Is a gym membership worth it? What one visit really costs
Updated from prices checked on each gym’s own website.
A gym membership is worth it once it costs less per visit than paying at the door. The median San Antonio gym we checked costs $600 in its first year with the fees it publishes: $5.77 a visit if you go twice a week, $3.85 at three times. 28 gyms publish both a membership and a day pass ($8–$35); there, the membership is the cheaper way in from 2 to 11 visits a month.
What one visit costs is the first year divided by the times you go: twelve months of dues plus the joining fee and the annual fee, over the visits in 52 weeks. The fewer times you go, the more each visit costs, and below a certain number of visits a month a day pass is cheaper.
What a visit costs at a typical San Antonio gym
| You go | Visits in a year | Median gym ($600 a year) | Cheapest: Crunch Fitness – Thousand Oaks Drive ($179.88) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Once a week | 52 | $11.54 | $3.46 |
| Twice a week | 104 | $5.77 | $1.73 |
| 3 times a week | 156 | $3.85 | $1.15 |
| 4 times a week | 208 | $2.88 | $0.86 |
Membership or day pass? The gyms that publish both
Below the number of visits in the last column, paying the day pass each time costs less over a year than the membership.
| Gym | Membership, first year | Day pass | Membership cheaper from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beast Gym – Blanco Rd | at least $150 | $10 | at least 2 a month |
| Beast Gym – Nw Military Hwy | at least $150 | $10 | at least 2 a month |
| Orangetheory Fitness – Bandera Rd | at least $828 | $35 | at least 2 a month |
| Orangetheory Fitness – E Basse Rd | at least $828 | $35 | at least 2 a month |
| Orangetheory Fitness – N Loop 1604 W | at least $828 | $35 | at least 2 a month |
| Orangetheory Fitness – Potranco Rd | at least $828 | $35 | at least 2 a month |
| Orangetheory Fitness – US-281 | at least $828 | $35 | at least 2 a month |
| 210 Strong | at least $550 | $20 | at least 3 a month |
| Alamo 180 | at least $840 | $30 | at least 3 a month |
| Leija Boxing x Fitness | at least $825 | $30 | at least 3 a month |
| Sikesercise – Burleson St | at least $1,140 | $35 | at least 3 a month |
| Sikesercise – N New Braunfels Ave | at least $1,140 | $35 | at least 3 a month |
| Texan Tough Athletic Club | at least $600 | $20 | at least 3 a month |
| The Union Fitness and Fun Huebner | at least $1,068 | $32 | at least 3 a month |
| CrossFit Unchained | at least $1,188 | $25 | at least 4 a month |
| Orangetheory Fitness – Culebra Rd | at least $1,308 | $35 | at least 4 a month |
| Fettlefitt | at least $1,908 | $30 | at least 6 a month |
| Kulture Fitness San Antonio | at least $1,908 | $30 | at least 6 a month |
| MBS Fitness | at least $900 | $15 | at least 6 a month |
| Crossfit Lobo | at least $2,040 | $25 | at least 7 a month |
| Crossfit Optimistic | at least $1,848 | $25 | at least 7 a month |
| Lone Star CrossFit | at least $1,620 | $20 | at least 7 a month |
| Plathe Fitness LLC | at least $800 | $10 | at least 7 a month |
| Scribner Boxing | at least $600 | $8 | at least 7 a month |
| Boxr Station | at least $1,440 | $15 | at least 9 a month |
| King William District Crossfit | at least $2,460 | $24 | at least 9 a month |
| Maximstrong | at least $1,440 | $15 | at least 9 a month |
| Body By Bootcamp | at least $1,200 | $10 | at least 11 a month |
The chains: what a visit costs
| Chain | Plan | Each visit (104 a year) | Clubs checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crunch Fitness | Base | at least $1.73–$2.81 | 6 |
| EōS Fitness | Will Do | $2.02 | 2 |
| Planet Fitness | Classic | $2.21–$2.58 | 15 |
| Gold's Gym | Commit & Save | $4.04 | 10 |
| LA Fitness | Basic | $4.50–$4.70 | 6 |
| Anytime Fitness | 12-Month Plan | at least $4.88–$8.98 | 15 |
| Orangetheory Fitness | 4 Classes Monthly | at least $7.96 | 7 |
| Life Time | Monthly Membership | at least $22.96 | 1 |
Every gym page shows what one visit there costs. See also what a membership really costs in its first year, every San Antonio gym with a day pass and gym contract red flags.
