Ok here's your warning: this article contains maths. Simple maths, sure. But it's mainly numbers, plus a table, and a graph.
Why? Because I wanted to find out how much alterations and tailoring clothes actually cost using real prices from real companies. So you don't get ripped off.
I've taken the price lists from 10 companies across the country, and combined them in a table to get an average, a low number, and a high number. This graph is the final product.
How much does it cost to get clothes tailored?
It varies from £10 for a simple shortening of the trousers, to £40 to hem a jacket. But really, the sky's the limit, especially with complex clothing like a suit.
For trousers, alterations are fairly cheap:
- Shortening trousers costs £13.49 on average
- Lengthening trousers costs £15.39 on average
- Tapering trousers costs £19.49 on average
- Altering the waist of trousers costs £16.09 on average
For a skirt, it's slightly more expensive:
- Shortening a skirt costs £16.99 on average
- Lengthening a skirt costs £17.40 on average
Jackets and shirts are the most expensive to tailor, as they usually have details like buttons, cuffs, or linings to consider:
- Shortening a jacket's sleeves costs £22.66 on average
- Shortening a jacket's hem costs £31.12 on average
- Shortening a shirt's sleeves costs £19.22 on average
- Shortening a shirt's hem costs £15.11 on average
It's also worth mentioning that these are the 'entry level' prices for each of these alterations. There are some other factors which can affect the price:
- Add £10-£20 if a garment has vents
- Add £5-£10 if trousers have tape
- Add £10-£30 if a garment has a lining (e.g. a lined skirt)
- Add £10-£15 if you want the original hem retained on jeans
Here's the full breakdown of prices I saw across the 10 sample companies:
| Lowest Price | Average Price | Highest Price | |
| Shorten Trousers | £10.00 | £13.49 | £16.99 |
| Lengthen Trousers | £10.00 | £15.39 | £22.00 |
| Taper Trousers | £14.00 | £19.49 | £25.00 |
| Bring in Waist (Trousers) | £12.00 | £16.09 | £20.00 |
| Bring out Waist (Trousers) | £12.00 | £16.09 | £20.00 |
| Shorten Skirt | £10.00 | £16.99 | £25.00 |
| Lengthen Skirt | £15.00 | £17.40 | £20.00 |
| Shorten Sleeves (Jacket) | £14.00 | £22.66 | £34.99 |
| Shorten Hem (Jacket) | £25.00 | £31.12 | £40.00 |
| Shorten Sleeves (Shirt) | £12.00 | £19.22 | £25.00 |
| Shorten Hem (Shirt) | £10.00 | £15.11 | £22.99 |
Is tailoring clothes worth it?
Absolutely! If you like a garment but it doesn't quite fit, it can be a cost-effective way to make it work. Especially if it's a brand or style you don't want to compromise on, or if it's a garment that's already quite expensive, like a coat or suit.
For shorter men in particular, tailoring clothes is a very common way to solve the lack of shorter sizes. Jeans, for instance, usually stop at 30 inches inseam, which is too long for many men under 5'10.
There are some occasions where alterations or tailoring aren't that cost-effective. For instance, with clothes that are more everyday staples, like t-shirts or polo shirts. At Ruler, we've tried to solve this problem for shorter men, by offering shorter sizes 'off the rack'.
Hope that helped!
Jack, Founder of Ruler of London
More data and methodology, for the curious and nerdy
- Data was collected in June 2024, using online price lists from 10 different tailors in the UK. I omitted prices where the company didn't offer them.
- Not every tailor offers the same services, or gives them the same name. I tried to match them up based on 'entry level' service - e.g. 'plain trousers' or unlined skirts. So you may find your quotes are a bit higher if your garment has a lining or other details.
- I tried to spread my sample out across the UK. London was most expensive, Glasgow was cheapest. But most were in the same ballpark.
- Here's the full table, with links to the price lists:
| Company | Top Tailor | We Stitch and Fix | Brighton Tailoress | Swift Stitch | Tailor Made | Sewmore | LD Alterations | London Tailoring and Alterations | Smart City Tailors | Sew Easy |
| Location | Birmingham | Slough | Brighton | Guildford | Birmingham | Borehamwood | Peterborough | London | Manchester | Glasgow |
| Shorten Trousers | £10.00 | £15.00 | £15.00 | £12.99 | £12.95 | £12.00 | £15.00 | £16.99 | £15.00 | £10.00 |
| Lengthen Trousers | £12.00 | £15.00 | £15.00 | £16.99 | £12.95 | £15.00 | £22.00 | £19.99 | £15.00 | £10.00 |
| Taper Trousers | £14.00 | £16.00 | £15.00 | £18.99 | £19.95 | £20.00 | £22.00 | £18.99 | £25.00 | £25.00 |
| Bring in Waist (Trousers) | £12.00 | £16.00 | £15.00 | £16.99 | £14.95 | £20.00 | £15.00 | £16.99 | £20.00 | £14.00 |
| Bring out Waist (trousers) | £12.00 | £16.00 | £15.00 | £16.99 | £14.95 | £20.00 | £15.00 | £16.99 | £20.00 | £14.00 |
| Shorten Skirt | £14.00 | £15.00 | £10.00 | £16.99 | £12.95 | £20.00 | £25.00 | £25.00 | £14.00 | |
| Lengthen Skirt | £15.00 | £15.00 | £18.99 | £20.00 | £18.00 | |||||
| Shorten Sleeves (Jacket) | £16.00 | £20.00 | £19.99 | £21.95 | £25.00 | £22.00 | £34.99 | £30.00 | £14.00 | |
| Shorten Hem (Jacket) | £25.00 | £25.00 | £34.99 | £29.95 | £38.00 | £31.00 | £40.00 | £25.00 | ||
| Shorten Sleeves (Shirt) | £12.00 | £16.00 | £25.00 | £22.99 | £15.00 | £16.00 | £24.99 | £25.00 | £16.00 | |
| Shorten Hem (Shirt) | £10.00 | £12.00 | £15.00 | £14.99 | £12.00 | £16.00 | £22.99 | £15.00 | £18.00 |