Practical guides to what things cost.

Search 43 published guides and 21 free tools. Start with a bill, a repair or the thing you’re comparing.

64 guides and calculators

• Guide · HVAC

  AC Capacitor Replacement Cost: Parts vs. Service Calls

  A run capacitor is a $9 to $50 part, but an installed replacement runs $100 to $400. See verified 2026 part prices, labor rates, and repeat-failure causes.

• Guide · HVAC

  AC Repair Cost: What Common Fixes Run in 2026

  Most AC repairs cost $150 to $650, with a national average near $350. See prices by part, service-call fees, and when to repair or replace instead.

• Calculator · Energy & Bills

  AC Running Cost Calculator

  Window, central or mini-split: cost per hour, month and cooling season at your state rate.

• Guide · Tech

  AI Subscription Budget: Compare One Plan With a Stack

  Build an AI subscription budget from your own renewal prices, paid months and extra usage. Compare annual billing, stacked plans and the value of an upgrade.

• Calculator · Tech & Crypto

  Antminer Profitability Calculator

  Model presets and your electricity rate: daily profit and ROI months.

• Guide · Energy

  Appliance Electricity Cost Per Month: A Label and Meter Worksheet

  Use annual label kWh, measured energy or watts and runtime to price appliances at your own rate. Includes a reproducible ledger and an uncertainty check.

• Guide · Appliances

  Appliance Prices and Tariffs: Read the Data Before Buying

  BLS September 2026 data shows different price trends for major appliances and laundry equipment. Separate category inflation, tariff claims and your delivered quote.

• Guide · Home

  Basement Waterproofing Cost: Interior vs Exterior 2026

  Basement waterproofing averages $5,240 per Angi, from $2,461 to $8,201 for most homes. See interior vs exterior prices, what to fix first, and quote traps.

• Calculator · Cars

  Car Cost of Ownership Calculator

  Five-year true cost: depreciation, insurance, fuel, maintenance and resale.

• Calculator · Cars

  Car Payment Calculator

  Monthly payment, total interest and the price you can afford, with 36 to 84 month terms compared.

• Calculator · Home & Repairs

  Christmas Tree and Lights Cost Calculator

  Real vs artificial tree break-even, plus what your lights add to the electric bill.

• Guide · Home

  Christmas Tree and Lights Cost: Build a Five-Season Budget

  Compare real and artificial trees with your own prices, delivery, accessories and upkeep. A worked five-season budget separates tree purchases from lighting electricity.

• Calculator · Tech & Crypto

  Console Cost of Ownership Calculator

  Your console purchase, membership, games, power and resale in one ownership budget.

• Guide · General

  Contractor Quote Red Flags: A Scope and Payment Worksheet

  Compare contractor bids on the same scope, price missing work, test change-order exposure and check payment terms using an itemized worksheet.

• Guide · General

  Cost of Owning a Cat in 2026: First Year and 15 Years

  A shelter cat costs about $680 to $3,100 in year one. Our arithmetic puts 15 years at $8,300 to $46,300, with dental and emergencies arriving late.

• Guide · Appliances

  Dishwasher Repair or Replace: A Quote Comparison Worksheet

  Compare a dishwasher repair quote with an installed replacement, avoid counting diagnostic fees twice, and test operating savings and future repair risk.

• Guide · Cars

  Drive or Fly for Thanksgiving: Compare Your Actual Trip Budget

  Compare driving and flying with your own holiday quotes. Worked examples separate shared car costs, per-person fares, luggage, road hotels and the value of time.

• Calculator · Cars

  Drive vs Fly Calculator

  Gas, tolls, bags, parking and airfare for your whole group: which trip costs less.

• Calculator · Energy & Bills

  Electric Bill Estimator

  Estimate from a tariff or historical benchmark, then compare two bills by usage, effective price and days.

• Guide · Energy

  Electric Blanket vs Space Heater: Running Cost in 2026

  A 100 W heated throw costs $2.20 a month at four hours a day; a 1,500 W heater costs $32.96. Compare cycling, purchase payback and winter heating limits.

• Guide · Energy

  Electricity Prices by State: August 2026 Data, Checked November 6

  Compare all 50 states and DC using verified August 2026 EIA residential prices. Download the data, price a chosen 900 kWh and compare the July snapshot.

