But only can make this call. To help you decide, here’s a quick rundown on jacket alteration prices.

Suit Jacket Alterations Cost

Keep in mind, pricing varies widely from one city (or country) to the next, so take these estimates with a grain of salt.

Roughly, here’s how much you’ll pay for specific jacket alterations in an average American town:

Let’s look at each alteration in a bit more detail…

Jacket Collar

Your jacket’s collar can be raised, lowered or reduced to fix any collar gap or bunching, but this is not always a straightforward alteration.

Some tailors will simply take the collar in at the center back, which can result in a better fit but will produce a new seam (something you may or may not care about).

Ideally, you should try to make sure your suit jacket collars fit properly when you try them on.

Jacket Shoulders

When you’re buying a suit, sport coat or blazer, the most important thing you have pay attention to is how the shoulders fit.

Shoulder alterations are tricky, at best. They’re often impossible and will only make your suit look worse (and cost you a lot of hard-earned money). Most tailors won’t even attempt to this operation.

If the shoulders are too wide or narrow, don’t buy the jacket.

Jacket Length

Jacket length is a relatively easy adjustment to make, but it can throw off the proportions of the garment (e.g., the pockets might be too close to the hem).

So make sure not to buy anything that’s too far off (i.e., more than 2? too long or too short).