- A membership is not one cost — it is a recurring cost multiplied by the number of people training at home.
- Fuel is a real item. Two separate trips, three times a week, add up.
- We do not price the time. We show it separately, because it is worth something different to everyone.
- What sets the break-even point is how many people in the house train. One — the arithmetic is long. Two — it halves.
The item that is easy to miss: it renews
A home machine is one payment. A membership is a payment that continues.
The difference sounds obvious, but in practice people compare the price of a machine with the price of one month's membership, and that comparison says nothing. The correct comparison is total cost over a period — we present it over 48 months.
The numbers we work from
So the calculation is transparent, these are the exact assumptions behind every chart we show on the site:
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| People training at home | 2 |
| Monthly membership per person | 230 ₪ |
| Workouts per week per person | 3 |
| Round-trip distance | 12 km |
| Cost per km | 0.80 ₪ |
| Round-trip travel time | 30 minutes |
| Comparison period | 48 months |
Important: each person drives separately. Couples usually don't train at the same hour, so we count two trips rather than one.
What goes into the calculation and what doesn't
This is where most comparisons on the market inflate the result, and we deliberately don't.
What we count in money:
- The membership fees, multiplied by the number of people training.
- Fuel, based on the trips actually made.
What we don't count in money:
- Time. On the assumptions above, a couple spends about 13 hours a month on the journey alone. That is a real number and we show it — but we don't multiply it by an hourly wage. If we did, the “saving” would jump by tens of thousands of shekels, and that would be a marketing exercise rather than a calculation.
- Parking, equipment, personal-trainer add-ons. Some people have these, not everyone.
A machine saves money — and time too. But only the money may be counted as a saving.
Do the arithmetic with your own numbers
Our assumptions are an average, and an average almost never describes anyone. Your membership may be cheaper or more expensive, and perhaps only one person trains at your home.
The calculation doesn't include travel, parking or time. For most people, those are the items that actually tip the scales.
Three common mistakes in the calculation
- Comparing the price of a machine with a monthly membership price. Those are different units. Always compare period against period.
- Forgetting the second person. One machine serves the whole household; a membership serves one person.
- Pricing the time. Easy, tempting, and it inflates the result several times over. We don't do it, and if someone does it in front of you — it is worth asking why.
What else goes into the cost of a machine
It is fair to do the arithmetic in the other direction too. A home machine is not only the sticker price:
- Delivery. With us it is 650 ₪ anywhere in Israel, including carry-in.
- Software subscription. We have none, on any feature, ever. Some competitors do — and there it becomes a monthly cost again.
- Warranty and extension. Two years on the unit and 12 months on the accessories, with the option to extend to 4 or 5 years.
- Electricity. Negligible: ordinary 230V, consumption on the order of a household appliance.
We went into all of these items in the article on the true cost of a home gym.
