The fastest way to know what prom will cost you is to build your own number, line by line, from the choices you are actually going to make. National averages blur together very different nights. Your budget should not.
Below is every cost most students run into, what drives each one up or down, and the real figures we could find for the big ones. Use it as a worksheet. Fill in your own prices as you get them, or enter them in the prom budget calculator, which adds them up for you.
The big lines
Ticket
Set by your school. Some on-campus proms are inexpensive. Others, held at commercial venues with transportation included, cost far more. At Gunn High School in Palo Alto, 2025 tickets ran from $90 to $185 depending on when students bought. Check whether your school has an early-bird price, and whether a guest ticket costs the same.
Dress
Usually the largest single cost. A 2025 student newspaper report from Fuquay-Varina High School in North Carolina put typical dresses at $250 to $350 and high-end gowns around $700. A dress from a free program or a resale find can cost a fraction of that. A designer special order can cost more. Where you shop sets most of this number.
Alterations
Easy to forget and almost always needed. Hemming is the most common job. Taking in a bodice, adding straps or fixing a slit for dress code adds more. Ask your tailor for a quote before prom season, when prices and wait times rise.
The details
These are smaller individually and add up fast together.
- Shoes. Remember your hem is measured to them, so buy them early.
- Undergarments that work with the dress, such as a strapless bra or shapewear.
- Jewelry and a small bag.
- A wrap or jacket if your prom is outdoors or in a cold month.
- A small emergency kit for the night itself.
Beauty
Hair, makeup, nails, lashes and tanning are all services, and services are where prom costs have climbed fastest. An economist's index of prom prices found haircuts roughly doubled in price between 1998 and 2023 while dresses got cheaper. That makes beauty the easiest place to overspend without noticing.
Decide which of these you actually want done professionally. Many students book one, usually hair, and do the rest themselves or with a friend. If you book, ask for a prom-day price and whether a trial costs extra.
The night
- Flowers. Traditionally a corsage for one date and a boutonniere for the other, each bought by the other person.
- Dinner before prom, often with a group.
- Transportation. A parent drop-off is free. A limo or party bus is shared among a group, so the cost per person depends on how many share it.
- Photos, whether from a photographer at the pre-prom gathering or the venue's photo booth.
- After-prom plans, if any.
Putting it together
Add up your lines, then compare the total to what you or your family can actually spend. If it is over, start with the shared and optional costs, then the services, and only then the dress. Most people find the gap closes faster than they expected.
For national context, the last large survey, Visa's in 2015, found families planned to spend $919 on average. Retailers estimate $950 to $1,100 for recent years. Our guide to what prom costs explains those numbers. Our page on prom on a budget covers how to bring yours down, line by line.