How Much Does a Manicure and Pedicure Cost?

Updated on July 21, 2026 | Written by Alec Pow
This article was researched using 6 sources. See our methodology and corrections policy.

A manicure and pedicure usually cost $55 to $105 together before tip, based on current U.S. salon menus. A basic manicure commonly runs $25 to $45, while a basic pedicure costs about $30 to $60. Gel polish, old-product removal, French tips, nail art, callus treatments, longer massages, acrylic extensions, builder gel, and resort-spa service can lift one visit to $100 to $200 or more.

The price shown beside “manicure” or “pedicure” is often only the starting service. One salon may include polish removal, cuticle care, massage, and regular color, while another charges separately for gel removal, a stronger polish system, French tips, nail repairs, or extra massage time. A combined appointment also does not always come with a package discount. At many salons, the total is simply the manicure price plus the pedicure price, followed by add-ons and gratuity.

A manicure covers the hands and fingernails, while a pedicure covers the feet and toenails. The final salon bill depends less on the word “mani-pedi” than on the polish system, extension method, removal work, design time, salon location, and level of foot treatment booked.

Article Highlights

• A basic manicure and pedicure together usually cost $55 to $105 (at $30 per hour, earning that amount would take about 1.8 to 3.5 hours of work, before taxes) before tip.
• Gel polish can add $20 to $30 to each service at salons that price it as an upgrade.
• Acrylic, Gel-X, hard gel, and builder-gel services should not be compared with a basic polish manicure.
• French tips commonly add $10 to $15, while detailed nail art may cost $3 to $5 or more per nail.
• Removal can add $10 to $25, depending on the product and whether another service follows.
• A regular manicure-and-pedicure habit can exceed $1,500 per year once tips and add-ons are included.

How Much Does a Manicure and Pedicure Cost?

Zenoti’s U.S. salon pricing data places a basic manicure around $25 to $45, gel nails around $35 to $60, and an acrylic full set around $45 to $75. Those figures work as broad service benchmarks, but actual menus show how quickly the upper end rises. MiniLuxe currently lists a classic manicure from $32, a classic pedicure from $52, a gel-polish upgrade of $25, and Après gel extensions from $100 on its current service menu.

Location-specific pricing shows why a single national figure can mislead. Bellacures in Santa Monica lists an essential manicure at $45, a gel manicure at $55, an essential pedicure at $45, and a gel pedicure at $65. A basic regular-polish manicure and pedicure there total $90 before tip, while the gel versions total $120. The same company charges different prices and add-ons at other locations, confirming that even one salon brand does not have one universal bill.

What a Basic Service Includes

A basic manicure commonly includes removing ordinary polish, filing and shaping the natural nails, gentle cuticle care, light buffing, lotion or oil, a brief hand massage, and regular polish. A basic pedicure normally adds a foot soak, toenail shaping, light exfoliation, heel smoothing, lotion, a short foot or lower-leg massage, and polish. “Basic” does not promise the same amount of time or the same steps at every salon. Some express services omit soaking, massage, extensive cuticle work, or polish entirely.

A deluxe pedicure may add a sugar or salt scrub, moisturizing mask, callus treatment, paraffin, heated towels, hot stones, or a longer massage. The word “deluxe” has no standard definition, so the service description matters more than the name. One salon’s deluxe package may be another salon’s basic pedicure with two paid upgrades.

Artificial nail services follow a different workflow. Acrylic enhancements are created with liquid monomer and polymer powder applied over the natural nail, a tip, or a sculpting form. Gel-X uses preformed soft-gel tips, while builder gel and hard gel create structure with gel products. The base price may cover a simple color but exclude long length, special shapes, French or ombré finishes, charms, chrome, hand-painted art, and later removal. Readers comparing extension systems can see the separate cost structure for acrylic nail sets and fills.

Where the Menu Price Stops

The most common checkout surprise is an add-on that looked like part of the service. At Bellacures’ Santa Monica location, French polish adds $15 (about 30 minutes at $30 per hour), chrome powder adds $20, nail art starts at $5 per nail, a gel-polish upgrade adds $25, and stand-alone gel removal costs $20. A basic $45 manicure with gel, French tips, and removal can reach $105 before tip. The appointment is still called a manicure, but the final amount is more than twice the base menu price.

Extension services have their own quote traps. Bellacures’ Studio City menu lists an acrylic full set at $65, extra-long tips at $15, a French finish at $10, and acrylic removal with a strengthening treatment at $25. Starting from an existing set and switching to extra-long French acrylics could produce a $115 service before art or tip. A Gel-X full set is listed at $90, while removal followed by a new full set is $110.

Do not compare the lowest manicure listing with an extension or structured-gel appointment. A basic manicure works on the natural nail and may take a short booking block. Acrylic, hard gel, builder gel, and Gel-X require product application, structure, shaping, curing or air drying, and extra removal work at later visits. The higher price is not simply a premium polish charge.

Three Realistic Salon Bills

Basic regular-polish visit: A $32 classic manicure and $52 classic pedicure at MiniLuxe produce a base total of $84. A 20% tip adds $16.80, bringing the working total to $100.80 before any local tax or card fee. This is a useful reminder that even a no-art, no-gel appointment at an established urban salon can pass $100 after gratuity.

Gel hands and regular-polish feet: Start with MiniLuxe’s $32 classic manicure and add the $25 gel upgrade. Add a $52 classic pedicure, creating a service total of $109. A 20% tip adds $21.80, so the appointment reaches about $130.80. Old gel removal could add another $10 if it is not already covered by the booked service.

Designed extension appointment: Use Bellacures Studio City’s $65 acrylic full set, add $15 for extra length, $10 for French tips, and simple art on four nails at $3 to $5 per nail. The service becomes $102 to $110. A 20% tip raises the likely checkout total to $122.40 to $132. Detailed art, stones, chrome, or removal of an old set would move it higher.

The Yearly Mani-Pedi Number

ThePricer’s recurring-cost calculation shows why appointment frequency matters more than one salon receipt. A basic $32 manicure and $52 pedicure every four weeks produce 13 appointments per year at $84</strong each. That equals $1,092 in listed services. Adding a 20% tip contributes $218.40, for an annual total of $1,310.40. Two gel-removal charges at $10 and four French-tip upgrades at $15 lift the year to $1,390.40.

A gel manicure and gel pedicure every three weeks create a much larger maintenance budget. MiniLuxe’s classic manicure and pedicure plus two $25 gel upgrades total $134 per visit. Seventeen appointments over 51 weeks cost $2,278. A 20% tip adds $455.60, producing a modeled annual spend of $2,733.60 before removal, repairs, designs, or missed-appointment charges. Stretching the cycle from three weeks to four reduces the modeled annual total to $2,090.40, a difference of $643.20.

These are ThePricer scenarios built from published menu prices, not a claim that every customer follows the same schedule. They show why a $25 gel upgrade deserves more attention than it gets. Applied to both hands and feet 13 times per year, two $25 upgrades add $650 before tip.

Removal Is Its Own Service

Regular polish can usually be removed quickly with standard remover. Gel polish, dip powder, acrylic, builder gel, and Gel-X need more time and product. Salons may soak, file, or combine both methods. The removal price may be lower when the customer books a new set, included inside a particular service, or charged separately when no replacement service follows.

Current menus place simple gel removal around $10 to $20, while acrylic, builder-gel, hard-gel, or Gel-X removal commonly costs $20 to $30. Bellacures Studio City lists acrylic removal with strengthener at $25, builder-gel removal at $25, and Gel-X removal at $25. Anyone ending an extension cycle should budget for the final removal appointment rather than treating the last fill as the final cost. The separate guide to professional acrylic removal costs explains the price difference between salon soak-off and home supplies.

