Guide

How much does going to the gym cost in Switzerland, and how much of it does your insurance cover?

Alejandro Redondo Lázaro · 11 min read · Published 27.08.2026

Going to the gym in Switzerland costs from around 550 to 1,400 CHF a year. The price depends on the gym, the area, the type of membership and the deals running at the time. In this guide you will find a list of the main chains, with their prices and links, to help you choose.

Not everyone knows this, but there are health insurance products that cover part of that cost. Many supplementary policies pay back 50% to 90% of your membership, with caps that usually run from 150 to 500 CHF a year, and others give you a fixed amount or a voucher. In some combinations the contribution can come to more than 1,000 CHF.

How much does a gym membership cost in Switzerland?

The budget chains work out at around 50 CHF a month on a 12-month contract. The mid-range runs from around 600 to 1,100 CHF a year, and the premium end goes up to 1,400 CHF.

Two details change the final price. Paying for the year in one go works out cheaper than paying month by month. And look at the joining fee, because it changes a lot from one chain to another, and you will find it in the table.

What if you do not want to tie yourself down? Almost every chain has memberships with no minimum term. There are two formats, the rolling monthly one and the single month. Both work out a good deal more expensive per month than the annual membership.

How does health insurance cover your gym membership?

Health insurance in Switzerland has two parts. The compulsory one, the basic insurance, covers the benefits that serve to diagnose or treat an illness (art. 25 LAMal), and a gym membership is not one of them. The guide to compulsory health insurance explains how it works.

The gym cover sits in supplementary insurance (VVG in German, LCA in French and Italian), which you take out separately. Some products pay back part of your membership, and how much they pay back changes from one product to another. The table below shows you how much.

With supplementary insurance you have to do the sums. Weigh what you pay for the product against what you get back from it, counting the gym and everything else it covers. Every situation is different.

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Supplementary insurance works by different rules, because it is a private contract. The insurer can ask you to fill in a health questionnaire and it can turn you down. The duty to accept everyone exists only in the basic insurance.

How much does each insurer pay back for the gym?

Many products pay back between 50% and 90% of your membership, with a cap that runs from 150 to 500 CHF a year. Others pay a fixed contribution instead, or give you a voucher. Below are nine examples, each one read in the product’s own conditions. They are not the only ones. There are more insurers with similar contributions.

The sum comes down to two things, the percentage and the cap. A 50% contribution on a 699 CHF membership is around 350 CHF. If your cap is 200 CHF, you get 200 and no more. If it is 500 CHF, you get the full 350. Do the sum with your own membership and your own product before you sign up.

SWICA goes beyond those caps. It lets you combine several of its products, and its own health promotion list puts the total at up to 1,300 CHF a year once several contributions are added together. That figure is SWICA’s own and depends on its conditions, so ask which products have to be combined before you sign up.

Does just any gym count?

No. Most of the products in the table only pay if the gym is recognised by the insurer. Some go by quality labels (Qualitop, QualiCert or Fitness-Guide) and others keep their own list of gyms. Each insurer has a search tool on its website. Check yours before you sign up for the membership.

The big chains usually hold one of those labels, and they say so on their own websites.

Two things come up again and again in the small print of these products. The first is that they normally ask for a membership of at least three months, and some pay only for the annual one or the six-month one. The second is that some of them reserve the right in writing to change or withdraw the contribution at any time.

How do you claim the contribution?

1. Ask for the proof of payment for your membership. The big chains already issue it with everything the insurer needs on it, and you can pick it up at reception or find it in your online account.
2. Send it to your insurer through the same channel you use for medical bills.
3. Wait for the payment. You get your percentage up to the cap, and the cap runs per calendar year.

Is supplementary insurance worth taking out just for the gym?

It depends on the premium you pay and on how much you get back. Up to the age of 25 supplementary policies are usually cheap, and the gym contribution on its own can make the product pay for itself. From the age of 26, the gym on its own does not usually cover what the product costs, though it can come close to paying for it. Do the sum on the full yearly cost, counting the benefits you are really going to use.

Some people want the whole package and some prefer to pay for the gym themselves, with no insurer involved. Both are fine. What does not pay off is paying for a supplementary policy you do not use at all. If that sounds like you, here is how to cancel supplementary insurance.

Frequently asked questions

The short version

• A membership at one of the big chains costs from around 550 to 1,400 CHF a year, and paying in one go works out cheaper than month by month.
• The basic health insurance does not pay for it. The contribution comes from supplementary insurance, where some products pay back a percentage of your membership and others give you a fixed amount or a voucher, normally with a yearly cap.
• If you are taking out a supplementary policy for the gym, check first that it covers your gym and your type of membership. The insurer will ask you to fill in a health questionnaire, and it can turn you down.
• Only the gyms recognised by your insurer count. Check its list before you sign up.
• Whether a supplementary policy pays off just for the gym depends, above all, on your age. If you already have one, claim your contribution.

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