Once you’ve decided that you’re ready to get a new tattoo, you’re going to have to make a few more decisions before actually getting permanently inked. One of the big ones is deciding on your budget.

So, how do you find out how much your tattoo is going to cost?

The first thing you’re going to need to do is decide on the tattoo design that you want. Before anything else, choosing a tattoo that you are 100% sure of is more important than the cost. Your tattoo is forever and it’s not a decision that you want to base solely on cost.

Once you are absolutely certain of which tattoo design you want, you can move on to choosing the studio and the artist.

Regardless of what anyone may tell you, when it comes to tattoos, you get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean that your tattoo has to be expensive to be good, but there are a few things that will determine the price:

1. Custom tattoo design
If your tattoo design idea is one that is 100% unique and you need the tattoo artist to design it for you, you are likely to pay quite a bit more for his time and skills to create that design for you.

2. Artist Reputation
Artists can charge whatever they want and it can can range anywhere from $50 to $300 and up per hour. Typically, the more reputable and famous the artist becomes, the more you’re going to pay to have that artist do your tattoo.

3. Size matters
Yes, this is one of those times where size actually does matter. For instance, a small heart tattoo on your wrist is going to cost considerably less that an intricate full back piece design.

Is it possible to find a tattoo studio that has super cheap pricing? Of course, and it’s even possible that they have professional artists with great talent, but never rush into choosing a tattoo studio, especially based on cost.