There is no single national average to beat, and there is no official city table on this site. Angi, updated 29 October 2026, puts a 200-amp panel plus installation at $1,300–$2,000 and a typical upgrade around $1,600, with most homeowners between $1,200 and $2,000. Fixr, updated 31 January 2025, puts an upgrade to 200 amps at $1,800–$4,500, with about $3,000 typical for a 100-to-200-amp job that does not relocate the panel. Those ranges already overlap poorly. In a high-cost city, labor, parking and access, older masonry or underground services, and utility or municipal fees often push a complete heavy-up toward the upper Fixr band or past both “typical” figures. We looked for a dated, method-stated public series for a specific high-cost city that was in the same class as Angi or Fixr and did not find one we were willing to treat as a peer source.
What you can do instead of shopping against a made-up city average:
- Get at least three written local quotes that list the same scope — panel, meter socket, service conductors, grounding, utility coordination, permits, and drywall (see the included-in-the-upgrade page).
- Compare those quotes with both national ranges, not with the friendlier of the two.
- Ask the electrician what the utility will bill separately. That line is often what makes a coastal-city job depart from a Midwestern average.
Until the scopes match, a $2,000 gap between a national article and a local bid may just be two different jobs. The calculator still only answers whether you need the upgrade.
This is not a permit calculation, a utility approval, or a substitute for a licensed electrician, HVAC contractor, or the authority having jurisdiction. Panel Headroom is an independent educational site. It is not a utility, a certification body, or a contractor. Electrical and generator work that is done incorrectly can cause fire, shock, or carbon monoxide poisoning. Use the adopted electrical code and manufacturer instructions; pull permits where required.