What are the most expensive and cheapest sports and activities?

[mommyoffive]

In your experience, what are the most expensive and cheapest sports and activities?

[Χά�ων]

At what level?

 

Rec level for early elementry for most any sport is the cheapest.

 

The highest competitive level where the teen boards with another family in another state to recieve top of the line coaching several hours a day, works with a personal trainer either daily or several times a week is the most expensive no matter the sport.

 

There is a yuge variation in between at all levels.

[Crimson Wife]

Expensive: skiing/snowboarding, hockey, figure skating, competitive (not rec) gymnastics, competitive (not rec) martial arts, music lessons if the child is serious about his/her instrument, etc.

 

Reasonable: Scouts, 4H, AYSO soccer, Upward Bound sports, art through local community arts education program, jr lifeguarding, most volunteering (though some places have more volunteers than opportunities so they use it as a fundraising thing & charge a hefty fee).

[Ethel Mertz]

Generally speaking (depending on level, of course):

 

Most expensive: Golf, downhill skiing, sailing, gymnastics/dance, music lessons

 

Least expensive: community/rec center sports like soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming, and tennis

 

Other least expensive: bicycling, kayaking

 

 

[gardenmom5]

around here, we have lots to choose from.

skiing, horseback riding, and rowing are among the most expensive

hiking, biking, swimming would be among the cheapest.

[Crimson Wife]

I'd forgotten about equestrian and golf. Sailing and tennis are also expensive.

[MEmama]

I assume you meant organized sports?

 

For DS, least expensive: XC running, track

 

Most: hockey and even more so competitive cycling

Edited February 4, 2017 by MEmama

[TravelingChris]

Soccer was pretty cheap.  Uniform was fairly cheap, if we had one, soccer ball not too bad, cleats were okay price, shinguards last for many years.  The leagues my kids played in weren't very expensive either- somewhere from 25 to 100 dollars a year. 

 

Swim and dive were not much either if you already had a swim club membership.  Then when we moved here, dive club was I think 25 a month and we didn't have to pay extra for pool.

 

Expensive- hockey here.  Not only rink time, uniforms and team memberships but they have to travel far to play other teams and that is very expensive.

 

Expensive everywhere- gymnastics, scuba diving,  Expensive for almost everybody- skiing, snowboarding,

 

My dh's fitness hobby- caving- is fairly expensive for materials since he also does vertical caving.

 

Activities- scouting was affordable.  Music lessons were more expensive.  Summer college camps went from very affordable to a few thousand dollars and there are ones that are much more expensive than that.

[Reefgazer]

Most expensive:  Horseback riding, SCUBA, sailing, skiing.

 

Least:  Soccer.

Edited February 4, 2017 by reefgazer

[teachermom2834]

Seems like club level volleyball in my area is very very expensive.  

 

I think all sports get expensive beyond the rec level.  My now college kid played travel baseball at varying levels for 10 years.  It was a huge expense and I am glad to be rid of it but when I hear how much soccer and volleyball are I end up feeling like baseball was not that bad.

 

I think football and basketball can be among the least expensive.  Football because it is played through rec leagues and then the schools (in my region at least).  So you don't have the same elite travel club experience with football in general.  (I know there will always be people that do expensive travel and camps and be the exception). Basketball is so common it can be inexpensive.  The only equipment is a gym and a ball and there are always parents who know enough or think they know enough to volunteer coach.  

 

Come to think of it we had volunteer or very low paid coaches in baseball.  Sports that require paid coaches get expensive very quickly.  

 

My daughter is in dance and while it is expensive it is not as bad as I thought it would be.  The thing about dance is the tuition and recital fees are spelled out up front.  Besides shoes and a leotard as needed there aren't other expenses like extensive travel, hotels, gas, food, coaches gifts, team parties, equipment, etc.  Dance is close to our house and we are home in time to cook dinner and we don't spend much of anything on all the soft expenses that add up with participation in other activities.

 

4H has been great.  Very inexpensive except for camps.  