• Guide · Cars

  EV Lease vs Buy in 2026: The Math After the Tax Credit

  With the federal EV credits gone, a 36-month lease on a $36,495 EV costs about $21,200 in our model, while buying nets $20,100 to $24,500 depending on resale value.

• Guide · HVAC

  Furnace Igniter Replacement Cost: Parts and Repair Bills

  An igniter is a $20 to $103 part, but an installed replacement usually runs $96 to $250. See verified 2026 prices, HSI vs. spark, and what no heat really means.

• Guide · HVAC

  Furnace Repair Cost: Compare Quotes and the Heating Budget

  Separate furnace diagnostic fees, repair scope and installed replacement costs, then test fuel savings and future repair allowances with a worked budget.

• Guide · Tech

  Game Console Ownership Cost: Build Your Five Year Budget

  Compare a console budget using your checkout price, games, memberships, power and resale. A worked example shows when a larger game subscription costs more.

• Calculator · Tech & Crypto

  GPU AI Rental Income Calculator

  Test paid utilization, idle and rented power, fee treatment and operating break-even.

• Calculator · Tech & Crypto

  GPU Mining Profitability Calculator

  Card price, power draw and revenue in: daily profit and break-even out.

• Guide · Tech

  GPU Rental Income: Build a Budget From Paid Hours

  Separate GPU asking prices from host receipts, include idle power, and calculate the utilization needed to cover costs with a worked hosting budget.

• Calculator · Energy & Bills

  Heat Pump Payback Calculator

  Estimate yearly savings and how many years a heat pump takes to pay for itself.

• Guide · HVAC

  Heat Pump Thermostat Setback: When Savings Disappear

  Deep setbacks can trigger costly resistance backup. Compare a worked heat-pump recovery example, check your controls, and separate kWh savings from bill savings.

• Guide · Plumbing

  Heat Pump Water Heater Payback in 2026: Is It Worth It?

  Calculate heat pump water heater payback using household demand, your electricity rate and the installed price premium, without an expired federal credit.

• Guide · Cars

  Home EV Charger Installation Cost in 2026: Full Budget

  Tesla lists $750–$1,500 installation plus $585 or $660 hardware. See total budgets, panel questions, charging bills and the expired federal charger credit.

• Guide · Home

  Hot Tub Cost to Own: 10-Year Numbers, Not Showroom Price

  A mid-range hot tub often costs $27,000 or more across ten years of ownership. See the electricity, chemical, filter, and repair math behind that number.

• Guide · Energy

  How to Lower Your Electric Bill: A Measured Savings Worksheet

  Separate usage, rate and fixed charges, rank changes by your own kWh, and check whether a smaller bill reflects real savings rather than a shorter month.

• Guide · Methodology

  How We Estimate Costs: Sources, Models and Limits

  How Cost of Owning separates published prices, calculated results and hypothetical budgets, with reproducible examples and clear limits on local estimates.

• Guide · HVAC

  HVAC System Replacement Cost: Furnace and AC, 2026

  Replacing a furnace and AC together costs $5,000 to $12,500, about $7,500 on average per Angi. See tiers, what drives the spread, and when to bundle.

• Calculator · Home & Repairs

  HVAC: Repair or Replace?

  Age, repair quote and replacement price checked against the 50% and $5,000 rules of thumb.

• Calculator · Cars

  Hybrid Break-Even Calculator

  Hybrid premium, miles and gas price in: years until the hybrid pays for itself.

• Guide · Energy

  Is a Time-of-Use Electricity Plan Worth It? Run the Math

  A cheaper off-peak rate can hide a higher bill. Calculate the peak-use threshold, compare fixed charges, and test a worked 900-kWh household example.

• Guide · Appliances

  Is an Efficient Appliance Worth the Higher Price?

  Compare an appliance's higher price with its energy savings. Our original ten-year example finds a $325 saving at 25 cents/kWh and a tie at 12 cents.

• Calculator · Home & Repairs

  Mini-Split Cost Calculator

  Test an area-based capacity and cost scenario, with limits clearly flagged before equipment selection.

• Guide · Tech

  OLED TV Cost of Ownership 2026: Black Friday Math

  A 65-inch OLED is $1,499 on sale and costs about $21 a year to run. See five-year totals for 55, 65, and 77-inch sets before November 27.