Peeling or forcing product off can remove layers of the natural nail. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends letting gel polish soak off rather than picking it and advises applying moisturizer after removal. A low-priced set becomes poor value when rushed removal leaves the natural nail thin, sore, or damaged.

Cleanliness Is Part of the Price

A cheap appointment is not a bargain when the salon cuts corners on reusable tools or foot-spa cleaning. The CDC states that nail grooming tools shared in commercial salons should be sterilized and advises against cutting cuticles because they act as barriers against infection. OSHA also identifies bacteria, fungi, and viruses as nail-salon biological hazards when workers contact infected skin, blood, or improperly cleaned equipment.

Look for a current salon license, clean work surfaces, fresh towels, disinfected metal tools, and single-use files or buffers that are discarded or assigned to one customer. A technician should not reuse a porous pumice stone, buffer, or wooden stick from a previous client. The American Academy of Dermatology’s salon safety guidance advises customers not to have cuticles cut or forcefully pushed back and recommends avoiding a pedicure after shaving the lower legs because small cuts can raise infection risk.

Gel services add lamp exposure and product-removal concerns. Dermatologists advise using a broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher sunscreen on the hands before a gel manicure or wearing dark, opaque fingerless gloves. The advice appears in the American Academy of Dermatology’s healthy gel manicure guidance. Gel manicure pricing, removal frequency, and maintenance costs are covered separately in the guide to gel nail expenses.

When the Price Makes Sense

Makes sense if:

• The listed price states whether regular polish, gel, removal, and massage are included.
• The salon uses clean tools, single-use porous items, and a documented foot-spa cleaning process.
• The service level matches the desired wear time and design rather than simply using the highest-priced product.
• The maintenance schedule fits the yearly budget after tips, fills, repairs, and removal.

Does not make sense if:

• The technician will not quote length, art, removal, or gel upgrades before starting.
• The low base price depends on several mandatory add-ons revealed at checkout.
• Tools or foot tubs appear poorly cleaned or the salon cannot show a current license.
• Acrylic, dip, or gel is being applied over a painful, discolored, swollen, or visibly infected nail.

A budget salon can provide good work, and a costly spa can still deliver a weak manicure. Price alone does not establish sanitation, skill, durability, or nail health. Ask for the complete service total before the first product is applied, especially when booking extensions, detailed art, or removal.

What We Verified

• Checked: Current U.S. benchmark ranges for basic manicures, gel nails, and acrylic sets against Zenoti salon pricing data.
• Confirmed: MiniLuxe currently lists manicures from $32, pedicures from $52, gel upgrades at $25, and gel extensions from $100.
• Cross-referenced: Bellacures’ Santa Monica service prices for gel polish, French tips, chrome, nail art, repairs, and removal.
• Verified: Bellacures Studio City publishes acrylic, builder-gel, and Gel-X prices from $45 to $110, depending on the service and whether removal is included.
• Checked: The CDC advises commercial salons to sterilize shared nail tools and says cuticles should not be cut because they protect against infection.
• Confirmed: OSHA identifies improperly cleaned equipment and contact with infected skin or blood as biological salon hazards.

Answers to Common Questions

How much should I budget for a manicure and pedicure with tip?

Budget about $65 to $125 for basic services after a 15% to 20% tip. Gel, art, removal, or spa treatments can push the total past $150.

Is gel polish included in a manicure price?

Not always. Some salons sell a separate gel manicure, while others add $20 to $30 to the basic service.

Does a mani-pedi package cost less?

Sometimes, but many salons simply add the two menu prices together. Check the package description rather than assuming there is a discount.

How often do acrylic nails need fills?

Many clients book fills every two to three weeks, depending on nail growth, lifting, and the salon’s recommendation. Each fill creates another service charge and tip.

Should I remove gel polish before the appointment?

Book removal with the service unless the salon confirms it is included. Peeling gel off can damage the surface of the natural nail.