The headline number, and what is in it
A fuse box conversion is priced like a service upgrade, not like a simple panel swap, because that is what it is. Almost nobody replaces a 60-amp fuse box with a 60-amp breaker panel; the whole point is to get modern capacity. The $1,500 to $4,000 range covers a 200-amp panel and breakers, 10 to 12 hours of licensed electrician labor, the permit and inspection, and usually a new service entrance cable and meter base.
The range is wider than a plain panel upgrade because fuse-box homes are older and bring surprises. Cloth-insulated wiring, an undersized service mast, a meter in the wrong spot, or a grounding system that does not meet current code all get discovered during the job and all add to the bill.
Worked example: 60-amp fuse box to 200-amp breaker panel
Take a 1950s bungalow with a 60-amp fuse box, Edison-base screw-in fuses, and cloth-insulated branch wiring in good enough shape to keep. The hardware: a 200-amp, 40-space panel with breakers runs $450 to $950. Labor: 10 to 12 hours at $75 to $130 per hour is $750 to $1,560, because the electrician is working around old wiring and coordinating with the utility. The permit and inspection add $200 to $600. The service entrance cable and meter base, which are almost always replaced in this job, add $300 to $800.
Adding it up: $450 plus $750 plus $200 plus $300 is $1,700 on the low end; $950 plus $1,560 plus $600 plus $800 is $3,910 on the high end. So budget $1,500 to $4,000 and ask your electrician up front which end your house is likely to land on, because the service entrance condition is what decides it.
Why the insurance angle matters as much as the price
The sticker price is only half the story. Many homeowners insurance companies will not write a new policy on a home with a fuse box, and a growing number will not renew an existing policy until the fuse box is gone. The ones that still cover fuse-box homes often add a surcharge. When you sell, buyers and their inspectors treat a fuse box as an immediate $2,000 to $4,000 repair to negotiate off the price, and some mortgage lenders flag it too.
This makes the fuse box conversion one of the few electrical projects that pays for itself at resale even before you count the safety benefit. If you are budgeting a whole-house rewire, the panel conversion is usually step one, not an optional extra.
Are fuse boxes still legal?
Existing fuse boxes are generally grandfathered, so you are not violating the code simply by owning one. Fuses themselves are not the danger; a properly fused circuit is safe. The problems are capacity and condition: a 60-amp fuse service cannot support central air, an electric dryer, and modern appliance loads without constant blown fuses, and decades-old fuse boxes often have oversized fuses installed by frustrated owners, which defeats the protection entirely.
The legal question that actually bites is the permit history. If your house still has its original fuse box, there is a good chance no permitted electrical work has happened in decades, which means the inspector will be looking at the whole system once the conversion permit is pulled. Budget for the possibility, not just the panel.
Why this is not a DIY job
Of all home electrical work, the service panel is the one professionals draw the hardest line around. The service entrance conductors feeding the panel are always energized and cannot be shut off from inside your house; only the utility can cut them. One mistake there is fatal, not just shocking.
Beyond safety, the job legally requires a licensed electrician in nearly every jurisdiction, plus an electrical permit and a utility-coordinated disconnect and reconnect. Doing it unpermitted can void your homeowners insurance and create a disclosure problem when you sell. Save the DIY energy for the cosmetic work around the panel, and let a licensed electrician handle the service.