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Fitness Club Cost

How Much Does a Fitness Club Cost?

low cost Typically: $20-$50 a month

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Personal Trainer

Yoga Classes

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Typical costs:
  • Monthly fees average $35 to $40 for a single membership, but can be as low as $20 depending on age, location and whether customers are willing to sign an extended contract. Many health clubs also charge an average enrollment fee of $40, but some can charge more than $100.
  • Nearly all gyms offer membership packages for 3, 6, or 12 months, which often requires signing a contract. Rates often drop by 25 percent for 12-month contracts or if yearly dues are paid up front. Urban areas carry higher membership fees.
  • 24 Hour Fitness offers 90-day memberships for $50 per month at its nearly 400 gyms on the West Coast. The rates drop to between $37 and $40 a month for a 12-month plan, depending on the location. The enrollment fee of $129 is higher than most, and not all of the gyms are open 24 hours.
  • Snap Fitness, with 24-hour clubs in nearly every state, averages $35 a month and sign-up fees of $49. Cardinal Fitness, a Chicago area chain with locations in nearby states, charges $20 per month for a single membership or $32 for a couple.
What should be included:
  • Memberships should include full use of all fitness equipment. Staff members should be knowledgeable about how each machine operates and what settings are safe and appropriate for your weight, height and fitness goals.
  • Some larger, private health clubs also have pools and courts for tennis or racquetball.
  • Some chain gyms allow access to all of their sites for one membership fee. Many gyms offer free childcare and at least one free personal training session with new memberships.
Additional costs:
  • For additional fees, most gyms offer packages of personal training sessions.
  • Through the Passport Program, the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association facilitates cross-usage of affiliated gyms nationwide, often at fees of under $10 per visit.
Discounts:
  • Many gyms offer free or discounted trial memberships. Bally Total Fitness offers a free two-week trial that includes a personal training session. A 30-day membership, which allows access to the gym only three days a week, is $19.
  • Gyms often discount fees for students, seniors and families. At many of its locations, Snap Fitness offers family plans for an average of $50 a month, but children must live at home and be 18 or younger.
Shopping for a fitness club:
  • Before signing a contract with a gym, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) lists tips for choosing a fitness center. Many complaints against gyms involve dissatisfaction with a contract's financial terms.
Article updated April 2007
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Recent Posts
Amount: $51.00 per month Quotes from the YMCA
Posted by: occasional workout in Saratoga, CA.Purchased: January, 2008
Club or Gym: YMCA
I just got some quotes from the Saratoga YMCA. Basically, the place seems like a much better deal for families. $51 for 1 adult, but $76 a month for two adults and dependents. It's kind of an old-style gym with mostly old equipment, but some of the newer cycling/rowing machines each with its own TV. It also had a pool (closed due to an 'accident') and a room to take care of young kids. Basically, heavily geared toward families.
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Amount: $35.00 per month snap fitness
Posted by: bob in san jose, CA.Purchased: January, 2008
Club or Gym: snap fitness
Avoid these guys. They are crooks.
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Amount: $29.00 per month Club Fitness in Louisville, CO
Posted by: Kim in Louisville, CO.Purchased: June, 2007
Club or Gym: Club Fitness
Great club, great price.
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Amount: $35.00 per month Curves...closed
Posted by: A reader from NY in Orchard Park, NY.Purchased: 2008
Club or Gym: Curves
Joined in July...closed in Oct....never got my initial fee back.....$100 gone....Yes, there are others...but at a farther distance...very dissapointed
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Amount: $34.00 per month Clubs Closing
Posted by: LeAnna in Tucson, AZ.Purchased: January, 2008
Club or Gym: Curves
Gyms close because individuals join but stop coming and renewing their memberships. They don't take their health seriously enough to support the business.
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Amount: $93.95 per month YMCA Charlotte
Posted by: Ms A. in Charlotte, NC.Purchased: November, 2007
Club or Gym: YMCA
We have a family membership to the YMCA in Charlotte, N.C.. for Adults + 2 dependents. We also paid a joining fee of $150 but I now know that they waive this fee in January of every year. We have a 6 yr old & a 3 yr old.. The YMCA here has great kiddie pools, dance classes, soccer teams, etc.. is super clean and most equipment is new at the facilities that I use most often. They have TVs practically everywhere and you can bring your headphones and plug them into the treadmill TVs, etc..
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Amount: $65.00 per month general
Posted by: squeaky in lansing, MI.Purchased: January, 2001
Club or Gym: fittness u s a
junk eqmp ,no staff to spot you ,old men looking for young men to prey on.lansing michigan w sag st and frandor area.
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Amount: $72.00 per month NYSC New York City
Posted by: Katie in New York, NY.Purchased: August, 2009
Club or Gym: NYSC
I took over somebody else\'s membership and that\'s why it\'s so low - I pay $72 for a month and I can use all NYSC gyms in the city. Usually the same membership costs like $96 a month with 1 year commitment. What can I say - New York is truly expensive! At least NYSC has free towels (unlike Bally\'s)!
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Amount: $1.67 per month Pay multiple years up-front for best deal
Posted by: Pleased with my deal in Lake Oswego, OR.Purchased: November, 2005
Club or Gym: 24 Hour Fitness
A number of years ago I purchased 2 or 3 years of membership and paid the entire amount up front. I don't remember exactly, but I think the cost was around $1000-$1400 and it included a trainer for 6 sessions. However, once those years were up, I could renew my membership for a flat $20/year. If you have the money up-front, you can probably get a much better deal than $30 - $50/mo. I haven't gone in close to two years, but I'd be a fool to let it expire over $20/year.
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