 

My oldest ds now has a part time job as his main extra curricular.  That is the absolute BEST financially!! LOL

[TravelingChris]

Tennis here is cheap.  Buy a tennis racket, buy balls, play.  There are community classes that aren't bad.  There are community tennis matches happening that are free too.

[Guest]

It depends where you live. Ice hockey, figure skating, equestrian, swimming and Skiing at higher level,and tennis are pricy here.

Mid Range is swim club at the lower levels, club level for volleyball, bball, baseball, wrestling, Soccer,and lacrosse, golf, music,archery

Reasonable is orienteering, cross country, bowling, Rifle, track, downhill Skiing, nordic At the varsity or below level,.and scouting

 

The rip off here is rec baseball, lacrosse and soccer...too much parental involvement in playing time and often a nonclub player doesn't get enough time to develop.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Heigh Ho

[Ottakee]

I think a great deal depends on the level you want to participate/compete.

 

I have 2 that doesn't Special Olympics snowboarding. We paid $100 for the board, got hand me down boots and helmet and they are set. Their program covers the lift tickets.

 

Same with 4 H horseback riding. We had a backyard horse to use, bought used show clothes, etc so it was very reasonable.

 

Either of these things though at at higher level.could be $$$$$....Like a $10,000 horse, $500/month board for the hourse, $$$ for lessons, training, show fees, etc.

[Ottakee]

I do wish there were a lot more rec level sports after 6th grade. It seems like by 7th grade it is school sports, elite travel teams, big money sorts, etc. I would love low key lacrosse..Like 1 practice and 1 game a week type thing but around here it is 5 days a week practice and travel teams.

[Zinnia]

Our rec level soccer is about $175. I am jealous of the less than $100 fees I see in smaller places! But I love the lack of gear. Plus soccer isn't painful to watch.

 

We did a running club that was super cheap, as was rec crosscountry. Rec swim team was cheap, but not very competitive, which frustrated my kids.

[Dmmetler]

Cheer tends to the expensive side, even for school teams. The more competitive, the more it costs. (there are fairly low cost rec options, but those tend to vanish as kids get older).

[Mbelle]

The entire season of XC cost only a bit more than one month of martial arts.  Same with track.  Of course there was more driving to meets, so time wise it is more intense.

[happypamama]

Our martial arts studio is less exensive than a lot of sports, because there are multiple student discounts. Uniforms are inexpensive, even for tweenage boys with growth spurts. Testing fees are rolled into tuition. Ymmv of course, but when DD did dance at a similar sort of studio, it was a lot more expensive per kid/per class.

[regentrude]

Free: hiking, running

Moderate: martial arts (if no travle to tournaments)

Expensive: horseback riding if you need to lease or board a horse; very expensive if doing shows

 

Any sport gets expensive if you have travel cost to competitions

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

I think it depends on where you live, what is available in your area, and what is popular at the moment.

 

Tennis in FL might be inexpensive year round; if you live where snow and cold weather occur, indoor court fees are not something to scoff at.

 

Recreational tennis is inexpensive. All that's really needed are a cheap racquet and a can of balls (assuming local courts with decent nets are available).

 

As soon as you think about competitive tennis, the costs increase dramatically. Better quality racquets, appropriate shoes, lessons, court fees, even if only for a season, add up quickly. My kids and I can easily go through two pairs of tennis (court) shoes in a summer. That's playing 2-3 hours, 4-5 times a week. DS would go through 2-3 pair a tennis season when he played in high school. A can of good quality balls is around $3. Balls can only be used 2-3 times before they lose bounce and playability. Racquets need to be restrung every so often depending on how often the user plays. My racquet is restrung every 2 months. That's anywhere between $25-50 a pop. Most comp. players have more than one racquet on hand in case of string breakage or other issues.

--

What I have found out is that nothing is really inexpensive except for walking.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Scoutermom

[DawnM]

Scouting was the best bang for our buck

 

Our Robotics team was great and low cost as they had lots of sponsors

 

Rec soccer was cheap

 

 

[Crimson Wife]

Cheer tends to the expensive side, even for school teams. The more competitive, the more it costs. (there are fairly low cost rec options, but those tend to vanish as kids get older).

