Furnace Replacement Cost in Arlington, TX: 2026 Price Guide

Arlington furnaces sit for most of the year, then get asked to start on the first night a cold front comes through. When one is actually finished, the quotes that show up that week are hard to compare. One is an 80% furnace in the same closet. Another is a 96% furnace with new plastic vents run across the attic. Both say "furnace replacement." They are not the same job.

The dollar figures below come from national cost guides. They are not an Arlington price, and they are not a Boost Air quote. The price you pay depends on the system, the house, and the install.

If you smell gas (a rotten egg odor), stop here. Do not flip switches or use a phone inside. Leave the home and call your gas utility or 911 from outside. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or anyone has a headache, nausea, or dizziness that eases outdoors, get everyone out and call 911.

What national guides say a furnace costs in 2026

For a gas furnace, Angi and HomeAdvisor put most installed replacements between about $3,800 and $10,000. Angi reported a national average around $7,000 for a house in the 1,600 to 2,000 square foot range. High-efficiency models are often quoted higher. Published figures for those sometimes reach about $12,000.

A wider Angi range that mixes every fuel type, including smaller and simpler jobs, sits lower, roughly $2,800 to $6,900, with an average near $4,800. That lower band is why two "average furnace cost" articles disagree. Gas equipment in a North Texas attic is the higher of those conversations more often than the lower one.

An electric furnace is a different piece of equipment and is often quoted lower than gas. Most Arlington houses that already have gas stay with gas. Switching fuels means a flue question, a gas line question, or a panel question, and it should be its own quote.

Use the ranges to spot a bid that is missing half the job. Get your number after someone has looked at the furnace, the flue, and the coil above it.

What the quote should include

A furnace-only replacement on a typical Arlington house includes the furnace, the labor to set it, the vent connection, the gas connection, the electrical, the thermostat setup, haul-away, and the permit. If the evaporator coil sits on top of the furnace, the quote should say whether that coil comes apart and goes back, or whether it is being replaced.

Lines that change the total:

• 80% versus 90% and up. An 80% furnace uses a metal flue. A condensing furnace (about 90% AFUE and higher) uses PVC intake and exhaust and produces water that has to drain. In a hallway closet with a short flue, the 80% job can be straightforward. In an attic, the PVC run and the drain can cost more than the difference in the box.
• Size. Furnaces are sized in BTUs. The old unit's number is not a load calculation. An oversized furnace heats the thermostat and shuts off, then starts again. That is the pattern in furnace short cycling in Arlington. Size it to the house.
• The coil and the air conditioner. If the cooling system is staying, the new furnace still has to fit the coil and move the right air. If the air conditioner is at the end of its life, ask for a second price that replaces both, instead of discovering the coil problem after the furnace is in. AC installation and replacement is the cooling half of that conversation.
• A heat pump instead. North Texas winters are mild enough that a heat pump is a real option when the air conditioner and the furnace are both due. Heat pump vs gas furnace covers how that choice works here. It is not automatically cheaper or more expensive. It is a different system, and the panel has to support it.
• Ducts and returns. A new furnace on starved returns will run hot and trip the limit switch. If the return is a single undersized grille, say so on the quote.
• Permit. The city fee belongs on the quote. The contractor who pulls the permit should be named.

80% or high efficiency, in this house

Both are still sold. The current federal minimum for a non-weatherized gas furnace is 80% AFUE. A rule on the books would raise that to 95% for furnaces manufactured on or after December 18, 2028. That date has been under review, so do not buy a rumor. Buy the furnace that can be vented safely in this house.

Choose the condensing furnace when the vent path and the drain are practical and you want the higher efficiency. Stay with 80% when a condensing install would mean a long, awkward PVC run or a drain you cannot trust in an attic. A high-efficiency furnace installed with a bad drain or a sloppy vent is not a bargain. Furnace installation and replacement should spell out the vent material and where the pipes terminate before you approve it.

