Why the monthly figure misleads
Gyms quote prices in whatever shape looks smallest: per month, per week, or with the joining fee mentioned later. Terms differ too, so one gym's twelve-month price and another's rolling monthly price are not the same thing. To compare value, you need every gym's figure in the same shape.
When you ask for RPM's membership prices, ask for the total for the term and what the tier includes, then ask every other gym on your shortlist for the same. RPM's guide to gym membership costs explains what tends to drive prices.
Step 1: put every price on a twelve-month basis
| How the gym quotes it | Turn it into a year |
|---|---|
| A monthly price M with a 12-month minimum | 12 × M, plus any joining fee |
| One upfront payment U for 12 months | U, plus any joining fee |
| A rolling monthly price R with no minimum | 12 × R, plus any joining fee, noting the flexibility you get |
| A six-month term priced at S | 2 × S, plus a joining fee for each term if one applies |
Check whether VAT is included in every figure, and ask whether an admin or card fee appears on the first invoice. Those small lines change the ranking more often than people expect.
Step 2: add the extras you will really buy
| Extra | How it hides | Add it if |
|---|---|---|
| Personal training | Sold separately once you have joined | You plan to book sessions, even a few a month |
| Classes or studio sessions | Charged per class, or as a pack on cheaper tiers | You will go to a class most weeks |
| Recovery rooms | Included only on higher tiers | You will use them regularly |
| Parking | Paid bays or a meter outside the building | You drive to the gym |
| Locker rental | A monthly add-on at some clubs | You need a locker on every visit |
| Freeze fees | A charge each time you pause | You travel in summer or for work |
| Renewal price | Higher than the first-term rate | You expect to stay beyond the first term |
Leave out extras you will not buy. Recovery rooms you never use add nothing to either side of the sum.
Step 3: divide by the visits you will make at each gym
Realistic visits are not the same at every gym. The one on your daily route will get more of them than one that needs a detour across the island at rush hour. Estimate visits for each gym separately, from the trip you would really make. The worksheet in comparing gym location convenience handles that part.
Divide each gym's year total by its realistic visits. That cost per visit is the number to compare, alongside whether the gym meets your must-haves.
The value worksheet
Fill one column per gym. Keep the same unit throughout, whether that is your quoted price or a multiple of one gym's monthly fee.
| Line | Gym A | Gym B | Gym C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price as quoted, and the term | |||
| Joining or admin fee | |||
| Year total for the membership | |||
| Coaching you would add | |||
| Classes or studio sessions you would add | |||
| Recovery access you would add | |||
| Parking for a year | |||
| Freeze fees for your usual travel | |||
| Total cost for the year | |||
| Realistic visits in a year | |||
| Cost per visit | |||
| Meets every must-have? |
Worked example: the cheaper gym that costs more
These figures are illustrative. Every amount is a multiple of Gym B's monthly price, so you can drop in your own quotes. The reader trains after work, goes to one class a week and drives.
| Line | Gym A | Gym B |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | 0.6 | 1 |
| Twelve months | 7.2 | 12 |
| Joining fee | 1 | 0 |
| One class a week, paid per class at Gym A | 3 | Included |
| Parking for the year | 1.2 | 0, parking included |
| Total for the year | 12.4 | 12 |
| Realistic visits, given the route | 100 | 150 |
| Cost per visit | 0.124 | 0.08 |
Gym A's monthly price is well under Gym B's, yet its year costs slightly more once the joining fee, the classes and the parking go in. Gym B also sits on the reader's drive home, so it gets half as many visits again. Per visit, Gym B costs about two-thirds of what Gym A does.
When the cheapest really is the better value
Sometimes it is. If you lift on your own, need nothing beyond a well-kept floor, train at quiet hours and the cheaper gym sits on your route, the low price is the value. The worksheet will show that too.
How do I compare gym value without defaulting to the cheapest?
Rank gyms on cost per realistic visit, and only among the gyms that meet your must-haves. Start by crossing off any gym that lacks something you need, such as a women-only section or coaching. Then compare the rest on the year total, extras included, divided by the visits you will really make. The lowest monthly price only wins if it is still ahead after those two steps.
One last check before you sign: the offer and contract terms. A low first-term price that renews at a higher rate changes the sum, so read how to judge a gym offer before you commit.
Questions, answered.
Is paying for a year upfront better value?
It often lowers the monthly equivalent, but you carry the risk if you move, change jobs or stop going. Pay upfront only if your cost per visit still looks good after counting weeks away, and ask what happens to the balance if you cancel.
Should I count fuel and parking in the comparison?
Count parking if it differs between gyms. Fuel and tolls only matter if the trips differ a lot in length, and even then the bigger cost is usually the visits a long trip makes you skip.
How do I value coaching that one gym includes and another does not?
Ask the second gym what the same coaching would cost there, and add it to that gym's total. If you would not buy coaching anywhere, leave it out of both.
Can I ask a gym to match another gym's price?
You can ask. Compare year totals rather than monthly figures when you do, and get any agreed price and term in writing.
Why does RPM not show prices online?
RPM confirms prices and tier inclusions on enquiry. Ask for the total for the term so you can drop it straight into the worksheet.