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Convincing yourself that belonging to a gym is worth the monthly dues is hard enough without knowing that people across the country may be getting a way better deal on the exact same membership just based on a difference in location. We compared the quoted membership prices for five nationwide gym chains—Equinox, 24 HR Fitness, Planet Fitness, Crunch, and the YMCA—to see how big the difference actually is. Warning: It may inspire you to move basically anywhere but a coast.
Not surprisingly, New York City rings in as the most expensive place to buy a membership for all five of the chains, and the difference in price is staggering. For example, a Crunch membership in NYC costs $92.99 (one of the least expensive NYC gym memberships that we looked at), but a mere 65 miles away in Stratford, Connecticut, the same Crunch membership costs just $9.95.
Planet Fitness was the only gym chain in the analysis that offers the same price on its membership no matter where the facilities are located. A basic gym membership costs $10, although the one-time start up fees for each facility vary based on location. Below, see how each of the other chains stacked up.
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