Tattoo Prices in Australia
Tattoos have many factors which can influence their price. These include the artist’s experience, the size of the tattoo, how complex it is, how long it will take to complete, and where the tattoo is positioned on your body. All come into play when determining the final cost of your tattoo.
Based on our research, here are the latest tattoo prices in Australia for Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane:
| Tattoo | Price |
|---|---|
Melbourne |
|
| Small Tattoo | $125 |
| Medium Tattoo | $700 |
| Large Tattoo | $1,500 |
| Junior Tattooist | $100/hour |
| Mid-Level Tattooist | $150/hour |
| Professional Tattooist | $200/hour |
| Highly Experienced Tattooist | $250/hour |
Sydney |
|
| Small Tattoo | $125 |
| Medium Tattoo | $700 |
| Large Tattoo | $1,500 |
| Junior Tattooist | $85/hour |
| Mid-Level Tattooist | $130/hour |
| Professional Tattooist | $190/hour |
| Highly Experienced Tattooist | $250/hour |
Perth |
|
| Small Tattoo | $150 |
| Medium Tattoo | $750 |
| Large Tattoo | $1,500 |
| Junior Tattooist | $100/hour |
| Mid-Level Tattooist | $150/hour |
| Professional Tattooist | $200/hour |
| Highly Experienced Tattooist | $250/hour |
Brisbane |
|
| Small Tattoo | $125 |
| Medium Tattoo | $700 |
| Large Tattoo | $1,500 |
| Junior Tattooist | $100/hour |
| Mid-Level Tattooist | $150/hour |
| Professional Tattooist | $200/hour |
| Highly Experienced Tattooist | $250/hour |
Tattoo Price Updates
- November 2019 – Based on further research, tattoo prices have remained steady over the past 6 months.
- October 2018 – Reformatted the list of tattoo prices based on a number of factors and usability issues.
- June 2018 – Based on further research, tattoo prices have remained steady over the past 6 months.
As you can see, prices are fairly similar across all the states in Australia, but do sometimes vary from parlour to parlour. So it’s always best to talk to the parlour you’re thinking of going to beforehand, just to make sure you’re 100% on the price before you get started!
If you’d to get a quote as soon as possible, please tap the button and fill out all the information as best as you can. A reputable tattoo parlour will be then get in touch with you soon after.
How Tattooists Determine The Price
As mentioned, there are a number of factors which will determine exactly how much your tattoo is going to cost you.
By far, the most influential factor is the complexity.
Complexity
Think of it as a difficulty rating. A more detailed and complex tattoo has a higher degree of difficulty. That means it’s also going to have a higher cost.
Other the other hand, if you bring the difficulty back down to a medium or easy, say for a simple tattoo like an anchor, the price is also going to drop with it.
Your artist will place the highest weighting on how difficult your tattoo design will be, when finalising the quote for you.
Simple & Complex Tattoo
Sure, the tattooist you choose will have the final say on how much your tattoo will cost, but you shouldn’t let it determine what type of tattoo you’re going to go.
If you want a design that is complex and detailed, don’t simplify it purely to bring the cost down – You will regret it.
If you don’t have the money just yet, keep saving. You’ll thank yourself now, and in the future.
Size Of The Tattoo
As with many other goods and services in Australia, the size of the item often plays a part in the price. Bigger size, higher cost. Tattoos generally follow the same principle.
I say generally because a small, extremely complex tattoo will likely set you back more than a simple, large tattoo.
Tattoos around the size of your palm or face are generally considered on the smaller side of the spectrum.
Half a leg or a quarter of your upper body and you’re moving up into the more medium-sized tattoos.
And finally, anything bigger than those two will bring you up to what many consider is a large tattoo. Think full back tattoos, or tattoos that cover the your complete upper body.
Position On Your Body
As with traditional art, the various types of canvas’ require painters to have a different set of skills. Tattoos are no different.
Think of your back as a plane’s runway for taking off. It’s smooth (unless you’ve got a bit of hair – but that’ll be shaved off come tattoo time anyway), it’s straight, and it’s easy to glide on. That’s the perfect canvas for the tattooist. It’ll make the their job mostly smooth sailing.
Your foot, on the other hand, has much more corners and rounded areas with many bones and veins getting in the way as well. This is a tough canvas to paint on. And it’s likely going to cost you more to get a tattoo there as well.
Area around your joints similarly require a more talented artist to effectively draw around. However, when done right, joint tattoos are a marvel.
Summing it up:
- Large, open areas = lower price
- Small, tighter areas = higher price
Hours Required
This one is sort of a combination of the three factors above. As the position, size, and complexity of the tattoo all increase, so do the hours required to complete it.
If the parlour you’re looking to use prices their tattoo based on hours work, this will lead to an increase in the price of your tattoo.
If the parlour operates on a fixed-fee basis, they will likely estimate the numbers required and factor that into the fixed-fee quote they provide you.
Experienced artists can quickly determine how many hours it will take from the hundreds of tattoos they’ve already done.
More parlours are more than happy to provide you with a quote if you have the design and position already figured up. Just send them a message or give them a call to arrange a time to meet and discuss it further.
Artist Experience
Finally, similar to a career, as a tattooist spends more time in the industry, they generally become a more talented artist and command a higher price for that experience.
It’s up to you – you can spend a bit less and let someone who’s new in the industry to work on your tattoo, or get an experienced professional who knows exactly what they’re doing to work on you.
