A single unit of Botox costs between $10 and $25 in the United States, with most people paying somewhere in the $12 to $18 range. But the per-unit price only tells part of the story. What you actually spend depends on how many units your treatment requires, where you live, and who performs the injection.
Cost Per Unit by Location
Geography is one of the biggest factors in what you’ll pay. High-end urban practices in places like Beverly Hills, Midtown Manhattan, and South Beach typically charge $18 to $25 per unit. Mid-size cities like Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix fall in the $10 to $16 range. Rural and suburban providers, which often have lower overhead, price closer to $8 to $13 per unit.
Here’s how per-unit pricing breaks down in major markets:
- New York City: $15–$25
- Los Angeles: $14–$22
- Miami: $13–$18
- Chicago: $12–$17
- Dallas: $10–$16
- Houston: $10–$15
- Atlanta: $11–$16
- Phoenix: $10–$14
- Rural/suburban areas: $8–$13
How Many Units Common Treatments Require
The per-unit price matters less than the total number of units your treatment area needs. A forehead treatment and a jaw-slimming treatment can differ by 30 or 40 units, which translates to hundreds of dollars.
For horizontal forehead lines, most practitioners use 10 to 30 units. The manufacturer recommends 20 units, split across five injection sites at 4 units each. Frown lines between the eyebrows (sometimes called “elevens”) typically require a similar range, around 20 units.
Crow’s feet use about 24 units total, split between both sides. When crow’s feet and forehead lines are treated together in the same session, the combined dose runs around 40 to 64 units.
Masseter treatment for jaw slimming or TMJ-related clenching requires significantly more: 20 to 30 units per side, or 40 to 60 units total. This is one of the pricier cosmetic Botox treatments simply because of the volume involved.
What a Full Treatment Actually Costs
To estimate your total, multiply the per-unit price in your area by the number of units your treatment needs. At a national midpoint of around $14 per unit, here’s what typical sessions look like:
- Forehead lines (20 units): $200–$500
- Crow’s feet (24 units): $240–$600
- Jaw slimming (40–60 units): $400–$1,500
- Forehead, frown lines, and crow’s feet combined (40–64 units): $400–$1,600
These ranges are wide because the same treatment in a small-town medspa and a Manhattan dermatology office can differ by a factor of two or more.
Dermatologist vs. Medspa Pricing
A dermatologist’s office often charges more per unit than a medspa, sometimes $5 or more per unit higher. In many cases, though, the person actually performing the injection is a nurse injector at both settings. The price difference reflects overhead and branding more than a difference in who holds the needle.
What matters more than the building is the individual injector’s experience. Ask how long they’ve been injecting Botox specifically, look at before-and-after photos of their work, and seek word-of-mouth referrals. A nurse injector with years of focused experience may have performed far more injections than a dermatologist who splits time across many procedures.
How to Lower Your Cost
The manufacturer of Botox runs a loyalty program called Allē. It’s free to join, and you earn points every time you get treated. Every 100 points translates to $10 in savings on future treatments. A single Botox session earns 200 points, which means $20 off your next visit. The savings are modest, but they compound if you’re getting treatments every few months.
Many medspas also run seasonal promotions or offer per-unit discounts when you buy a higher number of units upfront. Some practices charge a flat fee per treatment area rather than per unit, which can work in your favor if you need a higher dose but may cost more if you’d need fewer units than average.
How Long Results Last
Botox results typically last 3 to 4 months before muscle activity gradually returns to normal. Most people schedule maintenance treatments on that same timeline. Individual variation plays a role: some people find their results fading closer to the 3-month mark, while others get a bit longer. Over time, with consistent treatments, some people find they can stretch the interval slightly as the targeted muscles weaken from repeated sessions.
This means you’re looking at roughly 3 to 4 treatments per year. At 20 units per session and $14 per unit, that’s roughly $840 to $1,120 annually for a single treatment area like forehead lines. Treating multiple areas at once increases the yearly total but saves on appointment fees if your provider charges them separately.
Dysport and Other Alternatives
Dysport is the most common alternative to Botox, and it’s often priced lower per unit. But the units aren’t interchangeable. Dysport units are less potent, so you need more of them to get the same effect. The conversion ratio is roughly 2.5 to 3 Dysport units for every 1 Botox unit. A 20-unit Botox treatment translates to about 50 to 60 units of Dysport.
Because Dysport’s per-unit price is lower, the total cost for the same treatment often comes out similar or slightly less than Botox. Some providers offer both and can help you compare total treatment costs side by side. The results and duration are comparable for most people, so the choice often comes down to which product your provider prefers to work with and which pricing structure saves you more.