 

My daughter does Upward Bound cheer and it's very reasonable. But it is traditional cheering for sports teams rather than the aerial gymnastics type of competitive cheer.

 

[creekland]

Chess was a super inexpensive sport for my guys - even on their school's competitive team.

 

I'll agree that Equestrian (with showing and owning a horse) is probably the most expensive.  The upkeep of the horse is there right along with travel fees, etc.

[FaithManor]

Skiing has not been cheap. We buy the season passes for half price on the annual one day sale and they are still $300 a piece plus $100 a year to rent the equipment. With the youngest still growing, it does not make sense to purchase, but we are looking at used equipment for dh and middle dsl who appears to have leveled off in height and foot size.

 

Kayaking - maybe it is more of an activity than a sport though - had an upfront starting cost when we bought the kayaks, life vests, and paddles. But after that has been cheap because we have so much free access to gorgeous waters here.

 

Running is probably relatively cheap. Good shoes and gear but less expensive stuff than most sports.

[wintermom]

The biggest costs are usually equipment, facilities, coaching and travel. The lower each of these are in your area or level, the cheaper it is to participate. And vice versa.

 

We have free outdoor ice (at times) in the winter, and used skates and equipment are cheap, so playing hockey could be very low-cost. But if you have to pay for indoor ice time, better equipment, tournament travel and non-volunteer coaches, it quickly becomes rather expensive.

[FaithManor]

Student Launch Initiative with NASA is NOT cheap. The kids have fundraiser $4000 and it will take $1000 from dh and I to bring it to completion. Definitely worth the once in a lifetime experience but yikes! A typical Team America Rocketry Contest season is less than $2000.

 

My niece is on a robotics team at her high school that will run about $6500 this year. Many of these techie teams are very expensive.

 

On the other hand, our 4H STEM club costs $10.00 a year for membership and only $5 a project no matter how pricey the project and that is even IF we charge for it. We have a few doctors and judges in the area that have donated generously to our project and curriculum fund to make sure we can afford to continue to expand our efforts. So we are about the best deal in town!

[lllll]

nm

Edited February 10, 2017 by --Kathy--

[Kathy in Richmond]

Ds did Boy Scouts, chess, piano lessons (no competitions), and church activities. All were fairly inexpensive!

 

Dd did 4H, piano lessons, and church activities (inexpensive), but also art lessons and dance (including competitions) and travel math team. The latter were on the more expensive side (especially dance and travel), but fortunately she was the only kid left at home!

[Crimson Wife]

used skates and equipment are cheap

 

Availability of used equipment is going to be a factor of how popular a sport is in a particular region (unless the parent is willing to take the risk of purchasing sight unseen off of eBay or other internet site). Growing up in New England it was fairly easy to find used winter sports equipment like skis and skates. Out here in sunny CA, nope.

 

 

[Carrie12345]

For us, without a doubt, it's been Little League.  I've had up to 4 players at a time, and registration has never been much over $100 a season, all together.    Even with the teenagers getting into some high end equipment (not truly required,) our family has gotten way more than it's money's worth over the past decade.

[mommyoffive]

I do wish there were a lot more rec level sports after 6th grade. It seems like by 7th grade it is school sports, elite travel teams, big money sorts, etc. I would love low key lacrosse..Like 1 practice and 1 game a week type thing but around here it is 5 days a week practice and travel teams.

 

agree with you on that.

[mommyoffive]

Student Launch Initiative with NASA is NOT cheap. The kids have fundraiser $4000 and it will take $1000 from dh and I to bring it to completion. Definitely worth the once in a lifetime experience but yikes! A typical Team America Rocketry Contest season is less than $2000.

 

My niece is on a robotics team at her high school that will run about $6500 this year. Many of these techie teams are very expensive.