Experienced Tattoo Artist
Again, it is up to you, but unless you’ve seen examples of their work and can verify it’s theirs, go more the more experienced tattooist.
Remember, tattoos should last forever, so get it done right the first time.
Combining Them
Once more, the price of a tattoo is not merely made up of a single factor, but many (which you can find above).
It’s not an exhaustive list, for example, the level of colour you’re after will also play a role, but it does provide you with a sound foundation of understanding the reasoning behind the price of your tattoo.
Of course, you may be in a position where you want to get the tattoo as soon as possible, but don’t want to fork out a lot of cash. Keep reading.
How To Get Cheap Tattoos
No judgement here – most people ask this question every now and then – “How can I get it for less?”. So why should a tattoo be any different?
Shooing the elephant out of the room – yes, there is a stigma behind ‘cheap tattoos’, one which usually turns many people away from it (think unhygienic needles).
As long as you can be 99% sure the equipment they use is sterile and safe, you’re good to go.
Flying Overseas
With the costs of flights, this one’s only worth it the total cost of your tattoo is considerably higher. I’m talking in the thousands.
Keeping that in mind, if you’re heading on vacation anyway, it may be worth it to combine the two.
Easily, the most popular overseas location for Australians to get their tattoos done is Bali and Thailand. More than 5,000 people search for bali tattoos each month, with thailand tattoos at a staggering 18,100 searches per month.
Tattoo Parlours In Pattaya, Thailand
It’s no surprise that two of the Google suggestions are bali tattoos gone wrong and bali tattoos hiv. These stories don’t come from fairy tales – they’ve happened before.
Thankfully, many parlours in these regions understand in the long run, it’s more profitable for them to raise their safety standards and provide a clean working environment for safe tattooing.
Today, there are many viable parlours is both areas which you can check out.
Here are a few of the popular ones:
- Thailand
- Bali
Shopping Around
As you do with your TV and furniture, you don’t go to the first shop and automatically agree with their price (at least you shouldn’t).
The most effective method of negotiation is to take an offer, and show it to their competitor. They can either beat it or not.
We’ll beat it by 10%
You know that slogan, the everyone in Australia knows that slogan. And it works.
Many parlours will and do, operate on the same notion. However, only a few will ever actively advertise it.
Get your design ready, take it to a parlour, get a quote, tell them you’ll think about it. Bring it to a competitor, ask for a cheaper quote. I can 85% guarantee it’ll work 95% of the time, every time.
Promise. Not actually guaranteed.
Good Luck
Now that you know a lot of the reasoning behind how much you tattoo is going to cost you – it’s up to you to find out the exact price.
Contact one of the parlour below in the area near you, and ask them for a quote. If you don’t have a design ready, get in touch and I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to help you.
Good luck!
| Sydney | |
 Authentink Tattoo Studio |
 Venomous Ink |
| Melbourne | |
 Vic Market Tattoo |
 City of Ink |
| Brisbane | |
 Seventh Circle Tattoo Studio |
 Wild at Heart Tattoo |
| Perth | |
 Primitive Tattoo |
 WA Ink Tattoo |
If you have any further questions about tattoo prices, let me know in the comments below.
And if you’re looking for the prices of other Australian goods and services, check out the rest of my website!
Who can design a tattoo for you and how much does designing a bespoke tattoo cost?
Hi Therese – normally many of the tattoo artists also design the tattoos as well. Again, this ranges depending on the complexity of the tattoo and what you want it to look like.
In Brisbane I paid $800 for a medium size tattoo. Remember, the cheapest options are not the best, take care when choosing an artist and read all reviews available.
Definitely! Most people who get cheap tattoos end up regretting it. I always say spend a bit more time saving and then pay for quality work.
Hello, I have been to a few tattoo places in Melbourne. I have been to cheap and expensive, and both where very bad. Its sad cause its on my body forever. They wernt small pieces they where very big full day tattoos. Finally I found an artist who cares and helps out with the final design that suits my skin. It pays to search well, and dont do silly mistakes and get a artist who doesnt care about you or your skin, and only the bills that come out of your wallet. And its hard to trust some reviews, cause… Read more »
Good to hear you finally found yourself a good tattooist after the not-so-good experiences. And that’s a good point – forgot about the touch ups and maintenance after the initial work is done. I’ll add it into the guide above soon!
Thanks for the comment and feedback David.
i wanted to get a matching tattoo with my mum but i dont know how much the avenge price for them are? do you have any roughly guess on how much?
Hi Alicia,
It all depends on what type of tattoo you want to get. If it’s big and complicated it’ll cost more, otherwise if it’s small and simple it might be from $100-$200.
Hey do you know how much it would cost me to get 4 letters tattooed on my left lower arm? I live in Melbourne btw if that helps..
Hi Sunni – unfortunately I don’t. It’s too hard to tell without a specific design. I recommend contacting one of the recommended tattooists in Melbourne above so they can give you an accurate price.
Mike
Hey Mike, I was jus wanting ask about how much would a tattoo such as a small 1cm cross? I was actually just wanting to know cause me and my siblings were wanting to get matching tattoos.
Telling people to shop around for prices and making artists (who are all different) compete for work is really bad advice… and one of the biggest reasons why the quality is being driven down in Australia, and why alot of good tattooists leave. Very talented tattooists are now being forced to get paid the same as their less skilled competitors just to pay their bills. Its not hard: Just find an artist whos portfolio and reputation you like, ask them for their hourly price, and then tell them your budget, so they can design your piece to the complexity of… Read more »