Body Art can be an expensive investment, so when you choose a permanent piece of body art, it’s a big commitment…a permanent one. You can’t return it and get a refund. You can’t exchange it for credit. It’s yours, forever. Unless you laser it off, which is about the same as tossing your expensive painting into the fire. So, it only makes sense to think about the costs involved with a getting a tattoo, including getting all your tattoo protection neccessities before taking the plunge.

Like any sizable or significant purchase in life, there are many things to consider before committing to your tattoo. Some things come into question—the biggest being budget—can you afford it?

So, how much do tattoos cost?

It depends. Greatly. There are varying factors involved in determining the cost of a tattoo. Such as:

• Artist Experience – The specific skill level, experience, and reputation is a huge cost factor. Obviously if your tattoo artist is well-known and in high demand, time with them has monetary value and you should be prepared to pay a premium price for getting them to tattoo you.
• Artist Location – Yes, where your tattoo shop is located geographically really does matter. Prices vary by artist, shop and location. Getting tattooed in a popular, expensive city will typically cost more in comparison to a small, quaint town. There may even be more discrepancy on price if you’re traveling abroad.
• Artist Rate (hourly & day rate) – Depending on the size, intricacy and number of colors the tattoo requires will determine the time involved. Once that is determined, the artist will either charge you an hourly rate or often times a flat day rate if your tattoo session is expected to go beyond 4-5 hours.
• Minimum charge – Most artists or shops will require a minimum for any tattoo, even the smallest. Minimum charges are used to ensure the artist’s time is compensated.
• Time involved – Many tattoo shops and artists charge by the hour. The time needed will affect the final price of the tattoo. Bigger, more elaborate tattoos will obviously require more time.
• Number of sessions required – Depending on your tattoo size and design, placement and your artist’s skill level, it’s necessary to discuss how many sessions are needed to complete the work. If many hours are involved to complete the tattoo, that will determine if an hourly rate or flat day rate will be charged and how many sessions needed.
• Style of tattoo – Simple, outline only, colorful, single needle, blackout, the list goes on and on. The specific style of tattoo is a big factor in cost. The more extensive and detailed the tattoo, the more time and cost involved.
• Complexity of design – Whether or not your tattoo will be a variation of existing artwork or if the artist has to spend time designing an original are factored into the price charged by the artist and/or shop. Custom designs and original pieces will cost more than existing.
• Size of tattoo – Small tattoos won’t take up too much time unless they are extreme micro-needle detail, but the larger in scale and bigger in scope, the more time needed.
• Placement on body – Picking a spot on your body is a big thing to consider especially for time and cost. The more delicate, difficult to reach areas will generally cost you more, as will the more sensitive areas on the body. Some areas (like genitals) will dictate a minimum charge from many artists due to the sensitive nature.

There’s the old adage, “You get what you pay for.” And there is no truer statement spoken for tattoos. Good tattoos are not cheap. And cheap tattoos are not good.

More often than not, tattoo shops will have a minimum cost regardless of the size of your chosen tattoo. This is simply good business. The reason they do this is to ensure that the tattoo artist is compensated fairly for their time and work. So even if you choose a tiny, single-needle tattoo, no bigger than a pea-size, you may still be required to pay anywhere from $50-$250 for that tattoo.

This minimum range will also vary depending on your geographic region (see geographic cost ranges below). Obviously big cities like NYC, Miami and Los Angeles will generally have higher prices for tattoos – but it really will depend on the individual shop and/or artist. The more experienced the tattoo artist, the higher the starting price. Some will charge you an hourly rate instead of a flat rate for the piece. But the more experienced and notable the artist, if the tattoo will take more than 4 hours, they will typically charge you a flat day rate.

Tattoos on the larger-scale can run you typically anywhere from $350-$10,000. Big range – yep! But large-scale tattoos vary so drastically. To avoid that sticker-shock, it’s necessary to understand the average costs involved for each general type of tattoo.

BASIC TATTOO COSTS

The biggest cost factors for tattoos are the artist and the design. The more experience and notoriety a tattoo artist has, the higher their rate. The more complex and detailed the design, the more it will cost.

But the other biggest impact on price is the size and placement of the tattoo. If you choose a tattoo or piece that’s more involved, intricate, colorful and detailed, the longer the tattoo takes to complete. Additionally, if you’re choosing to place the tattoo in a complicated spot on the body, it inevitably means the more time the artist spends on your tattoo – all of which will ultimately be reflected in the total cost.  

AVERAGE TATTOO COSTS BY PLACEMENT

Where you get your tattoo has a significant impact on the cost – as in where geographically speaking. Typically, cites will charge more than rural and suburban areas. Getting a tattoo by an artist in a well-known urban city is generally higher than getting a tattoo from an artist in a remote small town. If you get a tattoo in a flourishing city where cost of living is high, expect to pay a higher rate. If you get a tattoo in a tourist location where many people visit and get tattoos, expect to pay a higher rate. Traveling abroad also has specific price variances to consider.

For example, according to studies published in 2016*, the three most expensive places in the world to get a tattoo were:

#1 – San Francisco,CA (USA) – Average $280/hour

#2 – Tokyo, Japan – Average $253/hour

#3 – New York City, NY (USA) – Average $224/hour

*As of 2016 according to Global Tattoo Trend Index

Some of the most popular and pricey places to get a tattoo are: