Wigs have become a major staple in the beauty and fashion industry, saving millions of women and men from countless bad hair days. They have also helped celebrities and everyday divas switch up their looks without committing to a long-term change.
When wig newbies first consider getting themselves a unit, one of the first things that come to mind is the cost. They wonder how much they'll need to pay to get a good-quality wig.
By the end of this guide, you will understand how much a good wig costs, whether a wig may be overpriced, and much more.
How Much Is a Good Wig?
First, let's get into how to determine whether a wig is "good." A good wig is smooth to the touch, devoid of shedding, very easy to style, and doesn't necessarily look like a wig when worn.
Quality wigs also last for months vs. weeks and retain their original level of quality throughout that time.
Free 50-page guide
Your hair is already growing. The problem is keeping it.
On average, hair grows a third to half an inch a month, and curlier hair tends to grow more slowly. If your length looks stuck, that’s your hair breaking off as fast as it grows in. Here are the seven causes of breakage and the weekly routine that stops them.
Free. An email every few days for two weeks, then one every Thursday, plus the odd extra. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bad wigs, or rather, poor wigs, feel dry and low-quality (let us explain). They can be compared to the texture of straw-like hair - rough to the touch, difficult to style, and very uncomfortable to wear.
They also don't last very long and shed like crazy.
So, how much is a good wig?
The truth is that it varies widely, ranging from about $100 to $2,000 or more. A dermatology review gives prices from about $60 to $2,000 for wigs made for medical hair loss, depending on how they're made (Saed et al., 2017). Some good basic wigs cost as little as $100 or less, and on the other side of the spectrum are wonderfully luxurious wigs that go up to $5,000 or more.
While the price ranges can vary, the higher quality a wig is, the more you'll pay for it. In other words, good-quality wigs are usually more expensive than lower-quality wigs.
Take a look at the table below to compare prices.
What a wig costs
Here’s what different kinds of wigs usually cost, and where each number comes from.
| Typical price | Where the number comes from | |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic wig | About $30 to $500 | Breastcancer.org |
| Wig with machine-sewn rows of hair (wefts) | About $60 to $300 | A dermatology review (Saed et al., 2017) |
| Wig with hair knotted by hand into a mesh base | About $300 to $1,000 | The same dermatology review |
| Wig with a hand-tied monofilament top | About $200 to $2,000 | The same dermatology review |
| Human hair 13x4 lace front wig | Middle price $239; most cost $148 to $390 | Six online wig stores we checked in September 2026 |
| Human hair full lace wig | Middle price $320; most cost $200 to $862 | The same six online wig stores |
| Human hair wig from a wig specialist | About $700 to $4,000 | Breastcancer.org, citing Wigs.com |
| Custom human hair sheitel (a wig worn by many married Orthodox Jewish women) | About $1,500 to $5,000 | Marie Claire, 2017 |
"Most" means 8 in 10 of the wigs the stores listed. Store prices are list prices, so they don’t include sales. The dermatology review’s prices include both synthetic and human hair wigs.
What Determines the Price of a Good Wig?
The cost of a wig depends on the hair type, how the wig is made, the length of the hair, and more. This section will delve into each of these cost factors to give you some insight into how much a good wig should cost.
The Hair Type Matters: Synthetic vs. Real Hair Wigs
There are five different hair types that you'll see when you go shopping for wigs. Each hair type is associated with a specific level of quality and price range. Let's get into each of them below.
Synthetic Wigs
Synthetic hair is the cheapest of all types of hair. It's made from man-made fibers, such as modacrylic, polyester, or PVC, which are all types of plastic.
Synthetic wigs usually cost about $30 to $500 (Breastcancer.org), and basic ones can cost as little as $20. They aren't as durable as human hair and usually last about 3 to 9 months if you wear them most days.
They tangle more easily than human hair, but they're still a good choice for everyday wear. In fact, Breastcancer.org says most women who lose their hair during cancer treatment choose synthetic wigs.
But synthetic wigs do exist on a spectrum. A high-quality synthetic wig can look similar to human hair, and it'll usually cost closer to the top of the range than the bottom.
Human Hair Blend Wigs
A human hair blend is a mix of synthetic hair and human hair. This combination results in a wig that looks and feels less artificial than a synthetic wig.
As a result, these wigs are usually more expensive than synthetic wigs, but they're still cheaper than human hair wigs (National Breast Cancer Foundation). The price depends on the amount and quality of human hair in the blend, along with the wig's cap construction.
