Tattoos are an excellent way to express oneself and no expense should be spared when making this permanent adjustment to the body. The average tattoo in America will cost under $100, with many available for under $50. Cost is usually determined by size, color, area, and special treatments done to the ink. The bigger the tattoo and more colorful it is instantly adds to the price, usually do to the time involved. Having the tattoo placed on a hard-to-reach place, such as the inside of the lips, may also affect the final cost. Special treatments, such as the addition of jewelry or using glow-in-the-dark ink, will be the largest addition to the final price of the piece. Designer artists, who are famous for their work, will often charge an extra fee to use their specialized services.

Most Expensive Tattoo Artist

​The most expensive tattoo artist, Anil Gupta, has been featured in Ripley’s Believe It or Not and is famous for creating “the World’s Smallest Tattoo,” an accurate rendering of Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” The New York artist charges $350 an hour for his work and does everything free hand. His work is always customized, and his work usually takes longer than an hour to complete.

The World’s Most Expensive Tattoo

​The world’s most expensive tattoo, valued at $924,000, was worn by Minki van der Westhuizen and involved no ink. The tattoo involved 612 Shimansky Ideal Cut diamonds, each .5 carats. The tattoo used a special adhesive that made the tattoo temporary and was designed by a luxury jeweler, who may be making more of these designs in the future.

Kate Moss’ Million Dollar Tattoo

​The artist is often important when determine the cost of a tattoo. Kate Moss, an American model, had two small swallows inked on her lower back by one of her friends, the famous artist Lucian Freud. Many of Freud’s works sell for millions easily so the tattoo is considered to be worth over a million, although somewhat priceless.