, CO
$5,506
condensing, so it needs PVC venting and a condensate drain · typical range $4,235 – $7,412
Typical totalinstalled, 90 afue$5,506
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$4,235 – $7,412
Labor portion40% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$2,202
Material portion60% — bought at national prices$3,304
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay near Denverabout $36/hr · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro$74,310/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 49-9021$64,780/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +14.7% against the U.S. mean+$306
Design temperatures96°F summer and -4°F winter at Denver 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 90% AFUE furnace replacement is $5,200 installed — gas furnace replacement pricing published for 2026. Labor is about 40% of that. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers near Denver, CO average $74,310 a year against a U.S. mean of $64,780 — a factor of 1.147 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 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. 96°F summer and -4°F winter at Denver 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 furnace, removal and disposal of the old one, a new flue or vent kit, gas and electrical connections, a thermostat, permit and labor.
  • What is not: ductwork changes, a chimney liner where an 80% unit is orphaned by a water heater, and any return-air work the new blower needs. These are the lines that turn a $5,506 quote into a $6,882 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 national average for the job.

a 90% AFUE furnace replacement in Denver, CO

$5,506 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $4,235 and $7,412.

That is $306 more than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 40% of this job is labor — $2,202 of the $5,506 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 Denver average $74,310 a year, against a U.S. mean of $64,780. That is a factor of 1.147, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 for the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 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 $5,506 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 $4,235 – $7,412, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

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