So, you want to build a gym at home, and you’re wondering, “How much does a home gym cost?”. You’re not alone; this is by far one of the most asked questions we receive. We’ve detailed just how much you can expect to spend, and trust us when we say it’s likely much less than you think. A home gym can not only be built on a budget, but it can also be an extremely smart financial decision.
How Much Does a Home Gym Cost?
As with any hobby, a home gym can be extremely costly at the start. That said, it doesn’t have to be; in fact, you can start a home gym with as little money as you have, or even nothing but the things you have lying around the house. We want to bust the myth that a home gym is only for the wealthy and well-to-do.
A home gym, if used properly, has the power to benefit everyone physically, mentally, and fiscally. We’ve seen people drive down debt, increase energy, and decrease body fat through the building of a gym in their home or garage.
We’ll get into the details throughout this article, but here’s a quick overview of how much you can expect to spend on a home gym.
| Type of Gym | Cost Range | What You Get |
| Budget gym | $300-$1,000 | Dumbbells, kettlebells, budget cardio equipment |
| Mid-range | $1,000-$3,000 | Power rack, barbell, dumbbells, weight plates, bench |
| Full gym | $3,000-$6,000 | Add cardio, rack accessories, and flooring |
| Commercial-grade gym | $6,000+ | Commercial versions of all gym equipment |
Why You Should Build a Home Gym
Have you ever wondered why everyone in your life with a home gym is constantly telling you how great it is? I was that way. Before I started my garage gym, I worked out at a CrossFit gym, paying for both my wife and I to work out at a gym that we certainly enjoyed, but we still saw many areas for improvement.
I noticed that although our monthly membership fee was around $200, we were spending much more when the gas, car maintenance, and time were factored in. Throw in the fact that the gym wasn’t super close, and it began to seem pretty frivolous to be spending so much to use someone else’s barbells and plates (especially considering how low quality the equipment was).
There are a few things that nearly everyone reading this could benefit from, and I certainly could then when I was a slave to the monthly gym membership. I’m talking about more time, money, and health.
More Time
Time is our most finite resource. You may feel like you have a very long life ahead of you (and I hope you do), but the reality is that time is ticking away, and we aren’t guaranteed our next breath. I want to maximize my time here on Earth as much as possible and I believe others do, as well. Not only that, but when you factor in the cost of your time, your time-spending habits may change.
Every decision has a seemingly infinite amount of choices not chosen. Essentially, by saying I’m going to drive to the gym, pay for the gym, take a long time to use the gym, and drive home from the gym, is you saying “no” to an insane amount of things that would probably be better for you to say “yes” to, like more money.
More Money
A home gym (while still a cost, nonetheless) can, in fact, be a very frugal cost and money-saver if done properly. Think about this: The difference between a home gym and a commercial gym in terms of money spent is very similar to the difference in buying a car versus leasing a car.
When you buy a car outright, you own that car. You can do whatever you want with it, and it’s yours. If you lease a car, you pay a fee to use somebody else’s car. Leasing, also known as “fleecing” by various financial experts (I’m a former financial planner, so I’ve spent a lot of time with these concepts), is a much more expensive way to drive a car.
A home gym, like buying a car outright, is now yours to keep forever. Additionally, a home gym doesn’t depreciate as quickly as a car (if bought following our suggestions), and never has to be upgraded unless you simply want to.
A home gym is also much cheaper over its lifespan versus a gym membership. We’ll get into more of the nitty-gritty numbers in the next section, but a majority of home gyms could end up being cheaper for their owner in less than three years versus the cost of a commercial gym membership over an equivalent timeline.
More Health
The last thing that everyone reading this could benefit from is more health. More health will likely equal more time alive and, therefore, can mean more money made. Regardless of this, health is what all of you reading this are striving for.
You want better physical and mental health, both of these can be achieved by a home gym in a way a commercial gym can’t facilitate. Think about the way you use a commercial gym, you go for an hour a few times each week, and that’s it. A home gym is always there, always available to be used, and always taunting you to get better.
