How Much Does A Suit Cost?

Suits can cost anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars (at their most basic) and run into tens of thousands for higher-end designs.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the different suit options for different budgets, from the lower end of the scale right up to the highest quality available, and tell you precisely what you can expect for your money.

How Much Can I Expect To Pay For A Suit?

Not all suits are created equal, so price points can vary significantly. Give or take, the below price ranges highlight what you can get for your money:

• Basic Quality: Under $500
• Good Quality: $500 to $900
• Very High Quality: $900 to $1,300 
• Premium: Above $1,300

There are a few different types of suits that you should consider when deciding which is best for you. Find out what they are below.

The Influence Of Fabrics & Designs on Suit Pricing

There are a few different types of suits that you should consider when deciding which is best for you. Find out what they are below.

Essentially, the fabric used in making a suit will make a difference to the price – higher quality fabrics demand a higher price.

For example, modern quality suits crafted from wool or wool blends will start at Super 100 and increase as per the grade of the yarn. The number refers to how many twists are in the worsted wool – the higher the number, the more twists, and the finer the fabric.

Get to Super 150, and you’re in the luxury zone. By Super 180, expect to pay a premium price.

When it comes to design, off-the-rack (OTR) suits will fit most men, so the design will be generic to accommodate as many individuals as possible.

If you decide on a made-to-measure (MTM) suit, your requirements have been stringently taken into account, so the design is shaped around you.

Where the fabrics came from will also factor into the pricing. Italian and French fabrics will typically cost more than fabrics produced in China, for example.

The Costs Different Types Of Suits

The cost of a suit often depends on how it’s made – and that feeds into a couple of different categories. Some menswear brands understand the need for a low-cost suit, so they cut corners and make budget options. A cheap suit for a cheap price.

There are other examples. An off-the-rack suit is going to be less expensive than a custom-tailored suit, for one. Designer suits are also going to be expensive, just as is the case with all designer clothing.

There are levels to this stuff, so we wanted to give some insights into what each of these types of suits might cost you.

Budget Suits

As previously mentioned, the fabric can and does make all the difference in suit prices. For example, if you decide on a $200 suit, it won’t be crafted from the finest silk. But that shouldn’t stop you if that’s your budget.

For $200, yes, the quality won’t be excellent, but you can still have a basic suit that looks good for the price and will last you quite a while. This might be a good idea for your first suit for an entry-level job interview, for example. 

Anything below $150, and you are looking at a suit made from polyester or rayon. Or, if you shop around, you may be able to find something in viscose, another synthetic material that feels better to the touch and looks pretty good on cheaper suits.

Best Places for Budget Suits

• Retailers like ASOS, J.Crew and H&M

Off-The-Rack Suits

Off-the-rack suits or OTR, as they are commonly referred to, are machine-made suits, usually made in large batches specially designed to fit a large demographic of men.

Unless it’s a high-end brand, an OTR suit will usually cost you around $500, but can go a lot higher for higher-quality suits. If you step into any department store in America, you’ll see a wide range of off-the-rack suits. 

Although they could never top a custom-made suit in terms of immediate fit, these men’s suits are trendy and offer somewhat of a compromise between budget men’s suits and custom fits.

These suits will usually incur extra costs as they will be needed to be taken to your choice of custom tailors who will be able to alter the cut to better fit you. It’s never a good idea to pick up an OTR and wear it immediately; it will never look its best, nor can you expect it to.

Best Places for OTR Suits

• Retailers like Brooks Brothers and Nordstrom

Custom Suit

A custom-made suit can be created from scratch using your measurements and is primarily made by hand. Usually, the entire process will require you to attend one or several fittings. Still, some online menswear stores will allow you to follow a video to take these measurements yourself when purchasing their custom suits.

Some bespoke suit sites will send a tailor to you to take your measurements themselves to craft you a custom-tailored suit to your exact requirements. You can choose single- or double-breasted, the amount of buttonholes, lapel types and on for made-to-measure suits. 

You can usually also buy a custom-fitted dress shirt that matches your exact measurements. 

Custom-tailored suits can range anywhere from $500 to the thousands, depending upon the craftsmanship involved. Some cost as much as $6,000, but these are undoubtedly quality suits that will last a lifetime. 

The quality can range quite a bit as these brands are usually focused on the perfect fit and not always materials or make.

Best Places for Custom-Made Suits

• Retailers like Indochino or Hockerty

Designer Suits

Designer suit styles will change from season to season – what was in vogue last fall won’t necessarily be considered as such today. There are exceptions, but generally, a designer suit is primarily designed to the fashion status quo of the time.

The best designer suits will cost you somewhere in the region of $5000 to $8000, and while they may not be the most expensive suits on our list, they are a hefty price for what is essentially an OTR option.

Best Places for Designer Suits

• Retailers like Neiman Marcus or Matches Fashion

High-End Suits

High-end suits are only affordable to a select few, as they are considered luxury attire.

What sets high-end suits apart is the name and prestige of the company making these essentially custom-made suits. These brands usually have a long and well-established lineage, so a high-quality suit from an esteemed tailor will usually be a timeless piece that rarely deviates from original designs.

The suit construction will be overseen by a highly-trained tailor who instructs a small team on precise details. Inevitably, there will be several custom-tailored measuring and eventually fittings to attend to, similar to a regular custom-tailored suit.

But, regarding a quality suit, high-end is genuinely unparalleled.

Meticulously designed and crafted by a master tailor and team, a custom-tailored suit costs upwards of $10,000, with the suit construction taking weeks, sometimes months – not including fittings.

Best places for High-End Suits

• Retailers like Michael Andrews and Alan David

What If I Only Want To Purchase A Suit Jacket, Blazer or  Sport Coat?

If you want to purchase simply a jacket or a sports coat, this will inevitably bring the price tag down, but not by a considerable amount compared to a full suit

For example, if you pay $2000 for a jacket on its own, the perfect suit pants to accompany it will usually cost under $400.

And when you’ve spent that much on a jacket or sport coat, it’s probably wise to invest in a pair of pants. A jacket only truly comes into its own when the pants are equally as well-crafted.

Look & Feel Your Best in Your New Suit

No matter the price of your suit, you should feel good in it. One way to improve the feel and look of any suit, is to wear a high-quality, well-fitted undershirt beneath it. 

Too many men buy nice suits just to ruin them with basic cotton undershirts that bunch at the bottom or bow at the sleeves. It creates friction in your style and hinders the streamlined look most tailored suits are going to give to your body. 

UnderFit created a premium slim fit undershirt that goes perfectly with suits. It gently hugs the body to get rid of the “undershirt gut” basic cotton undershirts can give you. It protects your dress shirt from sweat and odor. You’ll also just be more comfortable. 

Don’t ruin a good suit moment. What you wear beneath can also contribute to the look of the suit, regardless of the price tag.

About Leigh McKenzie

Leigh is the owner of UnderFit, a premium men's undershirt brand based in Philadelphia, PA. You can follow Leigh on LinkedIn and Twitter.