How to price yoga classes: start from your cost per class
The short answer
To price yoga classes, add up what one class costs you (rent per hour, teacher pay, fees and a share of fixed costs), divide by the average number of people in the room, and add your margin. Then build a simple ladder: drop-in highest per class, packs in the middle, memberships lowest per class.
To price yoga classes well, start from what one class costs you, not from the studio down the street. Add rent per hour, teacher pay, payment fees and a fair share of fixed costs, divide by the number of people you actually get in the room, then add the margin that keeps your studio healthy.
Why not just copy local prices?
The studio around the corner may pay half your rent, run classes of 25, or be run by an owner who teaches every class unpaid. Matching their price means borrowing a budget that is not yours.
Local prices are still useful: they show roughly what your neighbourhood is willing to pay. If your cost per class sits above that, a discount will not save you. Attendance, timetable or class format will.
What does one yoga class cost you?
Work per class, because that is how a studio spends money. List what each class uses up:
| Cost | How to work it out | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Rent and utilities | monthly total divided by classes per month | CA$3,600 / 120 classes = CA$30 |
| Teacher | what you pay per class | CA$55 |
| Cleaning, insurance, software, marketing | monthly total divided by classes | CA$1,200 / 120 = CA$10 |
| Payment fees | average percentage across card, online and tap payments | built into the final price |
In this example one class costs about CA$95 before fees and before you pay yourself anything. The figures are illustrative: replace them with your own.
If you teach your own classes, put a fair hourly rate for yourself in the teacher line. Otherwise the studio only looks profitable because you work for free.
How many students do you need to break even?
Divide the cost of a class by what each student brings in per class. For a membership, that is the monthly price divided by how many classes members usually take.
With a CA$160 monthly membership and members averaging 8 classes a month, each visit is worth CA$20. To cover CA$95 you need about 5 people per class just to break even. At 9 or 10, there is room for your own pay, savings and a raise for teachers.
Now check your real numbers:
- Add up attendance across every class in a month.
- Divide by the number of classes taught.
- Compare the result with your break-even number.
If the average is below break-even, raising prices is rarely the first move. Look first for classes that are always nearly empty and could come off the timetable.
How do you build a price ladder?
With cost and break-even in hand, set a short ladder. Each step lowers the price per class in exchange for more commitment:
| Option | Example price | Per class |
|---|---|---|
| Drop-in | CA$28 | CA$28 |
| 10-class pack (3-month validity) | CA$230 | CA$23 |
| Monthly, 4 classes | CA$90 | CA$22.50 |
| Monthly unlimited | CA$160 | about CA$20 at 8 visits |
Three rules of thumb:
- The drop-in protects the membership. If drop-ins are cheap, nobody has a reason to commit.
- The lowest price per class must still sit above break-even at your average attendance.
- Fewer options sell better. Four or five steps are plenty.
If you are deciding how much to lean on packs or memberships, class packs vs memberships walks through both with numbers.
Where do payment fees fit?
Every payment method costs something, and rates differ by processor and card type. Estimate an average rate based on how your students actually pay and build it into the price. A simple way: take last quarter’s total fees, divide by last quarter’s total sales, and use that percentage. Recheck it once a year, since the mix of payment methods shifts over time.
Look at your booking software too. Some platforms take a percentage of every sale on top of the monthly plan. For a small studio that percentage can cost more than the plan itself, so run the numbers on your monthly sales before you choose.
When and how should you raise prices?
Raise prices when your cost per class goes up (new lease, teacher raises) or when attendance is high and steady. A few habits make it smoother:
- give at least 30 days’ notice,
- explain the reason in one sentence, without apologising,
- honour the old price for anything already paid,
- move the whole ladder so the steps still make sense.
One predictable review a year is easier for students to accept than several small, unexpected increases.
Common pricing mistakes
- Leaving out your own pay. An owner who teaches is a cost too.
- Pricing on full capacity. No studio is full every class.
- Permanent promotions. A discount that never ends becomes your real price.
- Ignoring fees. A few percent on every sale adds up over a year.
- A confusing ladder. If students need a calculator, they put the decision off.
How elastudio helps
In elastudio you can sell drop-ins, class packs, memberships and an intro offer on any plan, and from Starter, monthly memberships renew on the member’s card automatically, so nobody chases payments. elastudio never takes a percentage of your sales, on any plan, and the money goes straight to your own Stripe account. See how it fits yoga studios.
Run the numbers before you publish a price
Set aside an hour, fill in the cost table with your own figures and find your break-even. The ladder follows from there. Compare plans on the pricing page and see everything included on features. Questions are welcome at support@elastudio.app.
Questions people ask
Should I just match the yoga studios near me?
Use local prices as a ceiling, not a starting point. Work out your own cost per class first; if local prices do not cover it, the fix is usually attendance, rent or class format, not a discount.
What attendance should I use in the calculation?
Your real average over the last few months, not the room's capacity. Without history, use half the capacity and revisit after three months.
How much more should a drop-in cost than a membership?
Enough that a regular student clearly saves by committing. The drop-in is the no-commitment option, so it carries the highest price per class.
How often should I raise prices?
Many studios review once a year. Give notice, explain the reason in one sentence, and honour the old price for anything already paid.