Australians reduce spending on gym memberships

June 27, 2023

Karen Sweaney

Australian gym goers have reduced what they pay for memberships by almost 15% in the past year, spending an average of $81 per month ($972 over a year) down from $95 last year.

Asking over 1,100 gym and fitness club members about their exercise habits, comparison website Canstar Blue’s found out that adults aged in their 60s spent the most on keeping fit ($96 per month) while those aged in their 50s had the lowest gym costs ($63 per month).

Additional insights from Canstar Blue’s research revealed:

27% don’t use their membership as much as they thought they would, up from 22% last year.
39% have tried more than one gym chain in an effort to find a place they really like, up from 25% last year.
56% report feeling healthier for having a gym membership and regularly going to the gym, up from 43% last year.

As for motivations for maintaining a gym membership, the survey found:

31% just want to generally improve their general fitness
31% go to lose weight
15% go for their mental wellbeing
14% go to build muscle

For other it’s a mix of being a social activity, rehabilitation, or specific sports training.

Canstar Blue’s research also found that that most gym members (46%) attend the gym between three and five days each week, a quarter (25%) go once or twice a week, while 15% hit the gym five or six times per week.

Respondents also advised what their regular gym workouts consisted of, resulting in advice that:

45% do weights
28% use the cardio section
14% went to the gym for group fitness classes

For the rest, their regular workouts consisted of cycling, swimming or boxing or other activities.

Canstar Blue’s research also found that, despite well publicised troubles, F45 tops its customer satisfaction ratings as the best-rated Australian gym for the fifth year in a row.

Images: 45% of fitness club members go the gym to do weights (top, credit: Shutterstock) and Canstar Blue’s research found that F45 tops its customer satisfaction ratings as the best-rated Australian gym for the fifth year in a row (below).

About the author

Karen Sweaney

Co-founder and Editor, Australasian Leisure Management

Artist, geoscientist and specialist writer on the leisure industry, Karen Sweaney is Editor and co-founder of Australasian Leisure Management.

Based in Sydney, Australia, her specific areas of interest include the arts, entertainment, the environment, fitness, tourism and wellness.

She has degrees in Fine Arts from the University of Sydney and Geological Oceanography from UNSW.

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