 

On the other hand, our 4H STEM club costs $10.00 a year for membership and only $5 a project no matter how pricey the project and that is even IF we charge for it. We have a few doctors and judges in the area that have donated generously to our project and curriculum fund to make sure we can afford to continue to expand our efforts. So we are about the best deal in town!

 

wow is that price per kid?  For the first 2 examples?

 

 

I need to find a 4H Stem club

[Guest]

Football, for us, was about $500 per season.

 

Boy Scout can be expensive, depending how involved you become.

 

Church clubs are cheapest (AWANA, Youth Group, etc)

Edited February 5, 2017 by Kinsa

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Re: Boy Scouts as being inexpensive.

Yes, scouting can be done without spending too much money. Weekend campouts, day camp, summer camp, all cost money and are required to advance. Merit Badge Universities and clinics often require registration fees and travel expenses. Uniforms, badges, camping equipment, and all of the other trappings that are required for a boy to participate fully are not inexpensive. Yes, some things may be borrowed but not indefinitely. Some things may be purchased used but they must still be purchased. Fundraisers are available but some boys cannot sell enough popcorn to earn the $275 for summer camp. Then there are the High Adventure opportunities. These can cost $1000 +.  There are also some of the nickle-and-diming expenses with scouting as well. Class B t-shirts spring to mind. Training above and beyond that received through regular troop meetings (NYLT, LNT, Red Cross CPR, Wilderness First Aid) add up over time but are often required when boys begin reaching the upper levels of scouting or are working on individual awards and certifications. Participating in District, Council, or National (Jambo) level events vary in expense.  These costs are not covered by Troop fundraising and must be paid for by the scout and/or his family.

 

Yes, there are wealthier troops out there which can help defray costs for scouts but these are few and far between. It is more common for the scout or his family to foot expenses.

 

Like every other activity, your expense is going to depend on how much time, energy, and commitment your son (and your family) wants to invest. What I have found, though, is that the boys whose parents cannot or will not spend money are the ones who end up dropping out early on or never achieve rank advancement. (Yes, I know there are exceptions.) Boys who do not participate in activities and events have little to share during the meetings when the other boys are talking about what happened at the most recent campout, hiking trip, or MBU. 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

<snip>

 

Kayaking - maybe it is more of an activity than a sport though - had an upfront starting cost when we bought the kayaks, life vests, and paddles. But after that has been cheap because we have so much free access to gorgeous waters here.

 

Running is probably relatively cheap. Good shoes and gear but less expensive stuff than most sports.

 

You are so lucky to have access to good waterways. Where I am I've got to load the kayaks and travel at least a couple of hours for good water. Unless you count the Mississippi River. Some of the backwaters are great for kayaking but the main channel can be terrifying. Paddling around on local manmade fishing lakes only goes so far.

[Guest]

Like, so expensive they didn't even register in my mind as activities haha

 

Though I think sea cadets do some sailing? Don't quote me on that.

 

I guess some people JUST rise other people's horses at other people's barns and don't do competitions....but I've never met anyone like that. Horse people ime are in it to win it. It's a life not a hobby.

 

I'd forgotten about equestrian ... Sailing

 

[Sk8ermaiden]

Competitive gymnastics is very expensive. Figure skating is very expensive and equestrian too of course. 

 

E does American Ninja Warrior stuff through the local ninja gym and that is very reasonably priced. Summer league swim team is an incredible value.

[bettyandbob]

Cheap:

 

where I live rec level of any sport is relatively inexpensive. In rec sports the higher cost is in sports that require equipment. The most expensive rec level sport in my area is ice hockey. 

 

Our community center is a good source of cheap classes in a variety of physical, creative and intellectual activities (photography, art, theatre, martial arts, robotics, science, languages, swimming)

 

running is cheap. My local running club has a kids program and there are lots of opportunities for kids to participate. A local running store chain also has a kids program that costs only slightly more. 

