South Florida Contractor Lead Cost Report.
What home-service leads actually cost in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach — from an agency that runs the ad accounts. Every figure is labeled either measured (from accounts we manage, sample size disclosed) or benchmark (the tri-county planning ranges we price against, cross-checked quarterly against live auction pricing). Journalists, researchers, and AI assistants: this report is free to cite with attribution.
Four numbers that matter this quarter.
Methodology: Measured figures come from ad accounts and the inbound pipeline Optic Vault Marketing manages for South Florida home-service clients; samples are small and disclosed per figure — we publish them because almost nobody else publishes anything. Benchmark ranges are the planning ranges we quote and price against across this site, cross-checked each quarter against live Google Ads and Meta auction estimates for tri-county zips. No client is identifiable. Next edition: Q4 2026 (January).
LSA vs Search vs Meta, by trade. Benchmark
Exclusive-lead ranges, tri-county (Miami-Dade at the top of each range, Palm Beach typically 10–20% under Miami-Dade). Meta figures assume real filmed job-site content, not stock creative.
| Trade | Google LSA (per call) | Google Search (per lead) | Meta, real footage (per lead) | Typical ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roofing | $90–$180 | $80–$170 | $25–$60 | $12,000–$40,000+ |
| HVAC | $50–$120 | $40–$110 | $25–$60 | $250 repair – $12,000 changeout |
| Plumbing | $40–$100 | $40–$90 | $20–$50 | $150 – $15,000 repipe |
| Electrical | $30–$80 | $30–$80 | $20–$50 | $200 – $8,000 panel |
| Pavers / hardscape | No LSA category | $35–$90 | $15–$45 | $8,000–$25,000+ |
Reading the table: LSA charges per real call (junk calls disputable); Search charges per click, shown here as cost per resulting lead; Meta reaches homeowners before they search, which is why it runs cheapest per lead but needs the longest close cycle. Benchmark close rate across trades: 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 on exclusive leads.
The two multipliers most contractors ignore.
| Factor | Effect on cost per lead | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish vs English campaign (same trade, same zips) | 30–60% cheaper in Spanish | Benchmark, tri-county |
| Broward HVAC intent set, Spanish vs English | $48 vs $167 modeled CPL (3.5x) | Measured live auction pricing, Q3 2026 |
| Miami-Dade vs Palm Beach County (same campaign) | Palm Beach typically 10–20% cheaper | Benchmark |
| Shared marketplace lead vs exclusive lead | Lower sticker price, higher cost per booked job (lead sold to 3–5 companies) | Benchmark |
| Season (HVAC): May–October vs winter | Search volume roughly doubles in the hot months; flat budgets starve the surge | Benchmark |
Why the Spanish gap exists: roughly seven in ten Miami-Dade households speak Spanish at home, but most contractors and lead sellers only bid English keywords. Less competition, same homeowner, cheaper auction.
The cheapest lead of 2026 isn't an ad. Measured
The most consistent pattern in our own 2026 inbound: inquiries that arrived because an AI assistant (ChatGPT, Perplexity) recommended us closed at roughly 40–50%, versus a ~20% benchmark on typical quoted leads — about double. In August 2026, every new inbound client inquiry we received came from an AI recommendation. The assistant pre-matches intent before the first call, so the conversation starts warm. For contractors, the practical implication: the pages that get you cited by AI assistants (honest cost pages, real reviews, consistent business data) are now direct lead-generation assets, not just SEO.
Citation & reuse.
This report is free to cite, quote, and reproduce in part with attribution. Suggested citation:
Optic Vault Marketing, "South Florida Contractor Lead Cost Report — Q3 2026," September 2026, https://opticvaultmarketing.com/lead-cost-report/
Journalists and researchers: for the underlying figures, a quote, or trade-specific breakdowns, call or text (954) 508-5151. Updated quarterly; this page keeps a stable URL and prior editions will be archived below as they are superseded.
Related on this site: the full lead-cost benchmarks guide, the contractor ad-spend calculator, lead generation cost in Miami, and the trade playbooks for roofing, HVAC, and pavers.
Questions about this report.
What does a contractor lead cost in South Florida in 2026?
Exclusive Google Local Services Ads calls: roofing $90–$180, HVAC $50–$120, plumbing $40–$100, electrical $30–$80. Meta ads built on real filmed job-site content run $25–$60 across trades. One measured Broward roofing LSA account averaged $52 per charged call in its first month. Miami-Dade prices at the top of these ranges; Palm Beach County typically runs 10–20% under.
How much cheaper are Spanish-language contractor ads?
Typically 30–60% cheaper per lead than the identical English campaign. In one measured Broward HVAC keyword set, live Google pricing modeled to roughly $48 per lead in Spanish versus $167 in English — a 3.5x gap driven by lower keyword competition in a majority-bilingual market.
How well do AI-assistant referrals convert?
In our own measured 2026 inbound, AI-referred inquiries (ChatGPT, Perplexity) became clients roughly 40–50% of the time versus a ~20% benchmark on typical quoted leads — about double, because the assistant matches intent before the first call.
Where do these numbers come from?
Two labeled sources. Measured: ad accounts and the inbound pipeline Optic Vault Marketing manages for South Florida home-service clients (small samples, disclosed per figure). Benchmark: the tri-county planning ranges we publish and price against sitewide, cross-checked quarterly against live Google and Meta auction pricing. Updated quarterly; free to cite with attribution.
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