Before you get a new piercing, it’s imperative that you do your research. You need to know what to expect, whether your anatomy allows for the type of piercing that you want, and you need to find a reputable piercer.

Another important point that you’ll want to know is how much you should expect to pay for a piercing. While you don’t want to use a budget piercer who won’t do the job right, you also don’t want to overpay for a piercing out of ignorance. In order to help you properly budget for your piercing, we’ve put together a brief guide of general piercing costs.

The cost of your piercing will depend upon a number of things. Piercings done in a larger city will likely be more expensive than piercings done in a rural area. Additionally, you’ll likely have to purchase your jewelry on top of the piercing as well as recommended aftercare products, which will also depend upon the price set by the studio. It’s also important to note that the cost of the piercing should not dictate whether or not you choose a specific studio; quality is much more important than cost, and if the price is on the higher side, it’s a good indication that the studio has the expertise to back the high bill.

With that being said, here are the general costs of specific piercings.

Nostril Piercing Prices

When you get your nostril pierced, you’ll probably be fitted with a starter stud that has enough room to accommodate swelling or a larger hoop. Depending on the piercer, they might suggest a style, or you might be able to choose the one that you want. The cost of the starter jewelry will likely depend on which you choose.

The price of the piercing ranges from $30 on the lower end to $75 on the upper end. In most cases, you can probably expect to pay around $40 - $50 for the piercing alone. Jewelry will cost extra. This price should include any further consultation.

Septum Piercing Prices

Starter jewelry includes hoops (usually a captive bead ring) or a circular barbell. These will vary in cost depending on the style and the material that it’s made of. Your piercer may recommend a specific style, but you might also get to choose which you’d prefer.

The septum nose piercing needs to be precisely placed, so it typically costs a little more than the nostril piercing at $40 - $75. Most of the piercing studios we researched priced their septum piercings closer to the $40 range.

Helix Piercing Prices

Starter jewelry for the helix piercing will likely be a hoop or circular barbell. The starter jewelry will always be added to the piercing price.

Service fees for the helix piercing will be somewhere between $30 - $60. At most studios, you can expect to pay around $35 - $40. If you want to get multiple helix piercings at once, some studios may offer a small discount, but others might charge you the full price for both. Be sure to pick a studio that offers free consultation during healing.

Forward Helix Piercing Prices

Even though the helix and the forward helix piercings are located close together, many piercing studios charge more for the forward helix piercing. This is likely because the forward helix area is more difficult to reach and requires more expertise.

From our research, the average cost of the forward helix was $35 - $40, like the helix piercing, but the studios usually charged around $5 more for the forward helix than they did for the helix piercing. As always, it does depend on the studio.

Rook Piercing Prices

The rook piercing is one of those that you’ll probably want to receive consultation for prior to piercing. Some people’s cartilage doesn’t allow for this piercing so you need to be prepared to get another piercing instead. Piercing consultation is free at most piercing studios.

The rook piercing costs between $35 - $60 with most studios charging around $35 - $45. As always, this does not include the cost of the starter jewelry—likely a curved barbell—or aftercare products.

Tragus Piercing Prices

Since the tragus takes place in such a tiny location and needs precise placement, you should make sure that you find a piercing studio that offers pictures of past tragus piercings. That way, you’ll know that they’ll do a great job placing your tragus piercing in a central location.

Like many other cartilage piercings, the tragus piercing costs as low as $35 and as high as $60. Typically, studios seem to charge between $35 - $40 for the tragus piercing. You’ll have to pay for your jewelry and aftercare products on top of this, but consultation should be free.

Daith Piercing Prices

Since the daith is located in the inner ear, it can be a bit difficult for piercers to reach. Depending on the studio, you might expect to spend a bit more on the daith piercing than other cartilage piercings, but sometimes they cost the same. When you’re trying to choose a piercer, look for daith piercings in their portfolio and try to find some reviews on the piercing to know whether the higher cost is worth it.

We’ve seen the daith piercing priced anywhere between $35 - $175. The higher cost is often justified because of the starter jewelry that you choose since it can sometimes be more difficult to handle than other types of jewelry. That being said, you can probably expect to pay around $35 - $55 for your daith piercing at most studios.

Industrial Piercing Prices

Since the industrial piercing consists of two piercings in one, it’s one of the more expensive piercings that you can get. Even so, it might not be as expensive as you think. Typical industrial piercing prices are $45 - $80 for the piercing alone.