A home gym could truly be one of the best investments you make for your health, wealth, and happiness.
Home Gym Cost Vs Gym Membership Cost
The cost of a home gym versus a membership for a commercial gym like a CrossFit Affiliate, Gold’s Gym, or something similar is the main determinant for people considering home gym ownership. Sure, there are a ton of benefits to having a home gym, but I find that for most people, it simply comes down to cost.
“Can I build a home gym that allows me to accomplish my goals without ruining myself financially?”
I always find our purchasing decisions kind of funny. For instance, many of us are likely reading this on an expensive smartphone, which doesn’t include the monthly cost of our unlimited everything plans. For reference, the latest iPhone at the time of writing, the iPhone 17, starts at $799, while the iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,0999.
I say this to illustrate the fact that it’s become acceptable to purchase a 4-figure phone that must be upgraded every few years (many upgrade every year…don’t worry, I do the same), but a purchase like a home gym that never has to be upgraded and can improve pretty much every area of your life is highly scrutinized. A home gym can literally be one of the best financial decisions you make, as well, and here’s why:
According to research done by the Health & Fitness Association1, the average gym membership in 2024 cost roughly $65 a month, which comes out to around $780 per year, and $7,800 every ten years.
Here’s an interesting tidbit on this though—these membership numbers don’t include common gym fees, including:
- Annual fees
- Initiation fees
- The cost of gas and car maintenance to get to and from the gym
- Extra items purchased at the gym like supplements, apparel, etc…
To be fair, there are budget-friendly gyms like Planet Fitness that offer affordable memberships costing between $15 and $25 monthly, but not everyone has access to these types of affordable facilities.
So, if the cost of a commercial gym is currently around $780/year (this is also growing by ~3% per year due to inflation and other factors, FYI) which is $7,800/decade, then how does that compare to a home gym?
Well, let’s take a look.
First off, unfortunately, we have no accurate market data on people who have built a gym in their home. I’d love to come up with a number and declare it as fact, but that would be disingenuous, and I don’t want to lead anyone astray.
What I will say, however, is that based upon what I see through the people who send us their setups, ask for advice, and offer recommendations, the average cost for a home gym is between $1,500 and $2,500 for most people. This number can be both less and much, much more, but this seems like what most people spend on their home gyms in the short term.
So, let’s compare these numbers to a gym membership. As we’ve established, a membership to a local gym costs an average of $65 per month in perpetuity. If the average home gym costs $1,500, then it would take just only two years to recoup the costs of a very well-equipped setup in comparison to the average gym membership.
With the home gym, however, you have an asset that can be traded for other goods or money (and if you buy right, it will have outstanding resale value), and the only ongoing fee you have is the cost to keep the lights on in your garage or spare room.
If we’re looking just at financials, to me, the cost of a home gym is a much better decision than a gym membership.
What You Need to Build a Home Gym
Now that I’ve at least drawn your interest in enough to have you consider a home gym, the next thing you need to determine is what equipment you should use to build your setup.
For most people, the equipment we suggest starting out with include:
- An Olympic barbell
- A squat rack with a pull-up bar attached
- Weight plates
- A weight bench
- An exercise bike
- A rowing machine, air bike, jump rope, sled, or some other cardio machine
(Alternatively, or in addition, you may consider an all-in-one home gym machine to serve multiple purposes.)
There are a myriad of other tools that can be added to this setup, as well, such as adjustable dumbbells, kettlebells, a treadmill, lat pulldown, etc.
Another “nice to have” that not a lot of future home gym owners consider is flooring. This will add to your overall cost depending on the material you choose, but can also be economical if you get creative—horse stall mats, for example. Having appropriate flooring may save your garage from damage. You can learn more about this in our guide to the best home gym flooring.
We suggest starting small and building over time to save money and avoid having things sit in the corner or trying to salvage some of your money on Craigslist. Do not make the mistake of overbuying and underusing; you will be much better off buying less and upgrading over time.
