Repair vs Replace TV: Cost Break-Even Calculator 2026

The repair wins today — the replacement wins the decade

A TV repair is cheap and a new TV is not — but a new set runs cheaper every year, and over a decade that saving adds up. The repair total is just the repair cost: $250.00. The replace total is the new price, minus the saving over the old set’s remaining life, plus disposal: $800 − $30 × 4 + $20 = $700.00. On the defaults — repair $250.00, new TV $800.00, remaining life 4 years, saving $30.00/year, disposal $20.00 — REPAIR wins by $450.00; cost per year repair $62.50 vs replace $175.00; break-even repair $700.00, break-even price $350.00, break-even life 19.00 yrs (exact 19.0000), break-even saving $142.50/yr, break-even disposal none (-$430.00); 10-year repair-then-replace $890.00 vs replace-now $520.00 — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years.

At the defaults — repair $250.00, new TV $800.00, remaining life 4 years, saving $30.00/year, disposal $20.00 — the repair total is $250.00, the replace total is $700.00, REPAIR wins by $450.00; cost per year repair $62.50 vs replace $175.00; break-even repair $700.00, break-even price $350.00, break-even life 19.00 yrs (exact 19.0000), break-even saving $142.50/yr, break-even disposal none (-$430.00); 10-year repair-then-replace $890.00 vs replace-now $520.00 — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years. Check the identities: repair = R; replace = P − S × L + D; difference = replace − repair; break-even repair cost = replace total; break-even new price = R + S × L − D; break-even remaining life = (P + D − R) ÷ S; break-even annual saving = (P + D − R) ÷ L; break-even disposal = R − P + S × L; 10-year repair-then-replace = R + P + D − S × (10 − L); 10-year replace-now = P + D − S × 10. Rounding convention: totals are computed from unrounded values, so rounded parts may differ by a cent from their rounded sum.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: repair $250.00, new TV $800.00, remaining life 4 years, saving $30.00/year, disposal $20.00.

Line 1 — the repair total. The repair total is the repair cost: $250.00.

Line 2 — the replace total. $800 − $30 × 4 + $20 = $800 − $120 + $20 = $700.00. The four years of saving shave $120 off the new set’s price.

Line 3 — the winner. $700.00 − $250.00 = $450.00, so REPAIR wins by $450.00. Cost per year: $250.00 ÷ 4 = $62.50 for the repair, $700.00 ÷ 4 = $175.00 for the replacement.

Line 4 — the break-evens. The break-even repair cost is the replace total, $700.00. The break-even new price is $250 + $30 × 4 − $20 = $350.00. The break-even remaining life is ($800 + $20 − $250) ÷ $30 = 19.00 yrs (exact 19.0000). The break-even annual saving is ($800 + $20 − $250) ÷ 4 = $142.50/yr. The break-even disposal is $250 − $800 + $30 × 4 = -$430.00 — none, because the disposal cost that would tie is negative.

Line 5 — the 10-year lens. Repair now, then replace in 4 years: $250 + $800 + $20 − $30 × 6 = $890.00. Replace now: $800 + $20 − $30 × 10 = $520.00. So REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years — the verdict flips over 10 years.

Reverse: the break-even repair cost is $700.00 (exact $700.00); a $700.00 repair costs $700.00, exactly tying the replace total — verdict: TIE. The break-even new price is $350.00 (exact $350.00); a $350.00 TV costs $250.00 to replace, tying the repair — verdict: TIE. The break-even remaining life is 19.00 yrs (exact 19.0000); at 19.00 yrs the replace total is $250.00 (TIE), at 18.99 yrs it is $250.30 (REPAIR wins by $0.30), at 19.01 yrs it is $249.70 (REPLACE wins by $0.30) — 19.0000 is the exact tie. The break-even annual saving is $142.50/yr (exact $142.50); at $142.50/yr saving the replace total is $250.00 (TIE), at $142.49/yr it is $250.04 (REPAIR wins by $0.04), at $142.51/yr it is $249.96 (REPLACE wins by $0.04) — verdict: EXACT. The break-even disposal is none — the disposal cost that would tie is -$430.00; repairing wins even with free disposal — verdict: NONE. The 10-year lens: repair-then-replace $890.00 vs replace-now $520.00 — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years.

Every branch, checked

Repair $500: Repair $500.00, replace $700.00 — REPAIR wins by $200.00. 10-year: $1,140.00 vs $520.00 — REPLACE wins by $620.00 over 10 years. A $500 repair is still cheaper than replacing — REPAIR wins by $200.00.

Repair $750: Repair $750.00, replace $700.00 — REPLACE wins by $50.00. 10-year: $1,390.00 vs $520.00 — REPLACE wins by $870.00 over 10 years. At $750 the repair costs more than the $700.00 replacement — REPLACE wins by $50.00, a flip from the default verdict, and the only REPLACE win today.

8 years left: Repair $250.00, replace $580.00 — REPAIR wins by $330.00. 10-year: $1,010.00 vs $520.00 — REPLACE wins by $490.00 over 10 years. Eight years of $30 savings are worth $240, so the replace total falls to $580.00 — but REPAIR wins by $330.00 today; the 10-year lens is still REPLACE by $490.00.

