ZoneBtuBTU per head, per room, per orientation — not one number for the house.

How much does a 3-head mini-split cost in Tri-Cities, WA?

A ductless mini-split installation in Tri-Cities, WA
$11,308
3 indoor heads · typical range $7,317 – $17,295
Typical total$3,769 per indoor head$11,308
Range you should see in bidsthree bids on the same scope normally land inside this$7,317 – $17,295
Labor portion50% of the job — this is the part that moves by city$5,654
Material portion50% — bought at national prices$5,654
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay near Tri-CitiesBLS does not publish a metro figure for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers near Tri-Cities, WA, so this is the Washington state average, SOC 49-9021$78,860/yr
U.S. mean for the same tradeSOC 49-9021$64,780/yr
Versus the national pricetrade pay here runs +21.7% against the U.S. mean+$1,108
Design temperatures98°F summer and 7°F winter at Pendleton Municipal 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 ductless mini-split installation is $3,400 per indoor head — ductless mini-split pricing published for 2026, $2,200–$5,200 per indoor head installed. Labor is about 50% of that. Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers near Tri-Cities, WA average $78,860 a year against a U.S. mean of $64,780 — a factor of 1.217 — so the labor half is scaled by that and the material half is not. Source: BLS does not publish a metro figure for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers near Tri-Cities, WA, so this is the Washington state average, SOC 49-9021.
  • This one falls back to a wider average. BLS did not publish a metro-level wage for this trade near Tri-Cities, WA, so the figure above is a state average. It is still the right order of magnitude, but a local bid carries more weight here than it would in a large metro where the survey has more responses.
  • Design temperatures. 98°F summer and 7°F winter at Pendleton Municipal 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 outdoor unit, the indoor heads, line sets, wall penetrations, a condensate route, electrical connection, mounting and labor.
  • What is not: a new electrical circuit or panel capacity, a condensate pump where gravity will not do, decorative line-set covers, and drywall repair. These are the lines that turn a $11,308 quote into a $14,136 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 per-unit average.

a ductless mini-split installation in Tri-Cities, WA

$11,308 is the typical number, and three bids on the same scope normally land between $7,317 and $17,295.

That is $1,108 more than the same job priced at the national average.

Why the city changes the number

About 50% of this job is labor — $5,654 of the $11,308 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 Tri-Cities average $78,860 a year, against a U.S. mean of $64,780. That is a factor of 1.217, so the labor half is scaled by it and the material half is not.

Source: BLS does not publish a metro figure for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers near Tri-Cities, WA, so this is the Washington state average, 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 $11,308 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 $7,317 – $17,295, that is not automatically wrong — but it is the question worth asking out loud.

Nearby sizes

Read more