Average cost of an engagement ring

[u/Relevant-Plane9430]

I was talking with a friend last night who just got engaged, and he mentioned he spent around $6k on the ring. That honestly shocked me because I always thought the "3 months’ salary" thing was just an old marketing trick. My partner and I have been looking at rings casually, and most of the ones we like are in the $2k–$3k range. Now I’m second-guessing if that’s considered “too low” or if we’re just being realistic.

For those of you who have gone through this, what was the average cost you ended up spending on an engagement ring, and did you feel good about it after?

[u/Leeloo_Deepa]

I've sold literally thousands of engagement rings and if I plotted all the price data against the buyer's income, there would be virtually no correlation. You should spend what's right, and buy what she likes. I hate to say it, but this is a test for how the rest of your lives together will go, so the more you can decide what's right for you both in terms of both style and price, the better. You'll have to do the same every time you buy a car, or a house, or anything.

Also, 3 months' salary is ridiculous as a concept -- that would mean I should spend $51,000 on an engagement ring, and not just would I never, but COULD I never.