Cost to open a gym in Australia
Every ranking article quotes “$50K–$500K” with no sources. This is the opposite: a range for each line with a provenance chip and the citation — plus what we can't know about your site. Rates as at 2026-07-25.
No design yet? Plan your floor free — it feeds this budget and produces the equipment list for real quotes.
Estimated opening budget (AUD)
$546,375 – $1,131,075
250 m² · 12 months runway modelled · excludes franchise fees, working capital beyond rent, and wages.
| Line | Range | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Fit-out (250 m²)Gym-specific range from an equipment seller — directional. JLL's cross-sector average sits inside it. [Compound] | $375,000 – $750,000 | Vendor-published |
| Soft costs (on fit-out)Design, approvals, project management — on the fit-out line. [Bhumi] | $30,000 – $112,500 | Published rate |
| Contingency (on fit-out)On the fit-out line. Slabs, services and councils produce surprises. [Bhumi] | $18,750 – $75,000 | Published rate |
| Rent (first 12 months)Prime industrial net face. Incentives ran ~20–22% — negotiate; your street rent is site-specific. [Knight] | $36,000 – $57,000 | Published rate |
| Security / bank guaranteeMonths of rent + GST, held not spent — but it's capital you must have. [Sprintlaw] | $9,000 – $28,500 | Published rate |
| Insurance (year 1)Landlords increasingly demand $20M PL. Staffed vs 24/7 is the big driver. [gyminsurance.com.au] | $1,000 – $10,000 | Vendor-published |
| Equipment, landed (from your FOB input)Sea freight, ChAFTA 0% duty w/ COO, 10% GST, port & broker — same model as the landed-cost calculator. Get real FOB via RFQs. | $71,625 – $78,075 | Modelled |
| Pre-open marketingDeliberately modelled — spend is a choice, not a market rate. | $5,000 – $20,000 | Modelled |
What we could NOT verify
- Your actual rent — site-specific and heavily incentive-distorted; the range shown is prime industrial net face, not your street.
- Your slab capacity and services — needs an engineer and an electrician, not a website.
- Your council/permit path and its cost — varies by LGA (some treat gyms as accepted development, some take 250+ days).
- Equipment FOB pricing — until a real RFQ comes back from a manufacturer, any equipment number is a placeholder.
Funding the equipment or fit-out? Brokers with a gym-industry practice — commercial lending only.
Email me this budget
Your ranges, the sources, and the questions to ask a landlord and a manufacturer before any number becomes real.