How Much Does BJJ Cost in the UK? (Honest Breakdown)

Most gyms hide their prices behind an "enquire now" form. We think that's daft, so here's what BJJ actually costs in the UK, including exactly what we charge.

Typical UK price ranges

Prices vary with the city and the gym, but as of 2026 most UK BJJ gyms land in these brackets:

• Monthly unlimited membership: roughly £60 to £100 outside London, and £90 to £150 in London. Southampton gyms mostly sit between £60 and £85 a month.
• Limited memberships: some gyms sell a cheaper one-or-two-classes-a-week tier, typically £40 to £60. Do the maths before choosing one; if you train more than twice a week, unlimited usually wins.
• Pay as you go: usually £10 to £15 per class. Fine for visiting other gyms while travelling, expensive as a way to train regularly.
• Beginner courses: anything from free taster weeks to £100 or so for a structured multi-week course, often with kit thrown in.
• The red flags: joining fees, twelve-month contracts and "prices on enquiry". None of these make the coaching better. Plenty of good gyms charge none of them, so you don't have to accept any of them.

A fair rule of thumb: in a well-run gym you're paying somewhere between £3 and £6 per coached class if you train consistently, which is competitive with almost any coached sport or fitness class in the country.

What we charge

Our prices are published in full on the timetable & pricing page: monthly unlimited, a student & NHS rate, and a one-off four-week beginner course. No contracts, no joining fee, and your first class is free.

The costs nobody mentions

The membership isn't quite the whole picture, so here's the rest, honestly:

• A gi: £40 to £120, and only if you train gi classes. Beginners at MTHD can borrow one, so this cost arrives when you're sure you're staying, not before. A £50 gi is genuinely fine.
• A rash guard: £20 to £40 for no-gi training. A fitted sports top works to start.
• A mouthguard: £5 to £25. Optional for cooperative beginner classes, sensible once you start sparring regularly.
• Washing: you will do more laundry than you've ever done, because everything gets washed after every session. The cost is small; the surprise is real.
• Competition fees: £30 to £60 per entry, and completely optional. Most members never compete and lose nothing by it.
• Seminars and gradings: occasional and optional at good gyms. Be wary of anywhere with mandatory testing fees for every belt and stripe.

Realistically, a first year of BJJ costs the membership plus £100 to £200 of kit, spread out across the year and mostly optional in the first month.

Is it worth it compared to a normal gym?

A commercial gym membership costs £25 to £45 a month, so BJJ looks more expensive on paper. The comparison worth making is cost per hour of actual use.

The average unused gym membership costs its owner a fortune per visit, because most people stop going by February. BJJ flips that pattern. A member training three times a week is getting twelve-plus hours of coached, structured training a month; at typical Southampton prices that works out around £5 to £6 an hour, with a coach in the room the entire time, a curriculum behind every session and training partners who notice when you don't show up.

That last part is the real answer. People keep paying for BJJ because they keep doing BJJ. The sport is interesting enough, and the room social enough, that consistency mostly takes care of itself, and consistency is the thing a cheap unused membership never gives you.

Want to test that theory for the price of nothing? Your first class is free.