Cost-benefit breakdown for the sport of swimming

Ever wonder just how expensive the sport of swimming can be for new swimmers? Here is a cost breakdown of swimming and some of the major benefits that your children receive from being on a swim team.

Swim cost breakdown

The overall cost of swimming is made up of team fees, equipment costs, and travel expenses.

Team fees

Team fees can range exponentially depending on your city, your skill level, and how many months of the year you plan to swim. For beginners aged 8-10, an average year-round, club team will generally cost you between $75-$150 per month. This will be relative to the size of the team you join, the skill of the coaching staff, and the condition of the facility (typically a nicer, newer facility will charge more for the same plan).

But, for summer swim teams, you could even pay less than $50 per month because the team is focused primarily on fun, not sending swimmers to national meets.

Equipment costs

Equipment costs include swim suits, goggles, and practice equipment.

A typical practice swim suit will cost between $40-$60. Quality swim suits (those primarily consisting of polyester and limited in lycra) will last between one and two years, depending how often you wear it. But, I have seen suits last well over three years because they are made of more than 50% polyester and because swimmers take care of them!

The best goggles will cost roughly $15 and will last for about a year, as long as you take care of them. Swim caps cost roughly $5 and will last for about 6 months, depending on how much you use it.

Finally (and depending on your team), you may be required to purchase equipment such as a kickboard, snorkel, and pull buoy. Looking at SwimOutlet.com, these equipment items will cost roughly $100 but will these items will last for years. Most teams supply swimmers with the needed equipment so there is no need to purchase these items for new swimmers when you are just trying the sport out.

So, a yearly cost between $60 and $75 should be expected for equipment.

Meet fees

Swim meets are a great way to see how much your child is improving and allows the coaches to identify what specifically swimmers need to work on to get better.

Not all meets charge fees. Typically small meets against one or two other teams don’t require a fee to swim at. Big meets with multiple teams at big aquatic facilities typically do charge a fee to participate. These fees usually are less than $10 but, depending on the length of the meet, can reach as high as $50. But as a rule of thumb, you won’t generally pay more than $10 for a meet.

Typically a year-round, club swim team will participate in 2-3 meets per month. Usually you are never required to go to meets so you can choose to participate in every meet if you want, or none! Just be prepared that some meets come with a cost.

Summer swim teams usually have much more than 3 meets per month because the season is so short. Usually summer swim teams only charge a fee to participate in the championship meet.

I would expect a monthly meet fee of $15 to average out the months you go to more meets with the ones you might not attend one.

What’s the monthly cost of swimming?

Depending on your level and location, our swimming cost breakdown shows you will pay between $105 and $175 per month.

Social learning benefits

Swimming is a great way to introduce children to participating in a team because swimming is still an individualized sport. Even though children swim with others, ultimately each child is focused on their own strokes, their own technique, and have the ability to keep to themselves if they see that as the most comfortable for themselves.

Unlike traditional team sports such as baseball, softball, or soccer, swimming at an early age is not dependent on others in order to do well. During performances (meets), swimmers swim their own races and are demonstrating what they learned and have improved on since the last meet. Your child could swim on the slowest team in the state but if they choose to put their mind to improving and going fast, they will improve each and every meet. But, if a swimmer feels comfortable, they can help other swimmers improve by leading lanes, getting in early for practice, and forming good friendships.

These things help make swimming a much more enjoyable sport and are why swimming is a great first sport for all children.

Health benefits breakdown

Tons of health benefits come from involving your children in the sport of swimming. The sport of swimming is very soft on your joints and is a non-contact sport. Broken bones and concussions are practically unheard of. Adults who grew up swimming have proportionally less joint pain than other sports because of it’s weightlessness!

Swimmers also develop superior heart health because of the combination of aerobic and anaerobic workouts completed while swimming. If you want to learn more about how swim practices improve swimmers’ health, check out my article analyzing the benefits of swimming.

So, what’s the overall cost of swimming?

There is more to swimming than just the cost. Children learn to develop a good, competitive nature and learn how to interact with others in a team setting that is different from team sports. Swimming allows children to exercise in a safe environment, too.

Depending on your location, you will pay between $105 and $175 per month. It’s important to note that the biggest cost in swimming is your team fee. This will vary astronomically based on your location, how often you swim, and the reputation of your team!