Garage Gym Reviews’ Home Gym Equipment Picks for Beginners
To help you get started, I’d like to provide some equipment suggestions at various price points for the staples you’ll need: a barbell, power rack, weight plates, and a bench. We have buyer’s guides for all kinds of strength and conditioning equipment you may need, but these are the best foundational pieces for any home gym.
Best Barbells
The barbell will be one of your most-used pieces of equipment in the gym (probably right behind the squat rack). When you begin researching barbells, you start to notice the wide variety of both options and prices that are available. You can get a barbell for anywhere from $100 to $1,500 or more. We don’t want to bore you with all of the details to look for in buying a bar (we’ve already done that in our barbell buying guide), so we’re just going to list a few different options that are the favorites of ours and our readers.
The 20-kilogram Colorado Bar from REP Fitness is a durable, versatile Olympic barbell made for heavy powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting, and cycling weights in CrossFit workouts. The barbell has two knurl markings for IWF and IPF specs. The bar is available with a hard chrome finish or different-colored cerakote finishes with Duracoat on the sleeves. With composite bushings, the barbell provides decent spin and durability that helps dampen noise when dropping weights.
What our tester says:
“This bar is fantastic. From REP’s previous bars, this blows those away. This is now a true contender.”
Cost: $300
Why We Like It: Lifetime warranty, multi-purpose knurling, excellent versatility
Who It’s For: Home gym owners looking for the first and last barbell they’ll ever need
If you’re looking for your first barbell, it’s hard to beat the REP Fitness Colorado Bar as a one-size-fits-all recommendation. It has IPF and IWF knurling marks, making it a good choice for both powerlifting and weightlifting. Multiple finish options and colors are also available for personalization. The lifetime warranty is the icing on the cake, too, which is why this has been one of our favorite barbells for the past few years.
What our tester says:
“This is a great bar for cross-training. Based on our testing we felt like the knurling is passive enough and holds chalk well enough that it would provide a good fit for CrossFit-style training.”
Cost: $259
Why We Like It: IWF knurling, high tensile strength, affordable pricing
Who It’s For: Those looking for a great barbell on a budget
We’ll start with the obvious—$259 isn’t that much cheaper than our top pick, the REP Fitness Colorado Bar. However, while there are more affordable options on retail sites like Amazon, we weren’t impressed with some of the features, and this is the most affordable barbell we’d still feel comfortable recommending. It has an impressive 750-pound weight limit, comes with free shipping from Major Fitness, and includes a one-year warranty, making it a good start bar for those shopping on a limited budget.
Best Squat Racks
Now that you have a bar, you need a squat rack. The squat rack will be the centerpiece of your gym, and if you’re like most garage gym owners, will be the most used piece of equipment you have. Due to the amount it’s used, and the fact that it’s largely designed to help save your life should you fail a lift, your goal shouldn’t be to just buy the cheapest rack possible. However, thanks to the growth in home gyms, there are now more racks available than ever before; even better, they’re lower in price than at any time in history.
The Rep Fitness PR-4000 Power Rack is honestly one of the best value power racks on the market. This rack has garnered excellent reviews from us and others and it’s largely due to how great it’s features are for the price point. This is still a pretty expensive rack for those on a tight budget and trying to build a home gym, but this is the type of rack you never have to upgrade. Is it better than the Rogue Monster Lite? No, but it is cheaper and very similar quality, although it is imported. We are big fans of the PR-4000 and recommend it.
What our tester says:
“The thing we like most about the PR-4000 is the value it offers. You can easily get the same rack from other companies for hundreds of dollars more. Something else we like is how REP recently added the ability to order uprights and cross members separately, which means you can truly customize the look and functionality of your rack.”
Cost: Starts around $950
Why We Like It: Fully customizable, great for accessories, high weight capacity
Who It’s For: Those looking for a great power rack they can use forever
A squat rack is often the foundation of your garage gym, and as such, we think it’s worth getting the best one you’re able to afford. Without question, the REP PR-4000, which is a fully customizable power rack, fits the bill perfectly. You can customize nearly every aspect of the rack, including the frame size, height, attachments, and so much more. Not to mention, this rack can be upgraded with REP’s functional trainer attachment, like the Ares 2.0.