One thing to keep in mind is that industrial jewelry might be more expensive than other jewelry types, further bumping up the price of this piercing. But, remember, you’re kind of getting two piercings for the price of one, making it worth it.

Cartilage Piercing Prices

Other cartilage piercings besides the ones mentioned—the auricle piercing, the anti-tragus piercing, the snug piercing, and the conch piercing—all cost around the same. When you get a cartilage piercing, you need to keep in mind that the cartilage is quite brittle and easily damaged; you want to make sure that you’re paying for a piercer who knows what they’re doing.

You can expect to pay around $35 - $50 for most cartilage piercings. While some studios might charge more depending on the piercing, most of the the time they charge around the same price for their cartilage piercings.

Nipple Piercing Prices

Even though you might want to get both nipples pierced, most piercing studios charge per nipple piercing. Usually, they’ll offer a bit of a discount if you’re getting both pierced at the same time, but it will still be a little spendy. Don’t get too upset; nipple piercings are a delicate process, and you want to make sure that it’s done correctly. Therefore, you want to pay your piercer for an amazing job.

For a single nipple piercing, we’ve seen prices from $40 - $100. For the most part, you should expect to pay around $40 - $55. For a double piercing, double that price, and if you get a discount, consider it a bonus.

Lip Piercing Prices

Most lip piercings tend to be around the same price, whether you get a Monroe, a Madonna, a labret, a side labret, or any other single piercing. If you get a snake bite piercing, a Dahlia piercing, a shark bite piercing, or other multiple lip piercings, you should expect to pay more. However, many piercing studios offer discounts for multiple piercings done at once (often around $10).

For single lip piercings, studios charge between $35 on the low end and $75 on the high end. The majority of studios seem to charge around $40. If you get multiple piercings, expect to pay double, triple, or quadruple the price, but keep in mind that you might receive a slight discount.

Ear Piercing Prices

Since single lobe piercings are quite rare, earlobe piercings are the one type of piercing that usually offers the second piercing free. (Don’t expect the same with any other piercing type.) They are also usually the cheapest piercing to get, likely because they are so common.

For a lobe piercing, you can expect to pay between $25 - $40, depending on the studio. If you’re wanting to pierce your child, most studios charge $5 - $10 above their standard lobe piercing price.

Belly Button Piercing Prices

The belly button piercing tends to see a lot of jewelry rejection if it isn’t pierced correctly, so you want to make sure that you see a reputable piercer for this piercing. While you can get your navel pierced for quite cheap, you might want to budget more for an excellent shop.

Navel piercings can cost between $35 - $90. Typically, prices are around $40 - $55. As with every piercing, consultation should be free, but it’s even more important with the belly button piercing; if your navel jewelry starts to be rejected, you want to be able to see your piercer so that they can let you know next steps.

Surface Piercing Prices

Like the belly button piercing, surface piercings tend to see a lot of rejection. When you shop for your piercer, it’s a good idea to find someone who specializes in surface piercings. A good way to figure this out is to look at their portfolio and see how many successful surface piercings they showcase.

The cost of surface piercings tend to be all over the place, from $40 to $100. We recommend finding somewhere whose prices fall somewhere in between those. However, the most important part is that they offer proof of surface piercing success.

Surface Anchor (Dermal) Piercing Prices

Surface anchor piercings (also known as dermal piercings) require the piercer to make a small incision in order to insert an anchor into which the jewelry top will be attached. Before you get this piercing, you should first make sure that it’s legal in your state since some legislators consider it to be a medical procedure and, therefore, illegal unless performed by a medical professional.

Once you have made sure that this piercing is legal, and you’ve found a piercer who has proven experience with this piercing, you’ll likely spend between $50 - $85. Again, price isn’t always the important part; you must find an experienced piercer.

Tongue Piercing Prices

Tongue piercings must be carefully placed since there are many nerves in the tongue that can get damaged by a botched piercing. When shopping for a piercer, make sure that the piercer has a good track record with tongue piercings before you judge them for the price.

Tongue piercings vary in price from $35 - $70. Most of the time, they cost around $35 - $50. This does not include the cost of the jewelry.

Eyebrow Piercing Prices

Technically surface piercings, eyebrow piercings are also susceptible to rejection. You need to make sure that you find a piercer who is excellent at surface piercings in order to ensure the success of your eyebrow piercing. They should also provide free consultations.

We’ve seen prices between $30 - $75 for eyebrow piercings, but they typically cost around $40. As always, this does not include the jewelry.