In my old job as a sales advisor for the UFC Gym, I used to discuss the cost of learning martial arts and what is the cheapest to learn a lot, and I would always tell people:
Boxing can be very cheap to learn, with Muay Thai, BJJ and MMA sometimes being expensive. The cheapest martial arts are those which don’t require a lot of sportswear and equipment to take part. Other cost factors are test grading fees and memberships (pay-per-class or monthly subscription).
There are many factors to consider when it comes to the cost of learning a martial art, in this article I will help you chose a martial art that is both cheap, and effective.
General Martial Arts Costs
There are four general costs involved with learning a martial art, however, not all martial arts will require all four.
The four general costs in learning a martial art are:
- Sportswear
- Equipment
- Memberships
- Test Grading Fees
The first three costs (sportswear, equipment & memberships) can be expensive, and in nearly all martial arts you will need to pay for these.
However, the test grading fees are not applicable in every martial art or martial art school.
Sportswear
Although most martial art schools will not expect you to have the correct clothing or sportswear when you start, most will require you to buy it as you progress.
The correct sportswear will be different from one martial art to another.
Martial arts sportswear can range from a Kimono (the traditional white uniform of martial arts), to protective baselayers, and shorts.
For example, in Karate, Taekwondo, Judo, and BJJ – you will need to buy a Kimono (also known as a Gi in BJJ).
But in MMA, Boxing or Muay Thai, you will need to have the correct baselayers and shorts.
I put together a quick table with a range of costs including the most common martial arts sportswear on Amazon.
| $USD | £GBP | |
| Kimono (Gis) | $25 – 200 | £15 – 150 |
| Rash Guard (Baselayers) | $20 – 65 | £10 – 45 |
| BJJ & MMA Shorts | $15 – 75 | £10 – 50 |
| Muay Thai Shorts | $30 – 75+ | £20 – 55+ |
As you progress, you will likely buy more than one of each in order to always have sportswear available for training that day while others are in the laundry.
Equipment
Again, you will not be expected to buy the correct equipment before you start, but once you get started, you will be required to buy your own equipment.
Depending on the martial art you chose to learn, will again determine the type of equipment you need to buy.
Check out the table below with a range of costs including the most common martial arts equipment on Amazon.
| $USD | £GBP | |
| Protective Headgear | $15 – 150 | £10 – 85 |
| Boxing & Muay Thai Gloves | $20 – 250 | £15 – 170+ |
| MMA Gloves | $12 – 35 | £10 – 25 |
| Mouth Guard | $5 – 80 | £5 – 65+ |
| Hand Wraps | $5 – 20 | £5 – 15 |
| Muay Thai Shin guards | $35 – 150 | £25 – 100+ |
| MMA Shin Guards | $10 – 150 | £10 – 100+ |
Memberships
The main membership cost you will have to pay, is to your gym or martial art school.
This means that each month you will pay their membership subscription fee directly from your bank to cover the cost of tuition.
The cost of membership can differ massively depending on the type of martial art and the location of the school.
For example, in the UK I paid around £45 per month for a Gracie Barra membership (BJJ), but for the same membership in London UK, it is more like £90-100 per month.
“Gracie Barra is a great school for learning BJJ, check out my other article for a Gracie Barra student review”
Some martial art schools however, will let you pay-per-class and will not require you to setup a monthly payment subscription.
For example, at my old Boxing gym in the UK, I used to pay £3 per class.
The other membership cost you may need to pay, is to a governing body (if your martial art requires it).
To be sure, you will have to ask the instructor at your local school about all the required membership fees.
Test Grading Fees
In some martial arts, you will need to pay to do your test grading in order to get promoted to the next belt level.
However, this is not the same for every martial art and it is difficult to say exactly which will charge you because it can be different from one school to another.
Again, the best way to be 100% certain on test grading fees, is to speak to your local school’s instructor.
But just be prepared that there may be test grading fees required in your martial arts school.
Cost of Learning Boxing, Muay Thai, BJJ & MMA
Why I mentioned at the top of this article, that Boxing can be a very cheap option, followed by Muay Thai, BJJ and MMA (which sometimes can be expensive), is for two reasons.