• Calculator · Home & Repairs

  Ownership Cost Comparison Calculator

  Compare two purchases: upfront price, energy, subscriptions, upkeep, repairs and resale.

• Guide · Energy

  Portable Generator Cost to Own: The 10-Year Bill

  A 7,500-watt generator runs $3,250 to $6,100 over ten years. Fuel, maintenance and a transfer switch add more than the machine itself; see the line-by-line math.

• Guide · Tech

  Portable Power Station Cost in 2026: Budget and Runtime

  A 1 kWh power station costs about 20 cents to recharge at a historical electricity benchmark. Compare runtime, purchase budgets and small backup limits.

• Guide · Home

  Property Taxes by State: Why Your Bill Differs From the Rate

  Effective property tax rates run from 0.29% in Hawaii to 1.88% in New Jersey, but that rate is not your bill. See all 50 states, median taxes paid, and the math.

• Guide · Tech

  RAM and SSD Prices in 2026: Build Now or Wait?

  32GB of DDR5 now starts near $450 and a 2TB NVMe SSD near $250. See how far prices have climbed, what Micron and TrendForce expect next, and when to buy.

• Guide · Appliances

  Robot Vacuum Ownership Cost: Parts, Power and 3-Year Totals

  A robot vacuum's sale price misses bags, brushes, filters, mop pads and repairs. Build a three-year budget with current manufacturer accessory prices.

• Calculator · Home & Repairs

  Roof Replacement Cost Calculator

  By roof size, pitch and material.

• Guide · Energy

  Smart Thermostat Savings: Costs, Evidence and Payback

  ENERGY STAR reports about 8% average HVAC bill savings. Compare that benchmark with your existing schedule, an installed quote and three hypothetical budgets.

• Guide · Solar

  Solar Net Metering vs Net Billing: Savings in 2026

  The same solar panels can save $2,000 or $1,040 a year depending on export credits. See worked examples, battery math and the questions to ask your utility.

• Guide · Solar

  Solar Panel Installation Cost: Quote Scope and Payback Math

  EnergySage reports about $2.60 per watt before incentives. Compare your installed quote, itemized scope, production and export assumptions with worked examples.

• Calculator · Energy & Bills

  Solar Panel Payback Calculator

  Direct solar use, export credits and maintenance, with annual cash-flow checkpoints.

• Guide · Solar

  Solar Panel Payback Period in 2026: By State and Rate

  EnergySage shoppers break even in about 10.8 years in 2026, from 5.2 in DC to 17.2 in Georgia. See the state table, the formula, and what moves payback.

• Guide · Solar

  Solar Quote Savings Audit: Check the Payback Claim

  Audit a solar savings quote with a worked $18,000 example. Separate direct use, export credits, maintenance and rate growth before trusting the payback.

• Calculator · Energy & Bills

  Solar System Size Calculator

  Monthly kWh and sun hours in: system kW, panel count, yearly production and cost range.

• Guide · Solar

  Solar Tax Credit 2027: What Ended and How to Do the Math

  The 30% homeowner solar credit ended for systems placed in service after 2025. Here is what still cuts cost and how to underwrite a 2027 system.

• Calculator · Energy & Bills

  Space Heater Cost Calculator

  Watts, hours and your state rate in: cost per hour, per month and per winter out.

• Guide · Energy

  Space Heater Cost to Run: Hours, Cycling and Break Even

  Calculate a heater from its label watts and your tariff, test thermostat cycling, and find how much central-heating spending it must replace to save money.

• Guide · Tech

  Starlink Cost in 2026: Plans, V5 Power and 2-Year Totals

  Starlink starts at $55 a month, but hardware, mounting and power change the total. Compare current US plans and V5 versus V4 electricity costs.

• Guide · Tech

  Storage Cost per TB: An Editable Five-Year Budget

  Compare hypothetical local drives, mirrored capacity and cloud bills using your own prices, power and fees. Separate usable capacity from advertised TB.

• Calculator · Home & Repairs

  Water Heater: Repair or Replace?

  Compare repair and installed replacement quotes, energy and upkeep over the same budget period.

• Guide · Cars

  What It Costs to Charge an EV at Home in 2026

  Home charging costs about $5.49 per 100 miles and $55 monthly at 12,000 miles a year. See state rates, charging losses and current charger installation budgets.

• Calculator · Home & Repairs

  Window Replacement Cost Calculator

  Per-window pricing by frame type.

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