Nail Salon Prices in Toronto (2026): The Real Number Is the Annual One
A gel set is not a $55 purchase. It is a $55 purchase every three weeks, and nobody quotes it that way.
In short
A basic manicure in Toronto runs $25 to $40. Shellac or gel is $40 to $80, usually $45 to $60. A full set of acrylics starts near $55 and reaches $75 with shellac colour. Pedicures are $35 to $55 plain and $50 to $65 with shellac, and mani-pedi combinations run $70 to $125.
Now the arithmetic nobody does at the counter. Gel and acrylic need redoing every two to three weeks — not because the colour chips, but because the nail grows. At $55 every three weeks that is about $950 a year, before tips and before removal.
So the question is not whether $55 is a fair price. It is whether you are buying a manicure or signing up for something closer to a phone plan.
Toronto nail price list, 2026
| Service | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Basic manicure | $25–$40 |
| Shellac or gel manicure | $40–$80 (usually $45–$60) |
| Acrylic full set | From $55; $65–$75 with shellac colour |
| Gel X full set | From about $70; refills from $55 |
| Bio gel full set | Around $75 |
| Basic pedicure | $35–$55 |
| Shellac pedicure | $50–$65 |
| Mani-pedi combination | $70–$125 depending on regular or gel |
| Soak-off removal | $10–$25, and often not included |
| Nail art | From about $5 per nail; full designs more |
What does a gel habit cost in a year?
Do the multiplication once and the decision gets easier, whichever way you decide.
| What you get | Every | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Basic manicure | 4 weeks, $32 | About $420 |
| Shellac manicure | 3 weeks, $55 | About $950 |
| Acrylic set with fills | 3 weeks, fills $45–$55 | $900–$1,150 |
| Shellac mani-pedi | 4 weeks, $105 | About $1,370 |
Add tips at 15 to 20 per cent and the real figures are higher again. None of this is an argument against gel nails — plenty of people consider a thousand dollars a year excellent value for something they look at all day. It is an argument for knowing the number before the habit forms rather than after.
Two things reduce it honestly: stretching the cycle to four weeks where regrowth allows, and asking for a fill rather than a full new set, which is usually $10 to $20 less.
Is removal included in the price?
Frequently not, and it is the line that catches people out.
Soak-off removal is commonly charged separately at $10 to $25, and removing somebody else’s work usually costs more, because the technician does not know what is under there. Ask when you book, not when your hands are already in acetone.
It matters beyond the money. Removal is where nails get damaged, not application. A proper soak-off takes fifteen to twenty minutes of patience. Filing a set down to get it off quickly, or peeling it at home because removal was going to cost $20, takes layers of the natural nail with it. That is the thinning and the white patches people blame on gel itself.
So a rushed removal is worth refusing, and a $20 removal fee is cheaper than three months of recovery.
Why does one salon charge $35 and another $75?
Four reasons, and only one of them is the neighbourhood.
What should a salon do between clients?
You can check most of it from the chair, and it is the most useful thirty seconds of the appointment.
Toronto Public Health inspects every nail salon and the results are public. Worth knowing: about 99.9 per cent pass, so the database is less useful for catching a bad salon than for telling you exactly what the inspector looks at — which is the list above.
Red flags
What to do next
Before you book, ask two questions: what the total is including removal, and how long the appointment is. Those two answers explain nearly every price difference between salons in this city.
Then multiply by your cycle. If the annual figure is comfortable, enjoy it without guilt. If it is not, a basic manicure every four weeks costs less than half as much and does nothing to your nails.
Compare beauty and wellness businesses in Ontario on Ontario24 and contact them directly. Ontario24 is a classified directory — we help you find and compare, and we do not inspect or vet anyone, which is exactly why the public records and the thirty-second check above are worth knowing. Our safety tips cover the same habit elsewhere, and the haircut price guide covers the rest of the salon bill.
Before you call anyone, it helps to know what this job should cost and what the next one will. What things cost in Ontario in 2026 puts 75 service prices in one table.
Frequently asked questions
A basic manicure runs about $25 to $40. Shellac or gel is roughly $40 to $80, with $45 to $60 the usual middle. A full set of acrylics starts near $55 and reaches $75 or more with shellac colour, and Gel X full sets sit around $70 with refills near $55.
A regular pedicure is about $35 to $55 and a shellac pedicure $50 to $65. Mani-pedi combinations run $70 to $125 depending on whether the polish is regular or gel, and spa or deluxe versions with extra soaking, scrub and massage sit at the top of that range.
Every two to three weeks for most people, because the issue is regrowth at the cuticle rather than the polish chipping. That cadence is what makes gel a running cost rather than a one-off — at $55 every three weeks it is roughly $950 a year before tips.
Often not, and this is the line that surprises people. Soak-off removal is commonly charged separately at about $10 to $25, and removal of someone else’s work usually costs more. Ask before you book, not when you are in the chair.
The product itself is not the usual problem — aggressive removal is. Filing down to get a set off, or peeling and picking at it, takes layers of the natural nail with it. Proper soak-off takes time, which is why a rushed removal is worth refusing.
Reusable metal tools should be cleaned, disinfected, sterilised and opened from a sealed pouch in front of you. Porous single-use items — files, buffers, wooden sticks, pumice — cannot be properly disinfected and belong in the bin after each client. Pedicure tubs are disinfected with the jets run through.
Yes. Toronto Public Health inspects every nail salon under its BodySafe program and the results are public, searchable by business name or address. Almost everything passes, so the more useful part is knowing what the inspector looks for — and checking the same things yourself in the first thirty seconds.
Sources
Prices are drawn from published 2026 service menus of Toronto nail salons and Canadian price guides, checked 17 September 2026; menus vary widely by neighbourhood and service level, so treat these as the range a price should fall near. The annual totals are plain arithmetic from the cycle lengths shown, given so you can substitute your own. Requirements for personal service settings, including instrument sterilisation and single-use items, are set out in Ontario Regulation 136/18 under the Health Protection and Promotion Act; inspections are carried out by local public health units, and in Toronto results are published through the BodySafe program. Ontario24 is a classified directory and does not inspect, certify or recommend any salon.