How Much Does It Cost to Start a Fitness Franchise? (10 Franchises Compared)
Fitness franchises have become extremely popular investments over the past several years, and for good reason. Owning a fitness franchise can be a profitable venture. So, compared to the costs of opening a small gym business, how much does it cost to open a fitness franchise?
First, similar to any new business, it is important to know that the cost to open a fitness franchise is highly variable based on which fitness franchisor you choose, where you are planning to do business, real estate development costs, the cost of equipment and several other factors.
The cost to start a fitness franchise can be as low as $2,415 for a Jazzercise franchise up to $5,827,250 for a Gold’s Gym franchise. For comparison, an Anytime Fitness Express Center franchise costs between $50,759 and $507,582 to start.
In this article, we are breaking down the average cost to open ten of the most popular fitness franchises in the US. All numbers here are per each franchise’s 2021 FDD filing.
9Round
The average cost to open a 9Round franchise is $94,175 to $196,775.
9Round breaks this down in great detail with these amounts include, among other fees and expenditures, an initial franchise fee from $8,000 to $37,500, $400 to $1,500 for business licenses, $2,500 to $3,000 for computer and security set up, $35,000 to $37,000 for fitness equipment and inventory, and $10,000 to $15,000 for your grand opening marketing supplies.
Anytime Fitness
Opening an Anytime Fitness center costs, on average, between $68,191 and $693,917 for a full-service club or between $50,759 and $507,582 for an Anytime Fitness Express Center.
These amounts include all necessary expenses to begin operations including the $54,245 to $92,195 franchise fee ($42,425 to $65,875 for Anytime Express Centers) and several advertising, marketing, and technology fees.
D1 Training
The average cost to open and begin operating a D1 Training location is $235,250 to $670,290.
The main, and most notable fee that this includes is the $89,000 franchise fee. The majority of the other fees are marketing and equipment set up fees.
F45 Training
The average cost to open an F45 Training franchise is between $313,000 and $485,100.
F45 has a larger than average franchise fee of $180,600 to $205,600 with below average other fees, such as marketing, equipment, and set-up.
Fitness Premier
Much like Anytime Fitness, Fitness Premier 24/7 offers multiple franchise models. The larger model, called the FP club model, costs between $279,849 and $575,499 to get up and running. The smaller model, the Fit Wave Model, $92,850 and $200,000.
Fitness Premier’s business model is based around purchasing multiple franchises, so the franchise fee is highly variable based on how many franchises you open.
Gold’s Gym
Opening a Gold’s Gym is the most expensive franchise on this list with a price tag of $2,260,500 to $5,827,250.
This includes a, surprisingly low, franchise fee of only $40,000 to $45,000. Most of the rest of the fees are marketing, branding, state-of-the-art equipment, and location expenses.
Jazzercise
Jazzercise has the lowest cost to entry of only $2,415 to $3,200 for an associate franchisee or $3,750 to $21,750 for a business owner franchisee. Both of these figures include the $1,250 franchise fee, making this the cheapest franchise to open.
OrangeTheory Fitness
To open an OrangeTheory Fitness location, the average cost is between $657,542 and $2,105,322.
This includes the franchise fee of between $206,772 and $283,672. Like many other franchises, most of the rest of the expenses are for marketing and equipment.
Planet Fitness
Planet Fitness breaks down their costs by whether or not you finance your equipment. If you choose to finance your equipment, the average cost is between $936,600 and $3,386,000 with a franchise fee of $64,000 to $320,000.
If you choose not to finance your equipment and buy it out right, the average cost to begin is $1,877,600 to $4,558,000 with a franchise fee of $452,000 to $987,000.
Snap Fitness
The average cost to open a Snap Fitness is from $145,258 to $479,996. This includes a franchise fee of between $72,917 and $105,556.
Almost all of the other fees are to be expected including equipment, technology, marketing, and training fees.
And that is how much it costs some of the most popular fitness franchises in the US. Of course these numbers can change at anytime, so it is best that you contact the company directly and get your own accurate information based on their most recent FDD filings.
Want to learn more? Check out FitnessFranchiseInfo.com