Cheapest 12,000 BTU mini split per BTU

$/1,000 BTU	Price	BTU/h	Zones	Efficiency	Volts	System
per 1,000 BTU/h$45.83Best	price$549.98	12,000	Single	18SEER2	115V	Albott DIY 12K Pro Fast-Fit · 3rd-party All specs Volts 115V Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$46.67×1.02	price$559.99	12,000	Single	18SEER2	220V	Albott Easy DIY 12K 220V · 3rd-party All specs Volts 220V Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$47.50×1.04	price$569.99	12,000	Single	18SEER2	115V	Albott Easy DIY 12K 115V · 3rd-party All specs Volts 115V Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$50.00×1.09	price$599.99	12,000	Single	23SEER2	—	TURBRO 12,000 BTU Ductless Mini Split Invert · 3rd-party All specs Volts — Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$50.00×1.09	price$599.99	12,000	Single	18SEER2	220V	YUMPIE Easy DIY 12,000 BTU 220V · 3rd-party All specs Volts 220V Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$54.17×1.18	price$649.99	12,000	Single	24SEER2	—	TURBRO 12,000 BTU Ductless Mini Split Invert · 3rd-party All specs Volts — Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$124.08×2.71	price$1,489.00	12,000	Single	23SEER2	230V	Klimaire DIY 12,000 BTU 23 SEER2 Quick Conne · 3rd-party All specs Volts 230V Line set 25 ft
per 1,000 BTU/h$132.42×2.89	price$1,589.00	12,000	Single	23SEER2	115V	Klimaire DIY 12,000 BTU 23 SEER2 Quick Conne · 3rd-party All specs Volts 115V Line set 25 ft
per 1,000 BTU/h$137.42×3.00	price$1,649.00	12,000	Single	19.5SEER2	115V	MRCOOL Easy Pro 12K 5th Gen · 3rd-party All specs Volts 115V Line set 16 ft
per 1,000 BTU/h$143.33×3.13	price$1,719.99	12,000	Single	17SEER2	115V	PerfectAire Perfect Aire 12,000 BTU Mini Split AC &… · 3rd-party All specs Volts 115V Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$150.00×3.27	price$1,799.99	12,000	Single	19.5SEER2	115V	MRCOOL DIY 12K 5th Gen All specs Volts 115V Line set 25 ft
per 1,000 BTU/h$183.33×4.00	price$2,199.99	12,000	Single	23SEER2	115V	Zone Air 12,000 BTU DIY Ductless Mini Split 115V · 3rd-party All specs Volts 115V Line set —
per 1,000 BTU/h$187.50×4.09	price$2,249.99	12,000	Single	24SEER2	230V	Zone Air 12,000 BTU DIY Ductless Mini Split 230V · 3rd-party All specs Volts 230V Line set —

×N is how many times the cheapest in-stock system of this size and class the row costs per BTU. The crowned row is the baseline.

12,000 BTU (one ton) is the volume size of the category, which is why it is usually the best place to compare $/BTU: more systems compete here than at any other capacity, so the spread between the cheapest and the median is the widest and the saving from picking well is the largest.

Power supply

12,000 BTU systems come in both 115V and 208-230V. The 115V versions plug into a normal circuit; the 230V versions need a dedicated one, which is an electrician's bill on top of a supposedly DIY install. The Volts column is worth reading before the price column.

The rule of thumb is a starting point, not a load calculation

Square footage alone ignores ceiling height, insulation, window area and orientation, climate zone, and how many people are in the room. Twenty BTU per square foot is a sanity check, not an answer: a sunny top-floor room with single glazing can need half again as much as the same floor area in a shaded, well-insulated basement. Our sizing calculator applies the same rule of thumb with the adjustments spelled out, and a proper Manual J calculation beats both.

How this ranking is built

Every row is a system whose price was confirmed live on the last run. Anything flagged as an estimate, or whose listing failed verification, is excluded from this table entirely rather than shown with a caveat. The BEST mark goes to the lowest $/BTU that is actually in stock, within one install class and one zone count — where more than one class is present the badge names which one it won. See what counts as a good price per BTU.