This is an affordably priced rack that comes with a pull-up bar.
What our tester says:
“If you spend less money, does the quality of the equipment go down so far that it is no longer worth the purchase? In the case of the Fringe Sport Squat Rack, the answer is no.”
Cost: $349
Why We Like It: Free shipping, space-saving footprint, very affordable
Who It’s For: Anyone looking for a compact, affordable squat rack
Don’t feel like spending thousands on a rack? Thankfully, with this Fringe Sport rack, you don’t have to. It’s a half-rack, which saves plenty of floor space, but means it’s not upgradeable with certain attachments like cables. It also has a limited weight capacity of 600 pounds, which should still be more than enough for all but the strongest home gym owners, but is lower than high-end racks. It’s not the nicest rack on the market, but for only $349, we can’t complain.
Best Weight Plates
Weight plates will be used mostly on the sleeves of your barbell, but they can also be used for other movements, as well. They can easily be attached to a belt for weighted pull-ups or dips, held in your hands for Russian twists, or even used for farmers walks to increase your grip strength. We most often suggest searching out used sources for weight plates, as they can get expensive very quickly.
Both Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are great places to search for both used iron and bumper plates. If you plan to drop the bar from overhead after cleans and snatches, then get bumper plates. If not, you’ll be fine with cast iron (and your wallet will thank you).
The urethane-coated Equalizer Plates from REP Fitness are versatile, grippy, and built to last—perfect for home gym owners who want a premium feel. Although they’re pricier than standard iron plates, the coating makes for a durable construction, and they’re backed by a lifetime warranty.
Cost: Varies; average price is $3.22 per pound
Why We Like It: Unique grip makes plates easy to handle, impressive lifetime warranty
Who It’s For: Those looking for a versatile set of weight plates
When it comes to a versatile set of weight plates, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything better than REP’s Equalizer Urethane-Coated Plates. They’re a particularly great pick for anyone who hates bothering with bumpers or metal plates that feel nearly impossible to pick up from the ground. They’re not bumper plates that can be dropped, but the unique design and solid durability make these a worthy choice for any home gym.
Cost: Varies; average price is $1.79 per pound
Why We Like It: Durable construction, built to withstand drops
Who It’s For: Budget shoppers, or those looking for bumper plates
If you need bumper plates that are built to withstand thousands of drops without damaging your floor or barbell, we love these Fringe Sport plates. With an average cost of $1.79 per pound, they’re among the most budget-friendly plates we’ve tested, and unlike cast-iron plates, they can be used for a wide range of movements. Sure, there may be higher-end bumper plates out there, but we think most home gym owners would love a set of Fringe Sport bumper plates in their garage gym.
Best Weight Benches
The next piece of equipment we suggest getting is some sort of bench. A bench, whether flat or adjustable, can allow you to bench press, but also do much more than that. A bench can be utilized for various pulling movements, step-ups, box jumps, box squats, split lunges, and more.
If you’re only planning on buying one bench, we suggest an adjustable bench. This offers significantly more versatility than a standard flat bench, allowing you to perform a wider variety of upper- and lower-body exercises.
The Titan Fitness Titan Series Adjustable Weight Bench is a heavy-duty bench that can act as a flat or incline bench, and support up to 1,000 pounds when flat.
What our tester says:
“It has a three-post design that allows lifters to have optimal foot placement during a flat bench or shoulder presses”
Cost: $635
Why We Like It: Impressive weight capacity, durable construction, designed to meet IPF standards
Who It’s For: Those looking for a versatile bench that’s built to last
Similar to a squat rack, if you buy the right bench the first time, you’ll likely never need to buy another one. As such, we can’t recommend the Titan Fitness adjustable bench enough. It meets International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) standards, and has a surprisingly high weight capacity of 600 pounds when on an incline (1,000 pounds when flat). We also love the ladder adjustment system, which tends to offer quicker adjustments than a pin mechanism.