- They are excellent forms of self-defense & the most popular worldwide
- They are the four I have the most experience with personally
The Cost of Learning Boxing
Boxing is usually a cheap sport to begin learning because you can get Boxing gloves for around $20 and you do not need any other specific sportswear; just a gym t-shirt and shorts are okay to start. Most Boxing gyms have pay-per-class options so you don’t need a monthly subscription.
As you progress in Boxing, you will likely want to buy more sportswear and equipment.
Here are a range of costs involved in Boxing:
| $USD | £GBP | |
| Protective Headgear | $15 – 150 | £10 – 85 |
| Boxing Gloves | $20 – 250 | £15 – 170+ |
| Mouth Guard | $5 – 80 | £5 – 65+ |
| Hand Wraps | $5 – 20 | £5 – 15 |
For more on the costs and benefits of Boxing, check out my other article: Is Boxing Worth It? (Benefits & Costs).
The Cost of Learning Muay Thai
When you start Muay Thai you will need gloves and shin guards with a total average cost of around $60. As you progress, you will likely buy more Muay Thai sportswear and equipment with additional average costs of $15-20 each. You will also need to pay gym costs; either pay-per-class or subscription.
Here are a range of costs involved in Muay Thai:
| $USD | £GBP | |
| Protective Headgear | $15 – 150 | £10 – 85 |
| Muay Thai Gloves | $20 – 250 | £15 – 170+ |
| Mouth Guard | $5 – 80 | £5 – 65+ |
| Hand Wraps | $5 – 20 | £5 – 15 |
| Muay Thai Shorts | $30 – 75+ | £20 – 55+ |
| Muay Thai Shin guards | $35 – 150 | £25 – 100+ |
Not all shin guards will be allowed in Muay Thai, avoid buying the wrong ones by reading my other article about the best Muay Thai shin guards.
The Cost of Learning BJJ
The cost of BJJ Gis range from $25-200. In BJJ training you will also need protective baselayers and shorts, ranging from $15-75. Most BJJ schools charge a monthly subscription fee that can range anywhere from $60-120 per month, depending on your country and location.
Discover if BJJ is worth the money in my other article.
Here are a range of costs involved in BJJ:
| $USD | £GBP | |
| Kimono (Gis) | $25 – 200 | £15 – 150 |
| Rash Guard (Baselayers) | $20 – 65 | £10 – 45 |
| BJJ Shorts | $15 – 75 | £10 – 50 |
| Mouth Guard | $5 – 80 | £5 – 65+ |
A BJJ mouth guard can be optional, check out my other article on the importance of a mouth guard in BJJ.
The Cost of Learning MMA
In general, the average cost of all the sportswear and equipment needed for MMA is $150. MMA can be expensive once you’ve bought all the equipment needed for each martial art involved, but just to get started in MMA you will need Boxing gloves (around $20) and MMA shorts (around $15).
Here are a range of costs involved in MMA:
| $USD | £GBP | |
| Protective Headgear | $15 – 150 | £10 – 85 |
| Rash Guard (Baselayers) | $20 – 65 | £10 – 45 |
| MMA Shorts | $15 – 75 | £10 – 50 |
| 16oz Boxing Gloves | $20 – 250 | £15 – 170+ |
| 7oz MMA Sparring Gloves | $12 – 35 | £10 – 25 |
| Mouth Guard | $5 – 80 | £5 – 65+ |
| Hand Wraps | $5 – 20 | £5 – 15 |
| Muay Thai Style Shin guards | $35 – 150 | £25 – 100+ |
| MMA Style Shin Guards | $10 – 150 | £10 – 100+ |
- Muay Thai shin guards are heavier, thicker, and strap to the front of your leg to offer more protection from the heavy kicks involved in Muay Thai standup striking.
- Whereas, MMA shin guards are lighter, thinner, and wrap around the whole of your lower leg to hold in place during grappling.
- Some MMA schools will require you to have both types, other schools will not.
Get everything you need to know about shin guards in my other article.
Effectiveness Over Cost
If you’re not planning to learn one of these four martial arts, no worries. The general costs which I covered in this article will apply to any other martial art you chose to learn.
However, it’s worth mentioning that not all martial arts work or can be relied on in a real-life self-defense situation.
As for those martial arts, I do not know about their costs, and wouldn’t recommend you learn them.
You can check out my other article to discover which martial arts are the most effective for self-defense and why.