Scouts

4H

Chess (unless you start traveling to a lot of tournaments)

 

Expensive:

 

Anytime you advance beyond the recreation level to club or travel teams costs escalate significantly. Some sports have a level of "travel" that doesn't travel as much (going to only a couple of overnight tournaments, but mostly traveling as a day trip). However, at higher levels travel escalates. The other thing that increases costs at club level is the expected specialty equipment, and private coaching. I've seen club swim teams where swimmers aren't getting instruction, but are expected to pay for private swim lessons to refine strokes or turn. Baseball players get hitting and pitching coaches. 

 

There are add ons to nonsport activities. In theatre, people invest in dance instruction and voice lessons as well as acting lessons. 

 

Where I live the most expensive things I see people regularly pursue are Ice Hockey (travel), gymnastics, equestrian. I've seen vaulting (a combination activity of gymnastics and equestrian). There are things that can be added to any activity which may up the expense significantly. 

[Dmmetler]

My daughter does Upward Bound cheer and it's very reasonable. But it is traditional cheering for sports teams rather than the aerial gymnastics type of competitive cheer.

 

Upward Sports, NYAA rec levels, and Pop Warner are all fairly inexpensive. It can be really hard to find a team past age 12 or so, though. NYAA teams recently combined u14 and u18 in one division for rec.

[KarenNC]

Within martial arts there can be a wide range of costs, depending on the structure of the art and the structure of the dojo. Our family is involved in aikido at a USAF dojo that is run by a sensei with a regular day job and the dojo is in his backyard (literally), so he is not trying to make a living out of it and doesn't have to deal with some of the overhead other places do. Monthly dues are low, there are no national dues until the student gets to adult ranks (no national system of ranking for kids, only within the dojo), no testing fees until you get up to (I believe) black belt and that is not an option until you are either 16 or 18 (forget which), no tournaments or competitions, occasional seminars that aren't required until you get close to black belt level and we typically have 1-2 a year at our dojo so no real travel, no sparring equipment. The gis are a minimal expense and the dojo does a lot of handing down for kids but you do need a $5 dojo patch. Practice weapons are available but you can purchase your own if you want. 

 

I compare that with what I've heard of a friend's TKD experience with lots of frequent testing fees, required travel to tournaments regularly and they are often out of state, sparring equipment, having to get their uniforms dry-cleaned before testing, etc.

 

Other low-cost things we've done have been 4-H, Girl Scouts, library book clubs, community theater (the adult version rather than for kids which seems to cost), and art classes through the local parks and rec department. 

Edited February 5, 2017 by KarenNC

[TranquilMind]

Travel hockey is thousands of dollars a year.  Maybe 10 grand, when you include hotels and food.

[Pixie]

wow is that price per kid? For the first 2 examples?

 

 

I need to find a 4H Stem club

I am assuming this is the team budget. I run a robotics team and our budget for the year is around $3000, it costs each kids $100 and we raise the rest of the money through grants and fundraisers.

[SKL]

Most:  horseback riding.

 

Middle:  recreational gymnastics & martial arts.

 

Low-ish:  scouts.  (The various fees, costs, and fundraisers do add up over time.)

 

Low:  school sports (almost free) and community sports (well under $50 per season).

[obsidian]

Upper level anything involving horses = $$$$

 

I saw an estimate that campaigning an upper level hunter costs about 100k a year. A jumper or dressage horse would probably be a similar price. An eventer may be a bit less due to generally going to less competitions & not requiring so much stabling. Granted, most people aren't really campaigning upper level horses but even lower level stuff is not cheap, especially if you don't own land.

[Ailaena]

 

The cheapest competitive sport I've seen so far is rock climbing. For us, it was a moderate monthly fee for team practices (@200), a free or discounted gym membership, maybe a couple of other memberships to gyms. Dd dropped team but still competed, so that got cheaper. Yearly costs for gear for us was maybe $300. But even climbing had 5 (now 6) competitions that you usually had to travel over the weekend to attend (the international competitions included kids' travel and expenses).

[MysteryJen]

Competitive climbing was hands down the most expensive sport we did. $250 per month for one child, not including gear and competitions/travel. City-owned swim team was cheap. It was about $300 a month for all five kids, not including meets/travel. Judo is about $50 a month, aikidio $80.