The install matters more than the brand

Furnace brands are easy to rank on a brochure. The heat exchanger cares about other things: enough airflow, a flue that drafts, burners that fire cleanly, and a size that does not short cycle all evening. A premium cabinet that was oversized, set on a clogged return, and vented into a tired metal flue will have a shorter life than a plain furnace installed with those items done right.

Ask the contractor how the BTU size was chosen, whether the return is large enough, and what happens to the flue. Those answers are the lifespan conversation. The badge is not.

A cracked heat exchanger is a safety problem. If one is found, leave the furnace off until it is replaced or the furnace is replaced. That is not a part you patch and keep running. Furnace repair is the right call when the failure is an igniter, a flame sensor, or another part on a furnace that is otherwise sound. Replacement is the comparison when the cabinet or the heat exchanger is done.

How to compare the bids

• Input and output BTUs, and why that size
• AFUE, and whether the flue stays metal or becomes PVC
• Where the intake, exhaust, and condensate go, if it is a condensing model
• What happens to the evaporator coil
• Gas connector, shutoff, and electrical
• Thermostat: reused or replaced
• Permit and haul-away
• Labor warranty in writing, separate from the manufacturer parts warranty

If a bid is far under the others, look for a missing flue, a missing permit, or a furnace that is simply too large. Cheap and oversized is a comfort problem and a wear problem.

The same national ranges are the backdrop in nearby cities. Signs your furnace needs to be replaced in Grand Prairie, at what age a furnace should be replaced in Mansfield, and furnace replacement cost in Fort Worth stay on those questions. None of them is a local price list.

Free replacement estimates

Talk with a knowledgeable North Texas comfort advisor about your replacement options. Free estimates, no pressure.

Boost Air And Plumbing installs gas and electric furnaces in Arlington, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Dallas, Fort Worth, and nearby communities. We do not install boilers. See our furnace installation and replacement service and HVAC service in Arlington. Call (817) 612-9107 or book online. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 8am to 7pm, with after-hours and Sunday emergency appointments available.

Frequently asked questions

How much does furnace replacement cost in Arlington in 2026? National guides updated for 2026, including Angi and HomeAdvisor, put most gas furnace replacements between about $3,800 and $10,000 installed. Angi reported a national average around $7,000 for a mid-size house, and high-efficiency models are often quoted higher, sometimes toward $12,000. A separate Angi range that mixes all fuel types sits lower, roughly $2,800 to $6,900. These are national industry ranges, not an Arlington price and not a Boost Air quote. Your price depends on the system, the house, and the install.

Is an 80% furnace still an option in Arlington? Yes, for equipment made under the current federal minimum. An 80% furnace vents through a metal flue. A 90% or higher furnace needs plastic intake and exhaust pipes and a condensate drain. The higher-efficiency unit is not automatically the better buy if the attic or the closet cannot take that venting without a much larger job. Federal rules on the books raise the minimum for furnaces manufactured on or after December 18, 2028, and that date has been under review. Buy what can be installed correctly now, and get the venting plan in writing.

Should I replace the air conditioner when I replace the furnace? Not by default. Replace the cooling equipment when it is failing, when the coil has to change to match a new refrigerant, or when you are switching to a heat pump. Leave a sound air conditioner in place and ask for the furnace-only price next to a full-system price. They are different jobs.

Why does a high-efficiency furnace cost more in an attic? The equipment price is only part of it. A condensing furnace makes water and needs a drain that will not freeze or overflow in the attic. It also needs intake and exhaust pipes run to the outside, which can be a long path in a one-story Arlington house. If the old metal flue cannot be reused, that labor belongs on the quote.

Does the brand decide how long the furnace lasts? No. Airflow, venting, and how often the furnace short cycles matter more than the name on the cabinet. A correctly sized furnace with open returns, a clean filter, and a flue that drafts will outlast a premium furnace that was oversized and starved of air. Ask how the size was chosen before you compare badges.