Fitness basket equals 10.91% of monthly income.
The US and UK cities where fitness costs hit hardest.
Bespoke Fit analysed the true cost of staying active across major US and UK cities, comparing typical monthly fitness expenses with local pay to reveal where fitness puts the greatest pressure on people's budgets.
$426.52 per month before income is factored in.
Fitness basket equals 8.57% of monthly net salary.
£226.95 per month before salary is factored in.
US ranking
Where fitness costs bite hardest in the US.
The default view ranks cities by income share. Switch to total monthly cost to see which cities have the most expensive basket before local pay is factored in.
Top 10 by income share
Full US table, ranked by income share
Tip: scroll sideways on smaller screens to see each cost category.
UK ranking
The UK cities where a fit lifestyle takes the biggest share.
The UK analysis uses the same basket and compares it with estimated local monthly net salary. The ranking is meant to compare cities within the UK, not to merge UK and US cities into one table.
Top 10 by income share
Full UK table, ranked by income share
Tip: scroll sideways on smaller screens to see each cost category.
Methodology
What this study measured.
The study looks at a simple question: in which cities does a basic fitness routine take the biggest bite out of local pay? To answer that, Bespoke Fit priced the same basket of fitness costs in every city and compared it with local pay.
The monthly fitness basket
The basket is not meant to cover every possible way someone trains. It is a standard benchmark that lets readers compare cities fairly.
Membership
Average city-level monthly fitness club membership prices.
Healthy groceries
A fixed basket of milk, bread, eggs, chicken, rice, apples and bananas.
Recovery drinks
12 ready-to-drink protein shakes per month, based on three workouts per week.
Running shoes
One pair of mid-range Nike running shoes per year, split into a monthly cost.
How cities were ranked
The main ranking is income share: the percentage of local monthly pay needed to cover the same fitness basket. The table toggle lets readers switch to raw monthly cost, which shows the most expensive basket before pay is considered.
Income share = monthly fitness basket ÷ local monthly pay × 100
What to keep in mind
- The basket is a standardised proxy, not a full fitness budget or complete diet.
- It does not include travel, childcare, sports clubs, supplements, specialist kit or every style of training.
- Where protein shake prices were not available for a city, the closest same-state or same-region pricing was used.
- Raw cost and income share tell different stories, so the page includes both views.
Fitness costs vary by city. Coaching should work wherever you train.
Bespoke Fit gives members live 1-on-1 video personal training with a real coach watching every rep, every session, whether they train at home, in a gym or on the road.
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