Prom has a reputation for being expensive — even if you aren't trying to turn the one-night event into a social-media worthy, red-carpet production (like the Philadelphia mother who spent $27,000 on a Cinderella-themed castle send-off for her daughter back in 2024). But no matter how you choose to celebrate the evening, chances are it's going to cost you.
There's no dedicated report that tracks what Americans spend on prom, so CNBC Select looked at the closest available data — from government price indexes to an index created by a college professor — to get a sense of what the big night actually costs.
Is your wallet ready for prom?
💸 $150 to $2,100+ 💸
The average cost of prom this year is estimated to range between $150 to more than $2,100, according to a formal wear style expert at the special occasion dress retailer Amarra. Costs can vary depending on the outfit you choose, flowers and where you live.
💇♂️ 110% 💇
Ready for your touch-up? Personal care services — hair, nails and makeup — have risen 110% since 2000, according to Jay Zagorsky. The professor at Boston University's Questrom School of Business and father of three created the prom index to track the changing costs of the event and uses closely related Consumer Price Index (CPI) categories to approximate prom-related expenses.
👗 $450 to $700 👗
According to national prom retailer Terry Costa, shoppers typically spend between $450 and $550 on a dress. Designer gowns start around $500 and can exceed $700 before alterations. That said, the price of women's dresses has fallen 12% since 1998, per Zagorsky's analysis.
🌺 8.5% 🌺
The cost of flowers — corsages and boutonnieres — has risen 8.5% in the past year alone, per the index. A corsage today runs between $20 to $40 on average, according to Kremp Florist, a national online florist, while a boutonniere averages around $8 to $20.
📉 40% 📉
Prom-related costs have risen 40% between 2023 and 1998, per Zagorsky's index. The CPI, by comparison, jumped 86% over the same period.
Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here.
Why trust CNBC Select?
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every newsletter is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.