Human Hair Wigs
As you may have guessed, human hair wigs are made from real human hair. A good human hair wig usually costs a few hundred dollars from an online wig store. Human hair wigs from wig specialists, like the ones made for medical hair loss, usually cost about $700 to $4,000 (Breastcancer.org).
The hair often looks natural but may go through quite a bit of processing, weakening the hair. There are two types of human hair: Remy and non-Remy.
- Non-Remy hair doesn't have all of its cuticles (the tiny scales on the outside of each strand) facing the same direction. Some manufacturers remove or heavily process the cuticles to create a smoother surface and reduce tangling, but that processing can weaken the hair.
- Remy hair keeps its cuticles intact and facing the same direction, from root to tip, which means less tangling for the wearer. Remy hair can still come from more than one person, since a human hair wig is often made from several people's hair (Macmillan Cancer Support).
Human hair may go through bleach, dye, or texturizing processes. Non-Remy human hair wigs cost less than Remy human hair wigs due to their diminished relative quality.
Virgin Natural Hair Wigs
Virgin hair is 100% human hair that hasn't been dyed, bleached, stripped, or otherwise chemically processed. Because it hasn't gone through that processing, it may be stronger and last longer than heavily processed hair. Expect to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars for a genuine virgin hair wig.
You may see virgin hair advertised as coming from a single donor, but that's a claim sellers make about "raw" hair. Virgin only means the hair hasn't been processed.
Animal Hair Wigs
Animal hair wigs, on the other hand, are wigs made from the hair of horses, yaks, and other animals. Today, you'll mostly see them as specialty wigs. For example, the wigs British courtroom lawyers (barristers) wear are made of horsehair, and theatrical wigmakers sell wigs made entirely of yak hair.
These wigs aren't a cheap option. A handmade horsehair wig for a British barrister costs hundreds of pounds.
If you tie the worth of a wig to the type of hair it uses, Virgin hair is undoubtedly the best, followed by human hair and then human hair blends.
The Source of the Hair
The source of the hair used can also determine the wig's price. There are many origins of virgin hair, but the most common labels are Brazilian, Peruvian, Indian, and Malaysian. Keep in mind that these names usually describe a texture, not where the hair came from.
These hair types differ in texture, shine, body, thickness, etc. European hair is usually the most expensive because it's harder to find.
The Way the Wig Is Made
Another major determinant of the cost of a wig is how it is manufactured. Some wigs are hand-tied or hand-knotted, while others are glued or sewn onto a wig cap.
Hand-Tied
Hand-tied or hand-knotted wigs involve knotting tiny hair strands through the wig cap or mesh holes one by one. This process takes a lot of concentration and time.
Because hand-tied wigs look extremely natural and allow for enhanced parting versatility, they are more expensive than wigs made using other methods.
Note: Some wigs also come with a combination of sewn and hand-knotted strands of hair.
Sewn Wigs
Sewn wigs are made by sewing wefts of hair onto a wig cap. The weave can be sewn throughout the cap or only on a portion of the cap.
There are machines that expedite the sewing process. Not only is this the quicker method of wig-making, but it also results in sturdy, affordable wigs.
Glued or Taped Wigs
Another method of wig-making is the glued or taped method. It involves taping or gluing hair onto a wig cap.
So how much does the way a wig is made change the price? The same dermatology review gives these prices for wigs made for medical hair loss:
- Wigs with machine-sewn rows of hair (wefts) cost about $60 to $300.
- Wigs with hair knotted by hand into a mesh base cost about $300 to $1,000.
- Wigs with a monofilament top, a fine, see-through cap with each hair tied in by hand, cost about $200 to $2,000.
A hand-tied human hair wig from a wig brand like Raquel Welch can cost more than $2,000.
The Length of the Wig
As a general rule of thumb, the longer your wig is, the more you'll pay for it. This applies no matter what type of wig you're purchasing.
For synthetic wigs, the more length a wig requires, the more synthetic material the manufacturer must use to construct the wig.
Also, manufacturers pay more for longer human hair strands, and they pass those costs on to you when you buy longer wigs.
The Wig Cap Type and Features
There are several different wig cap constructions you'll encounter on the wig market. They include PU wigs, lace wigs, and open-weft wigs.
Each of these comes with a different general cost:
- Polyurethane wigs, otherwise known as PU wigs, use a thin, skin-like material at the hairline or across the top. The hair is knotted or looped into the material, so it looks like it's growing from your scalp. PU looks very natural, but it doesn't breathe as well as lace, and the thinnest PU wears out the fastest. What you'll pay depends mostly on the hair.
