What a gym membership actually costs over a decade

A $65 monthly fee is easy to overlook. A coffee and a sandwich. But over ten years, that coffee costs $7,800 before you walk in the door. The trick is to stop thinking month-to-month.

That $65 figure comes from a single trade-group survey from 2023. Dues have likely risen since, and the average hides a wide range. Almost 67% of members paid under $50 per month — think budget chains like Planet Fitness ($10–$25). On the other end, higher-end facilities charging $100 or more grew their membership by 7.9% from 2022 to 2023. A person in a city with boutique studios could easily pay $150–$300 per month.

To make this comparison useful, I am not anchoring on a single number. Here is what three real membership tiers cost over time:

Cumulative gym membership cost by tier, not counting sign-up fees, annual fees, or price increases.
Membership TierMonthlyAnnual1-Year3-Year5-Year10-Year
Budget (e.g., Planet Fitness style)$25$300$300$900$1,500$3,000
Mid-range (average)$65$780$780$2,340$3,900$7,800
Premium (boutique, specialty)$150$1,800$1,800$5,400$9,000$18,000

None of those figures include sign-up fees, annual fees, or price increases – and gyms love annual increases.