oooh, what are you getting? 
Prices are based on the size/color/intricacy of the design; knowing your artist is a plus because they might give you a price break ^^ For larger pieces they may give you the option of a flat price or an hourly rate. I paid $500 for my flower piece which took a little over 5 hours o_o my boyfriend paid over $1000 for a full colored koi on his calf and that was done in three 3-hour sessions. Oh yeah, don't forget to tip your artist 
HOOOOLY crap. I guess I should've expected that it'd be that expensive, given how difficult it must be to do. I have a lot of tattoos in mind, but I'm normally too chicken to get one. Disregarding the money, pain, and etc... I'm afraid of regretting it later in my life. I might get something that looks cool to me now, then hate it years later or have it look weird once I'm a mum. Not only that, but I won't be allowed to do a couple of things that might not allow big tattoos, or uh... wear clothes that don't match.
I've wanted to get (though sort of cliche), a dragon over my shoulder and down my bicep. I like the look of koi and peonies, which'd compliment them I suppose. There are other things I like, like doves and suns and buddhist mantras but I'd probably won't get any of those with so many thoughts against tattooing echoing in mind. Not that I don't like tattoos, but I really don't want to feel regret getting older, but at the same time, it bugs me NOT getting them. I also feel like I should wait until I have something significant to put on myself, and that at the moment, I'm too young to decide what I'll like later in the future. I'm sure a lot of people considering tattoos have feelings like this once in a while.
I really do love the rats Banksy does, though!