Wardrobe Calculators
Alter or replace?
Add up your tailor's quotes, tax and tip, divide by the wears you expect, and compare with the replacement price divided by its wears. A $40 hem and take-in with 13% tax is $45.20; over 60 wears that is $0.75 a wear against $2.00 for a $120 replacement. Prices are your quotes; none are assumed. Runs in your browser.
Quotes and wears
Alter or replace
Fill the form and press Calculate.
Worked example
A tailor quotes $25 to hem and $15 to take in the waist: $40. With 13% tax that is 40 x 1.13 = $45.20. You expect 60 more wears, so the altered garment costs 45.20 / 60 = $0.75 a wear. A replacement at $120 worn 60 times is 120 / 60 = $2.00 a wear. The alteration is 37.7% of the replacement price. The two cost the same per wear at 45.20 / 2.00 = 22.6 wears of the altered garment; wear it more than that and altering is cheaper.
How it works
alteration total = sum of quotes x (1 + tax) + sum of quotes x tip. Cost per wear = total / expected wears, for the altered garment and the replacement (replacement price plus any alteration it needs).
What you paid before is ignored. The price of the current garment is already spent either way, so it is left out; only future costs and wears are compared. If the garment will not be worn again if you do not alter it, the real choice is alter or replace, which is what this tool shows.
Break-even wears = alteration total / replacement cost per wear. Above that many wears of the altered garment, altering wins on cost. Cost per wear does not capture fit, quality or fabric; a cheaper alteration of a poor garment is still a poor garment. Alteration prices vary by shop and place, so only your own quotes are used.
Sources and basis (all opened 2026-10-08): none needed. Alteration prices are quotes you enter, not published rates.
FAQ
How do I decide whether to alter or replace clothing?
Compare the cost per wear of each path. Alteration cost per wear is the quotes plus tax and tip divided by the wears you expect; replacement cost per wear is its price divided by its wears. Pick the lower, then check fit and quality.
Should I include what I paid for the garment?
No. That money is spent whichever you choose. Compare only what you would pay from now on and the wears you will get.
What is break-even wears?
The number of wears of the altered garment at which it costs the same per wear as the replacement. Wear it more than that and altering is cheaper.
How much does tailoring cost?
It varies by shop, city and garment, so this tool uses only the quotes you enter. Get a quote before you decide.
Does a lower cost per wear mean the better choice?
Not always. It measures money only. A garment that still will not fit well or is poor quality may not be worth altering even when the arithmetic favours it.
What this calculates, and what it does not
Costs and wears are your estimates; the tool does not know local tailoring prices or whether a garment can be altered as quoted.