How much is a nose piercing? Prices, jewelry and the real total

A nostril piercing costs $30 to $70 in a US studio, and jewelry, where it is priced separately, is $25 to $100. Most people leave having spent between $55 and $170, plus a tip.

A septum costs a little more, and the more advanced nose placements more again. Where you live matters too: expect the top of each range in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and the lower end in smaller markets.

The prices on this page are typical US studio ranges as of September 2026. Studios set their own, so treat them as a guide and confirm with the studio before you book.

Prices for every nose piercing

The advanced placements cost more because they take longer, need more experience to place well, and are offered by fewer piercers. For the septum, how much is a septum piercing breaks down the jewelry and the first-year total, and for every other piercing the piercing prices page has a full table and a cost estimator.

What the piercing fee pays for

The fee is not for a few seconds with a needle. In a professional studio it covers:

• A consultation and marking, including checking the placement in a mirror with you before anything happens.
• A single-use sterile needle, opened in front of you.
• Sterilised tools, processed in an autoclave that the studio should be able to show you records for.
• The piercer’s training and time, which is most of what you are paying for.
• Aftercare guidance, and at many studios a free first downsize.

Jewelry prices

For a first nostril piercing, a good piercer will use a flat-back labret stud in implant-grade titanium: a straight post with a flat disc that sits inside the nostril. It stays still, which is what a healing piercing needs.

Photo by Andrea Miceli Rovito via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

What changes the price is mostly the decorative end:

A septum usually starts with a titanium horseshoe or a seamless ring, and decorative clickers push it toward the top of its range.

Material is the one place not to save money. Plated and mystery-metal jewelry causes a large share of the irritation people blame on the piercing itself. The materials guide explains what implant grade means, and nose ring sizes covers gauge and post length.

The real total for the first year

A nostril piercing has a few costs beyond the day itself. Here is what the first year typically adds up to, by jewelry choice:

After that comes new jewelry once the piercing has healed, at four to six months for a nostril. That is the fun part, and the part with no ceiling. How long a nose piercing takes to heal explains why it is worth waiting for.

Why some nose piercings are so cheap

The nose piercing advertised for almost nothing at a retail counter is usually done with a spring-loaded piercing gun, with a basic stud included and the price made up by the jewelry sale.

The problems are practical. A gun forces a blunt stud through the tissue instead of passing a sharp needle, which the Association of Professional Piercers compares to a crush injury. The plastic body cannot go in an autoclave. And gun studs and cheap nose screws are the wrong shape for a nostril, which makes irritation bumps far more likely. Piercing gun vs needle covers the details.

A nose piercing that goes wrong costs more than one done properly: new jewelry, a visit to a piercer to sort out a bump, and sometimes letting it close and paying for a re-pierce.

A fair price or a warning sign

Price alone does not tell you much. These do:

• Needles opened in front of you, never a gun.
• Implant-grade jewelry, with the studio able to tell you exactly what metal it is.
• A flat-back labret stud offered for a new nostril piercing, not a nose screw, a nose bone or a hoop without discussion.
• Autoclave records available on request.
• A portfolio of healed work, not just fresh piercings photographed on the day.
• A downsize policy you understand before you pay.

If a studio ticks all of those and costs $20 more than the one down the road, pay the $20. The Association of Professional Piercers publishes a checklist for picking your piercer.

Tipping

In the US, tipping your piercer 15 to 20 percent of the piercing fee is standard, the same as any appointment-based service. It is not customary in many other countries, so check local practice when you travel.