Prom can be an experience of a lifetime for many high school students. But what makes it so great and does it get to be expensive?

For guys renting a tuxedo it can cost from $150-$300. Donovan Marshal, a senior, personally spent $255 to rent his tuxedo for the dance. In most cases they also have to buy two tickets which cost $40 this year.

Some couples will choose to go all out for dinner and pay $50+ on their meals. Others will do it a bit differently, Juliana Campos, junior, said.

“Our group plans to have dinner at a friend’s house and everyone is helping out with preparing the food. That helps with narrowing down the cost a bit,” Campos said.

Girls have it nearly as bad with the average cost of a dress, according to USA Today, being $202.

With the ever so changing cost of Prom, people have leaned away from many of the “stereotypical” prom purchases.

“Limos are great for a mid-sized party and if you have the money, but they are a pointless purchase to me,” Ben Luker a Grand Junction High School senior said. With the tickets and rentals costing a lot of money there’s little to no money for extra purchases to be made. Extra purchases like boutonnieres, corsages, limos, and ubers can rack up quite a bit of money.

Prom in total is dance that many kids look up to as the pinnacle experience of their high school careers. But with a rough cost of prom, per couple, around $600. So if you’re willing to pay the price you might get what you expect, or will you?