From May to September 2026, our research team studied how much it costs a Pilates studio to win one new paying member in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. We compiled data from 18 sources, including national advertising cost data, federal wage, population, and regional price data, Pilates class pricing and visit data, reformer and mat drop-in benchmarks, boutique member discovery surveys, and intro-offer conversion data.
This report answers what a Pilates studio pays to acquire one new member, and how that cost changes by state, region, reformer versus mat format, and marketing channel. In the sections below, we break down each of those benchmarks, along with how many months of member spending it takes to earn the cost back.
Average Pilates Studio Member Acquisition Cost by State: 2026
The table below breaks down the average cost for a Pilates studio to acquire one new member in each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., along with how each state compares to the U.S. average.
| Rank | State | Avg. CAC | % vs U.S. Average ($254) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $281 | +10.6% |
| 2 | Hawaii | $279 | +9.8% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $279 | +9.8% |
| 4 | New Jersey | $277 | +9.1% |
| 5 | New York | $274 | +7.9% |
| 6 | Washington | $272 | +7.1% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $269 | +5.9% |
| 8 | Maryland | $267 | +5.1% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $265 | +4.3% |
| 10 | Connecticut | $263 | +3.5% |
| 11 | Florida | $263 | +3.5% |
| 12 | Oregon | $263 | +3.5% |
| 13 | Colorado | $262 | +3.1% |
| 14 | Alaska | $260 | +2.4% |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $260 | +2.4% |
| 16 | Virginia | $257 | +1.2% |
| 17 | Arizona | $256 | +0.8% |
| 18 | Nevada | $254 | 0.0% |
| 19 | Illinois | $254 | 0.0% |
| 20 | Delaware | $254 | 0.0% |
| 21 | Utah | $251 | -1.2% |
| 22 | Minnesota | $251 | -1.2% |
| 23 | Vermont | $249 | -2.0% |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $248 | -2.4% |
| 25 | Texas | $247 | -2.8% |
| 26 | Maine | $247 | -2.8% |
| 27 | Georgia | $245 | -3.5% |
| 28 | Michigan | $245 | -3.5% |
| 29 | Idaho | $243 | -4.3% |
| 30 | Montana | $241 | -5.1% |
| 31 | North Carolina | $240 | -5.5% |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $239 | -5.9% |
| 33 | South Carolina | $238 | -6.3% |
| 34 | Indiana | $237 | -6.7% |
| 35 | Ohio | $236 | -7.1% |
| 36 | Wyoming | $236 | -7.1% |
| 37 | New Mexico | $234 | -7.9% |
| 38 | Tennessee | $233 | -8.3% |
| 39 | Missouri | $231 | -9.1% |
| 40 | Kentucky | $229 | -9.8% |
| 41 | Nebraska | $229 | -9.8% |
| 42 | Kansas | $229 | -9.8% |
| 43 | West Virginia | $227 | -10.6% |
| 44 | North Dakota | $226 | -11.0% |
| 45 | Alabama | $226 | -11.0% |
| 46 | South Dakota | $225 | -11.4% |
| 47 | Louisiana | $224 | -11.8% |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $223 | -12.2% |
| 49 | Iowa | $223 | -12.2% |
| 50 | Mississippi | $221 | -13.0% |
| 51 | Arkansas | $221 | -13.0% |
The data reveals that a Pilates studio in California pays about $60 more per new member than a studio in Arkansas, a 27% gap that tracks each state’s overall cost of living. Even so, how a studio finds members matters far more than where it operates, since a Google Ads member costs about 13 times as much as a referred member in every state. Local class prices follow the same cost-of-living pattern, so studios in higher-cost states can usually charge more per class to absorb the higher acquisition cost.
Average Pilates Studio Member Acquisition Cost by Region: 2026
The table below breaks down the average cost for a Pilates studio to acquire one new member in each U.S. region, along with the lowest and highest state in each. Regions follow U.S. Census groupings, with D.C. counted in the South, and each regional figure is a population-weighted average of its states.
| Region | Avg. CAC | Lowest to Highest State |
|---|---|---|
| West | $270 | $234 (New Mexico) to $281 (California) |
| Northeast | $266 | $247 (Maine) to $277 (New Jersey) |
| South | $245 | $221 (Arkansas) to $279 (D.C.) |
| Midwest | $240 | $223 (Iowa) to $254 (Illinois) |
The data reveals that the West has the highest regional average at $270, largely because California, the most expensive state, is also the most populous. The South has the widest spread, from $221 in Arkansas to $279 in D.C., so a regional average says little about any one local market there. The Midwest is the most affordable region, and no Midwest state tops the national average of $254.
Average Pilates Studio Member Acquisition Cost by Format: 2026
The table below breaks down average member acquisition cost for reformer studios versus mat studios, using each format’s average drop-in class price to value the referral reward and monthly member spend, along with the blended Pilates figure.
| Studio Format | Avg. Class Price | Avg. CAC | Months to Earn It Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reformer | $32 | $262 | 1.6 |
| Mat | $18 | $246 | 2.7 |
| All Pilates (blended) | $25 | $254 | 2.0 |
The data shows that format changes acquisition cost only modestly, because paid and organic lead costs are the same for both. Reformer studios sit about $16 above mat studios, almost entirely because a two-class referral reward costs more when the class itself costs more. Reformer still pays back faster (1.6 months versus 2.7) because members spend more per month at the higher class price, so the extra referral cost is earned back quickly.
Average Pilates Studio Member Acquisition Cost by Channel: 2026
The table below breaks down the average cost for a Pilates studio to acquire one new member through each marketing channel, along with the weighted average across all channels.
| Channel | Ad and Marketing Cost | Intro Visit Staff Time | Total CAC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referral | $50.00 | $24.12 | $74.12 |
| Meta lead ads | $373.93 | $24.12 | $398.05 |
| Organic search and Google Business Profile | $462.22 | $24.12 | $486.34 |
| Google Search Ads | $929.10 | $24.12 | $953.22 |
| Weighted average | $230.01 | $24.12 | $254.13 |
The data indicates that ad and marketing spend, not staff time, creates almost the entire gap between channels, since intro visit time adds the same $24.12 to every row. Because referrals account for 58% of new members in our model, the weighted average sits much closer to the referral cost than to any paid channel. A studio that replaces referred members with Google Ads members pays about 13 times more for each one.
Average Pilates Studio CAC Payback: 2026
The table below breaks down how many months of member spending it takes a Pilates studio to earn back the cost of acquiring a new member through each channel, based on an average of 5.1 classes a month at $25 per class, or about $128 a month.
| Channel | CAC | Months to Earn It Back |
|---|---|---|
| Referral | $74 | 0.6 |
| Meta lead ads | $398 | 3.1 |
| Organic search and Google Business Profile | $486 | 3.8 |
| Google Search Ads | $953 | 7.5 |
| Weighted average | $254 | 2.0 |
The data reveals that every channel earns back its cost within a year, and the weighted average pays for itself in about 2.0 months, slightly faster than the 2.3 months we found for boutique studios overall because Pilates class prices run higher. Google Ads is the slowest channel at 7.5 months, so it only pays off for studios that keep members well past their intro period. Because Pilates membership prices also run higher than other boutique formats on average, retention is what turns a paid-ad member from break-even into profit.
If you’d like a PDF copy of this report or help lowering your Pilates studio’s member acquisition cost, contact Altus.
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