I am often asked by people looking to get a tattoo how much do you think this will cost. Of course, each person has their own unique design in mind and everyone wants to know exactly how much their design will cost them. However, the price of tattoos is very difficult. No simple answer can be given to a question like that. The price of a tattoo can vary on many factors. However, here is a general guide so you know some of the factors and some price ranges that would be considered decent.

First factor: the store

Each store has its own pricing guidelines and even each tattoo artist in the store may have their own ways of pricing a tattoo. The more famous the shop or the artist, the more expensive the tattoo will be. Also, the price can change depending on how busy the store is at the time you enter. If they are full of clients, they will quote you a much higher price than if they are looking for a job.

Second Factor: Design

Another factor that goes into the final price of the tattoo is the design itself. If you have a really big tattoo design in mind and want the tattoo artist to draw the artwork, it will cost you a significant amount more than if you have a flash design you found at your shop on your wall. So the size of the design and the difference between the custom drawing and the flash will change the price significantly.

Third Factor: Time

Another factor that always goes into the price of a tattoo design is the amount of time it will take to get the job done. A large back piece will take a significant number of hours as opposed to a small wrist tattoo. If you are looking for something really big like a full back tattoo or a body suit, you will spend many hours on several visits to the tattoo shop and it will cost you a lot of money. You should easily spend thousands of dollars on a full back tattoo. However, small designs that can be done quickly in a 30 minute to an hour session will obviously cost much less.

General rules

First of all, never go bargain shopping for a tattoo design. Do you really want the cheapest guy to do a tattoo design for you? This is a permanent tattoo design that you are going to live with for the rest of your life and you don’t want to go all out of order just to save a few bucks. Second, you never want to try to bargain or bargain with a tattoo artist. This will infuriate the artist and can often offend them. Most tattoo artists do their job for a living. Yes, they may love creating designs and getting tattoos, but in the end they do it to put food on their plate and pay the bills. They have worked hard to get to the level they are at and be able to charge the prices they are charging. Trading with them is like doubting your abilities. With that in mind, if you don’t want to bargain and don’t want to go with the lowest price, it may be wise to look around a few different stores and get quotes from different artists. This way, you can find an artist you connect with well and someone you like their designs with. The price will often seem reasonable to you if you shop around and find an artist you really like.

So, this brings us to the question we started with: how much will my tattoo design cost? Obviously, due to the above, this is difficult to answer. However, here is a general guide that can help you, but in some ranges and perspectives.

small tattoo design (wrist, foot, ankle) – Between $50 and $150

medium tattoo design (forearm, leg, upper back, lower back) – Between $150 to $500

great tattoo designs (Full back, sleeve, full leg) – Between $500 to $2,000