How much does it cost to start a martial arts gym in Singapore?

The global martial arts industry is a rapidly growing market, with the latest statistics showing that it was valued at $90.25 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $171.14 billion by 2028 with similar levels of growth to be expected in Singapore. As a result, there is an increasing number of people who are keen on starting their own martial arts gym in Singapore.

In order to successfully set up a martial arts gym, we need to be prepared for the necessary costs needed to get started. For example, rental, equipment, employee salaries and so forth. After some extensive research, we estimate that it will cost approximately $34,601 in total. However, it is important to note that this figure does not include renovation costs as this varies largely depending on the individual. In this blog, we will be giving you the cost breakdown for every category to aid you in your journey of starting a martial arts gym in Singapore.

Breakdown of the costs:

Studio Rental

Firstly, the selection of the location is key in order to gain higher foot traffic and visibility. Moreover, the location should cater to the demographics of the studio’s customers such as their age group. For instance, studios that tend to have more working adults for its classes should perhaps select a more central location. This allows its customers to attend lessons before or after work. However, such a location tends to come at a higher rental cost and therefore it needs to be considered carefully.

For example, one such location is at Grantral Mall located at Macpherson which will set you back about $17,917 per month. The location is fairly central which would cater to the working crowd. In addition, the total area is roughly 2,389 square feet which has a maximum capacity of 50 people. The space also features a boxing ring, multiple boxing bags and other forms of equipment. The link to the posting can be found here.

Equipment

Every gym requires some form of equipment whether it be for martial arts, cross-fit or any form of fitness training. The equipment and its prices above was found on decathlon. Furthermore, prices may vary depending on the type and quality of the equipment that you choose to purchase. The table above gives a rough estimate of the costs for various equipment required in a martial arts gym.

Employee Salaries

If you are not well-trained in martial arts or simply want to reduce workload, we should consider hiring a martial arts instructor to help facilitate and conduct lessons. This allows us to handle other administrative tasks required by the business. According to a job posting platform Indeed, the average salary for a martial arts instructor in Singapore is $6734 per month. It is important to note that this varies largely according to the experience level of the instructor as well as the type of martial art.

Instead of hiring a full-time instructor, you could also choose to hire trainers on a freelance basis. Therefore, we can pay them based on the number of lessons that they have conducted. For instance, a freelance Muay Thai martial arts instructor will cost about $35 per hour as found on a job posting on MyCareersFuture. Assuming that you have 5 training sessions a week for 2 hours each, it will only cost you $350. In this way, you are able to hire more instructors while minimizing costs of hiring.

Fixture and Fittings

The furnishing cost is highly depended on the individual which may cause the cost to vary significantly. The table above gives a rough estimate on the cost for furnishing, assuming the furniture required is as shown.

Miscellaneous Expenses

Furthermore, there are various miscellaneous expenses that must be taken into account when setting up a martial arts gym in Singapore. Namely, standard business expenses such as registration fees, insurance, marketing fees, utilities. Most importantly, a booking solution to automate class bookings and manage memberships. Many gyms start out without a booking system but find themselves struggling with administrative work such as tracking class bookings and payments.

One such solution is vibefam, a local booking system based in Singapore. The benefits of working with a local provider would be ease of customer support which would be really important when you are first starting out. Moreover, the availability of local payment types such as PayNow and GrabPay which would give your clients more flexibility in making payments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, starting a martial arts gym is a long term investment and proper planning has to be done beforehand. Consequently, if the plan is well thought out and effectively implemented then your martial arts studio will be up and running in no time! If you are interested in similar blogs such as this one, check out our previous blog about how much it cost to set up a reformer pilates studio in Singapore here. Alternatively, you may also check out our other blog post on how much it cost to start a strength training gym here.

This article is written by Jayden Ling.