- Lace wigs come in many varieties, including lace front, 360 lace, full lace, silk top, or HD lace. The lace functions as a breathable scalp look-alike and a base for hairs to be hand-tied to. As the name already suggests, lace front wigs have mesh/lace only at the front of the wig. Lace front wigs usually cost less than full or 360 lace wigs. When we checked six online wig stores in September 2026, the middle price for a human hair 13x4 lace front wig was $239. A 360 lace wig (which has lace around the perimeter of the wig) was $271, and a full lace wig (completely hand-tied) was $320. Custom full lace wigs can go for thousands on the high end.
- Open-weft wigs are relatively cheap because they are often machine-made and don't have any lace. Depending on the type of hair you opt for, you may end up shelling out anywhere from $30 to $700 for your unit.
Does Insurance Cover Wig Costs?
Sometimes. If you're losing your hair because of a medical condition or treatment, like alopecia areata (an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss) or chemotherapy, your health insurance may help pay for a wig.
Insurers usually call a wig a "cranial prosthesis." So ask your insurance company if they cover cranial prostheses for medical hair loss. Many will want a letter or prescription from your doctor (American Cancer Society).
Medicare doesn't cover wigs (Office of Rep. Ayanna Pressley), and no federal law requires private insurance to cover them. Medicaid coverage varies by state, according to a 2026 review of insurance coverage for wigs (Anaeme et al., 2026).
Without coverage, the cost can add up. In one survey cited by the review, adults with alopecia areata reported spending an average of about $930 out of pocket on wigs over six months, though costs varied widely.
Some states do require coverage, usually with a dollar limit. Here's what the laws say in the states we checked:
Wig insurance coverage by state
What the law requires in the states we checked. Your plan may cover more.
| What’s covered | Limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare | Wigs aren’t covered. | $0 |
| Massachusetts | Hair loss from cancer or leukemia treatment, if your plan covers other prostheses and your doctor writes a statement that you need the wig. | Up to $350 a year |
| Minnesota | Hair loss from a health condition, including alopecia areata or cancer treatment, with a doctor’s prescription. | Up to $1,000 a benefit year |
| New Hampshire | Group plans that cover other prostheses: alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, hair loss from cancer or leukemia treatment, or permanent hair loss from an injury. The wig must be made for you. | Up to $350 a year for hair loss from cancer or leukemia treatment |
| Illinois | Plans issued or renewed starting January 1, 2026: hair loss from alopecia, chemotherapy, or radiation. | One wig or scalp prosthesis every 12 months |
From each state’s insurance law, checked in September 2026. These laws apply only to certain plans, so ask your insurer what yours covers. Sources: Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Illinois.
If your state isn't listed, your plan may still cover a wig, so it's worth calling to ask before you shop. Keep your receipt and your doctor's letter either way.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does a Wig Typically Cost?
Wig prices vary widely. Synthetic wigs usually cost $30 to $500, human hair lace front wigs from online wig stores often cost $150 to $400, and human hair wigs from wig specialists usually cost $700 to $4,000. Custom human hair wigs can cost $5,000 or more.
How Long Does a Wig Usually Last?
With regular wear, a synthetic wig usually lasts about 3 to 9 months, and a human hair wig usually lasts about 9 months to 3 years. How often you wear your wig and how you care for it make a big difference.
What Type of Wig Looks the Most Natural?
A human hair wig with a hand-tied lace front or monofilament top usually looks the most natural, since each hair is tied in on its own and the hairline looks like it's growing from your scalp. A high-quality synthetic wig with the same kind of cap can look natural too, and it costs less.
Do Higher Wig Prices Mean a Better Wig?
Not always. Price usually follows the hair, the cap, and the length, but a well-made synthetic wig can look better than a cheap human hair wig. When you shop, compare the cap construction and the hair quality, not just the price tag.
Related Articles
- Why Do a Lot of Black Women Wear Wigs?
- What Can I Use Instead of Wig Glue?
- How Long Do Human Lace Front Wigs Last
- Can You Put Mousse on Synthetic Hair?
The answer to the question, 'How much does a good wig cost?' isn't straightforward. The price can range from under $100 to $5,000 or more, and many factors determine just how much you'll end up paying for yours.
We hope that this article has been helpful to you, having given you insight into what to expect as you go shopping for wigs.