Our swim club now runs about $300 a month for two kids, not including meets/travel/tech suits. 

 

Tennis is astronomical here at a year-round competitive level.

 

Most things are reasonable until you hit a competitive/travel level. Travel is the budget killer.

[swellmomma]

For us the most expensive my kids have ever done are dance (this year was close to $7K for 3 of my kids dancing- and my oldest 2 do art at the same studio and dd17 does vocal so all those fees are tied together, that does not include the shoes/clothes, travel fees for festivals, hotels, pictures etc), cheerleading was pricy the year dd17 was in it, horseback riding and swim team.

 

The cheapest have been cadets (free), 4H, soccer and the art classes my youngest take, swimming lessons.

 

Typically private music lessons are reasonable but add up since they are paid per the lesson not a period of time.
 

I find though with 4 kids taking activities and me allowing them to be in as many as they can feasibly do without sacrificing school it adds up quickly no matter what it is.

[FaithManor]

wow is that price per kid? For the first 2 examples?

 

 

I need to find a 4H Stem club

Yes. $5000 will be the total for the SLI team. Thankfully we can drive to Huntsville all in one day. Teams from California and such have way more travel expense than we do. We know of one high school with 2 NASA teams who will spend in excess of $12,000 before it is over and they are not being extravagant.

 

Niece's school, yes, spends $6500 on robotics because the component parts us travel is so expensive.

 

$2000 for Team America Rocketry Challenge. But we can drive to DC in a single day and borrow a van big enough for everyone and the gear. That eliminates the second vehicle's fuel, parking, and driver's cost. Newark Memorial on California flies to DC because they can't miss enough school to drive the round trip. I think they spend about $8000 on a TARC season.

[FaithManor]

Upper level anything involving horses = $$$$

 

I saw an estimate that campaigning an upper level hunter costs about 100k a year. A jumper or dressage horse would probably be a similar price. An eventer may be a bit less due to generally going to less competitions & not requiring so much stabling. Granted, most people aren't really campaigning upper level horses but even lower level stuff is not cheap, especially if you don't own land.

Yes. I think the average for horse boarding runs $350 - $400 a month and many times does not include winter hay or grain. $65.00 an hour for riding lessons, vet bills, hoof trimming, saddles and other tack...equestrian is one of the most expensive for those that do not own their own farm/stables.

[swellmomma]

Student Launch Initiative with NASA is NOT cheap. The kids have fundraiser $4000 and it will take $1000 from dh and I to bring it to completion. Definitely worth the once in a lifetime experience but yikes! A typical Team America Rocketry Contest season is less than $2000.

 

My niece is on a robotics team at her high school that will run about $6500 this year. Many of these techie teams are very expensive.

 

On the other hand, our 4H STEM club costs $10.00 a year for membership and only $5 a project no matter how pricey the project and that is even IF we charge for it. We have a few doctors and judges in the area that have donated generously to our project and curriculum fund to make sure we can afford to continue to expand our efforts. So we are about the best deal in town!

 

I wish 4H was that cheap here.  It is a cheaper activity than most but this year it was $114 per child (they had club fees plus their gun club membership since one of their projects is shooting).  Plus we pay for the extra things on top of it, so they had a knife making course offered through the club that cost me $225 per kid, I have to pay for the hunter's ed and fire arms courses separately (they are in the outdoor club so their projects are shooting and outdoor survival & recreation), they recently had a trial project day to see about starting a snowmobile project, other than requiring you already own a snowmobile, the participants paid an extra $20 each to attend (we did not go to that one). PLus the required shirts for the club which were $15 each etc.  I feel like everytime I turn around 4H is asking for more money.

 

That said it is still cheaper than boyscouts (no club currently out here, was shut down 2 years ago) and girl guides by a lot.  Kind of makes me wish my kids still wanted to be in cadets because they did almost all the same stuff as they do in 4H and it was free but there was too much small town drama and favortism going on.