12 years left: Repair $250.00, replace $460.00 — REPAIR wins by $210.00. 10-year: $1,130.00 vs $520.00 — REPLACE wins by $610.00 over 10 years. Twelve years of saving drop the replace total to $460.00 — REPAIR wins by $210.00 today. And the 10-year repair-then-replace is $1,130.00 — the unclamped (10 − L) = −2 means the replacement you buy in 12 years only saves for −2 of the 10 years, so the path costs more, not less.

Saving $100/year: Repair $250.00, replace $420.00 — REPAIR wins by $170.00. 10-year: $470.00 vs -$180.00 — REPLACE wins by $650.00 over 10 years. A $100-a-year saving pays for the new TV fast — the replace total is $420.00 and REPAIR wins by $170.00. And the replace-now total over 10 years is -$180.00 — negative, because 10 years of $100/yr savings ($1,000) exceed the $800 price plus $20 disposal, so the new TV has paid for itself and you are ahead by $180.00. A negative 10-year total means the savings have paid back more than the price.

Saving $0/year: Repair $250.00, replace $820.00 — REPAIR wins by $570.00. 10-year: $1,070.00 vs $820.00 — REPLACE wins by $250.00 over 10 years. With no saving the new TV costs its full price plus disposal — $820.00 — so REPAIR wins by $570.00 and the break-even remaining life is — (no saving, so no life ever ties).

New TV $400: Repair $250.00, replace $300.00 — REPAIR wins by $50.00. 10-year: $490.00 vs $120.00 — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years. A cheaper new TV narrows the gap to $300.00 — but REPAIR wins by $50.00.

New TV $1,200: Repair $250.00, replace $1,100.00 — REPAIR wins by $850.00. 10-year: $1,290.00 vs $920.00 — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years. A $1,200 set is nearly five times the repair — REPAIR wins by $850.00.

Disposal $0: Repair $250.00, replace $680.00 — REPAIR wins by $430.00. 10-year: $870.00 vs $500.00 — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years. Free haul-away drops the replace total to $680.00 — REPAIR wins by $430.00.

Disposal $100: Repair $250.00, replace $780.00 — REPAIR wins by $530.00. 10-year: $970.00 vs $600.00 — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years. A $100 disposal fee pushes the replace total to $780.00 — REPAIR wins by $530.00. And the 10-year repair-then-replace is $970.00.

What the defaults assume

The model assumes the repair restores the old TV for its full remaining life, and that the new set’s saving is the same every year — it does not model a repair that fails again, a new set that breaks early, or power prices changing. It assumes the disposal fee is paid when you replace, not when you repair — you keep the old set either way. It assumes the saving is real money: $30 a year of lower power use and fewer repairs. With a $0 repair the total is $0.00 and REPAIR wins by $700.00, but the 10-year lens is still REPLACE by $120.00. With 1 year left and no saving the break-even life is — — at the model level there is no life that ties, because the saving is $0; at the calc level S = 0 is valid input and the break-even-life field renders —. Rounding convention: totals are computed from unrounded values, so rounded parts may differ by a cent from their rounded sum; the reverses are nearest-value solutions, and the exact unrounded figures ($700.00, $350.00, 19.0000, $142.50, -$430.00) are stated wherever the rounded figures appear.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner with a $250 repair quote: they learn REPAIR wins by $450.00 — and they check the $750 branch (REPLACE wins by $50.00) to see the repair price where replacing wins.
• The owner whose TV has 12 years left: they learn REPAIR wins by $210.00 — twelve years of saving pay for much of the new set — and they check the 8-year branch (REPLACE wins by $490.00 over 10 years) to see the decade margin.
• The shopper eyeing a $400 TV: they learn REPAIR wins by $50.00 — the closest call on the page — and they check the $1,200 branch (REPAIR wins by $850.00) to see how fast a dearer model loses.
• The planner thinking in decades: they learn the 10-year lens flips the verdict — REPLACE wins by $370.00 over 10 years — and they check the $100-a-year branch (REPLACE wins by $650.00 over 10 years) to see the new TV pay for itself.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is first-principles comparison: repair = R; replace = P − S × L + D; difference = replace − repair; cost per year = total ÷ L; break-even repair cost = replace total; break-even new price = R + S × L − D; break-even remaining life = (P + D − R) ÷ S; break-even annual saving = (P + D − R) ÷ L; break-even disposal = R − P + S × L; 10-year repair-then-replace = R + P + D − S × (10 − L); 10-year replace-now = P + D − S × 10. The 4-decimal exact is shown where the rounding matters: the break-even remaining life is 19.0000 (shown as 19.00 yrs); at 19.00 yrs the replace total is $250.00 (TIE), at 18.99 yrs it is $250.30 (REPAIR wins by $0.30), at 19.01 yrs it is $249.70 (REPLACE wins by $0.30). The break-even annual saving is $142.50 (shown as $142.50/yr); at $142.50/yr the replace total is $250.00 (TIE), at $142.49/yr it is $250.04 (REPAIR wins by $0.04), at $142.51/yr it is $249.96 (REPLACE wins by $0.04). What the model cannot do is predict a TV’s real life: a repair can fail again, a new set can break early, and the saving depends on how much you watch it — the break-even life of 19.00 yrs is the number to compare against your honest estimate of the old set’s remaining life. A negative 10-year total means the new set’s savings have paid back more than its price — you are ahead by that amount. For the same question on the heating side, see the repair vs replace furnace calculator and the repair vs replace water heater calculator; for the cooling side, see the repair vs replace air conditioner calculator; and to check the new set fits, see the TV size chart. This is a calculator, not a repair manual.