The Adjustable Bench from Major Fitness has eight adjustable positions on the pack pad and another four for the seat pad. Moving from flat to nearly vertical, the adjustable weight bench provides lots of versatility for many exercises, although it’s not a FID bench and doesn’t allow decline angles. At 61.7 pounds, this bench is rated to hold up to 1,300 pounds, and will support you through heavy workouts.
What our tester says:
“With this many positions between the back and seat pads, you can adjust your bench to just about anything you want.”
Cost: $219
Why We Like It: Nine back positions, durable construction, affordable cost
Who It’s For: Anyone shopping for a great bench on a budget
At $219, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find a better bench than this Major Fitness adjustable bench. While it’s not perfect, it’s very close, and unless you’re a competitive powerlifter who needs an IPF-approved bench, we think this will get the job done. The back pad tapers a bit at the top, which is slightly different than most benches, and there are no transport wheels. Still, we think this is a solid choice for someone who wants a great bench that won’t break the bank.
Where You Should Buy Home Gym Equipment
Due to the explosive growth of people working out at home, there are now more places to purchase equipment than ever before. Although it’s great to have so many options, not every company is worth your time and money.
Here are a few we’d suggest:
- Rogue Fitness: Rogue is largely considered the premier gym equipment maker in the United States. They definitely have competition, but it’s hard to argue with their price to quality ratio. Not only are they making great equipment, but they spend a lot of their time focusing on helping people set up home gyms.
- REP Fitness: REP Fitness is making a lot of great equipment for the home gym crowd, and although most of their equipment isn’t to the level of Rogue, it is often much cheaper. We suggest REP Fitness often.
- Fringe Sport: Fringe Sport is making some outstanding equipment, and again, are focusing on the home gym market. Based out of Austin, Texas, Fringe Sport imports most of their equipment, similar to REP Fitness, but puts their own unique spin on a lot of items.
- PRx Performance: If you’re looking for equipment that is space-saving (most home gym owners are) in nature, then we suggest taking a look at some of PRx Performance’s fold-away racks. They’re built extremely well and use an amazing amount of ingenuity. They have some additional fold-away pieces, as well, including plate storage horns and even weight benches.
- Amazon: Amazon is the world’s largest e-commerce store, and this power extends to home gym equipment. Although they don’t have a lot of higher-end equipment, they do have a large variety of budget-priced pieces, so they’re always worth looking at.
So, How Much Does a Home Gym Cost?
As you can see, a home gym can vary widely. We see the average cost for most home gym’s around $1,500 to $2,500, but you can get one for less (or much, much more). We suggest budgeting a couple thousand dollars, buying the equipment you need to get started, and building your gym out further over time.
I do want to say this, though: Regardless of whether you choose a home gym or a commercial gym (you should choose a home gym), you need some place to workout. Healthcare costs continue to grow at an exponential rate, and we at Garage Gym Built just want to see people get healthier. So, join us in the fight against obesity and complacency. Build a home gym and reach your goals!
How Much Does a Home Gym Cost? FAQs
How much should I spend on a home gym?
This is honestly up to you. We suggest starting small and growing over time, but if you know you’re going to use the equipment, it can save you shipping costs by making one large order versus multiple smaller orders.
When is the best time to buy gym equipment?
If you’re wanting to order from Rogue, we’ve detailed how to save money on Rogue Fitness equipment here. For everyone else, Black Friday typically offers the best discounts.
Should I buy the cheapest equipment I can find?
This depends on the various pieces of equipment. We suggest spending the most on your barbell and squat rack, as other items are typically less important to have high-quality (it does depend on the piece, however).
Check out my recommendations for the best budget home gym equipment if you’re working with a smaller budget.
References
- Staff, H. & F. A. (2025, July 30). U.S. fitness facility memberships reach the highest level ever as dues rise. https://www.healthandfitness.org/u-s-fitness-facility-memberships-reach-the-highest-level-ever-as-dues-rise/
