What You Can Expect to Pay to Get Into Fitness

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Almost everybody who sticks to their workout routine has found a type of fitness they love. That may mean Crossfit classes multiple times a week, going for a run every morning, or hiring a personal trainer to walk them through a customized workout. Everything comes with a cost, though. So let’s talk about what you’ll be spending in a variety of scenarios, from the cost of each type of gym, to the upgrades you’ll probably go for, to the comparative cost of at-home alternatives.

The cost of joining a no-frills gym

What it takes to get started: The main cost here is the membership itself. Budget chain gyms like Crunch and Planet Fitness can be as low as $10 or $20 a month, with slightly nicer places around $50 or more. (You can easily pay $100/month or more at a more upscale place.) Watch out for extra fees in the fine print, though—you'll often find an annual fee buried in there, and a surcharge for using a credit card instead of bank withdrawals. For your first day, you’ll need athletic-appropriate shoes, clothes, and a gym bag with some basic essentials, like a water bottle. Cost for these varies, but you probably already have these items at home.

Possible upgrades: A good personal trainer can walk you through a workout, easing your uncertainty about what exactly to do while ensuring that you’re following a program that will lead you to your goals, whatever those might be. Lessons estimates a one-hour session with a trainer can average anywhere from $40 to $100 depending on your area and how fancy your gym is.

If you don’t work with a trainer, you’re on your own to plan your workouts and hold yourself to your goals. Free or paid training programs or online trainers can fill the gap; prices vary wildly on those. Try Nike Training Club for a free option, or Fitbod ($15.99/month) for something a little nicer.

Do it at home: There’s no way to fully recreate the gym experience at home, since the whole reason to go to a gym is that they have all the stuff. But you can get by with a collection of dumbbells or resistance bands, a barbell with weights if you can snag one, and maybe a cardio machine or some running shoes. The price for this investment varies wildly depending on how much gear you want to accumulate. Here's a breakdown I did of the first 14 things I'd buy for a complete home gym.

What it costs to get into functional fitness

Crossfit is no longer the only big name in functional fitness. Gyms that follow a class-based structure, mixing cardio and strength with timed workouts, have been flourishing under a variety of brands, like F45. Hyrox races are becoming popular, and you can train for them in functional fitness boxes. These studios often seem like they should be cheaper than a machine-filled commercial gym, but you tend to get more personal interaction and coaching, which costs money.

What it takes to get started: These are among the priciest gyms out there. Lessons estimates the average Crossfit membership as $150-200 per month for unlimited classes; that seems to match what I'm seeing for other types of functional fitness memberships. Like a regular gym, you’ll need basic athletic clothes and gear to get started.

Possible upgrades: Functional fitness enthusiasts often end up accumulating specialty items, like multiple types of shoes, rope-climbing socks, and more. Since the sport combines components of lifting, gymnastics, and cardio, you may need more gear than in a gym where you’re only doing a few of the same things all the time. If you get serious about the sport, you may also find yourself paying extra for more gym time or classes.

Do it at home: As with a commercial gym, buying the needed equipment will get real pricey real quick. But plenty of Crossfit-style workouts can be done with little to no equipment: think burpees and running. You can google free workout ideas, or sign up for an online service like Street Parking, which offers at-home workouts for $19/month.

The cost of doing indoor cycling

What it takes to get started: Classes at a studio usually range from $20-40 each, with packages and memberships bringing the cost down slightly. Brand name counts a lot: My local CycleBar offers a 10-class pack for $209; in the same area, SoulCycle charges $280. But boutique studios aren't your only options. Commercial gyms and community fitness centers sometimes include cycling classes as part of membership or as an add-on package, often for substantially less.

Possible upgrades: If you do this long enough, you’ll end up wanting your own shoes, which run around $100 for a decent quality pair.

Do it at home: Peloton is the classic option here, and there are other companies that will sell you a similar smart bike. Peloton's Bikes start at $1,695, and the membership is $49/month on top of that. You can also use the cheaper Peloton app (or another app, like Apple Fitness+) with an indoor bike you already own, or you can put your bike on an indoor trainer for a fully DIY experience.

What it costs to start running

Running is the classic cheap fitness hobby, but there are plenty of hidden costs, especially as you get more serious. My marathon-running colleague Meredith Dietz has a breakdown here that gets into the specifics, but here's an overview:

What it takes to get started: Shoes, for starters. If you have some old sneakers that don’t hurt your feet, you’ll be fine, but pretty soon you’ll probably buy a pair of real running shoes for around $100. And if you have breasts, a quality sports bra is a must. Depending on how much support you need, you’re looking at $20 to $100. (Hand-wash it after each run, and you can get away with just owning one or two.)

Possible upgrades: Once you get serious about running, chances are you’ll want a watch that can keep track of your pace and other metrics like your heart rate. (Garmins are beloved by serious runners; Fitbits or Apple Watches do the trick for most of us casuals.) I wrote up a list of the best entry-level running watches, all under $250.

And then there are races. An entry fee for a local 5K might run $25 or so, but marathons and half-marathons are easily $100 and up. Big ticket marathons can be $300, if you can even get in, and then sometimes runners will plan a vacation around their dream race, adding to the cost. This is a sport that can cost as much or as little as you want.