Fitness franchise costs

Fitness franchising splits into two businesses. Big-box gyms sell cheap memberships to thousands of members from a large space full of equipment. Boutique studios, such as pilates, barre, cycling, boxing, stretching and small-group training, sell pricier memberships to a few hundred members in a storefront of a few thousand square feet. Both are membership businesses: the money comes in monthly, and the work before opening is selling memberships in advance.

That shapes the cost. A studio needs a fitted-out storefront, specialist equipment and enough presale marketing to open with paying members; a big-box gym needs all of that at ten times the size. Kids’ fitness and sports-training brands add a third, smaller model.

What a fitness franchise costs

Across the 195 brands on the fitness list, the typical cost to open runs from $297K at the low end of each brand’s estimate to $584K at the high end. The low end is a small location in a cheaper market with little build-out; the high end a large site in an expensive one. Of these brands, 78 start at $250K or less and 27 at $100K or less.

Where the money goes

Each franchisor itemizes its cost to open. Grouping the lines for the 154 fitness brands with a full breakdown shows what a typical budget pays for, as an average share of the high estimate, with the typical amount.

Building out the space is the largest cost for most fitness brands: flooring, showers and locker rooms, sound, lighting and the brand’s look. Equipment comes next, and for reformer pilates or specialist machines it can rival the build-out. Brands budget $50K or so of working capital because a new studio typically runs at a loss until membership fills, and many also require a presale marketing campaign before the doors open.

Cheapest and most expensive fitness franchises

The cheapest fitness brands with at least 20 US locations, by the low end of the cost to open. Use the full range on each brand’s page for budgeting, not the low end alone.

Fees and royalties

The typical fitness brand charges a franchise fee of $50K, a royalty of 7% of sales and 2% to a marketing fund. Another 16 brands charge a flat or tiered royalty instead of a single percentage. Royalties and marketing come off sales before rent, staff or loan payments, so on a $427K year they cost about $38K. The fees and royalties guide compares industries.

What fitness franchise locations sell

Of the fitness brands, 54 publish a comparable yearly sales figure per location. The typical one is $427K, below the $797K typical across all brands.

Fitness sells less per location than restaurants: a typical location’s yearly sales are about 0.9× the midpoint of its cost to open, so it takes more than a year of sales just to match what it cost. Margins can be higher than in food, because a studio needs a small staff and no stock. The figure to ask owners about is members: how many it takes to break even, how long that took and how many cancel each month. The gym franchises list covers the big-box brands and the pilates franchises list the studios.

Which fitness franchises are growing

Of the 102 fitness brands with three years of figures, 76 added US locations from 2023 to 2025 and 19 shrank. The typical brand with 20 or more locations changed by +6.7%, against +3.8% across all franchises.

The brands that lost the most locations were Jazzercise (441), 9Round (229) and CycleBar (146). The fastest-growing franchises ranking covers every industry.

Who runs a fitness franchise

Of the fitness brands whose agreements are clear, 145 let a trained manager run the business day to day and 48 require the owner to. Initial training typically runs 54 hours, against 71 across all brands. The typical brand loses 0.9% of its franchised locations a year to closures, terminations and non-renewals. On the SBA Franchise Directory are 105 of the 195 brands, so SBA-backed loans are available for them.

Best fitness franchises to own

These fitness brands pass all five tests on the best franchises to own ranking: they grew, lost no more owners than is typical, publish earnings figures, are on the SBA directory and had 100 or more US locations three years ago.

Before you buy a fitness franchise

Ask how many members existing studios have at six, twelve and twenty-four months, and what share cancel each month. Check how close the nearest studio of the same brand, and of rival boutique brands, would be; fitness territories are often small and dense. Look at what the franchisor requires you to spend on presale marketing, and whether a remodel or new equipment package is required during the term.

Fitness concepts rise and fall fast. A brand growing quickly may be riding a trend, so look at its exit rate and how its oldest studios are doing. Among the fastest growing here is BODYROK; read its location table year by year before buying into the growth.