The treadmill machine is a killer tool for better health and improved fitness. But knowing how much you should spend on a treadmill can be tough. Here’s your ultimate guide to how much treadmills cost and how much you should spend on one.
- The Cost of Different Types of Treadmill Machines
- Treadmill Cost – Key Factors That Influence Cost
- Treadmill Cost – FAQs
- More Treadmill Guides and Articles
The treadmill machine is one of the best cardio machines for weight loss that you can invest in for your home.
The benefits of treadmills are almost endless, including improving functional fitness, burning tons of fat, and improving cardiovascular health.
That said, the treadmill machine is not cheap.
You can expect to pay between $1,500 and $2,000 for a quality treadmill machine that has lots of workout functionality, including incline and pre-programmed workouts.
In this guide, we will take a deep dive into the cost of treadmill machines, how they vary by the kind of treadmill machine you are interested in, and examine some key features that increase/decrease cost.
By the end, you’ll have a crystal-clear idea of how much you should spend when it comes to the cost of a treadmill machine.
Let’s get started.
The Cost of Different Types of Treadmill Machines
To properly assess the cost of treadmills, and get a sense of what is going to be the best value for your hard-earned money, it’s worth looking at the different types of treadmills.
The major ones include:
Motorized Treadmills
Motorized are the broadest category of treadmills and are likely the type of treadmill that comes to mind first.
They litter your local fitness center and are available in a huge range of sizes, screen sizes, and feature lots of performance features like incline and decline settings.
Motorized treadmills have a starting speed of 0.5 mph and use a small motor, anywhere from 1.5 HP to 4.0 HP to move the belt around the running deck.
Motorized treadmills cost anywhere from $649 for a stripped-down, “get on and go” treadmill, to $4,499 for premium machines. For around $2,000, you can get a treadmill that has tons of functionality including incline/decline, large running deck, and an HD touchscreen for online classes and workouts.
Some of the most popular motorized treadmills by price:
TREADMILLCOST
Bowflex Treadmill 22$2,699
Bowflex Treadmill 10$1,999
Bowflex BXT8J$1,299
NordicTrack X32i$4,499
NordicTrack X22i$3,499
NordicTrack Commercial 2450$2,999
NordicTrack 1250$1,999
NordicTrack EXP 10i$1,599
NordicTrack EXP 7i$1,099
Horizon T101$649
Horizon T202$799
Horizon T303$1,099
Horizon 7.0 AT$999
Horizon 7.4 AT$1,599
Horizon 7.8 AT$1,999
Sole F63$999
Sole F65$1,399
Sole F80$1,699
Sole F85$1,899
Sole ST90$3,499
Sole TT8$2,399
ProForm Pro 9000$2,099
ProForm Pro 2000 (out of stock)$1,799
ProForm Carbon T14$1,599
ProForm Carbon T10$1,299
ProForm Carbon T7$1,403
ProForm City L6$599
Sunny Health Astra Elite$1,299
Sunny Health Electric Folding Treadmill$949
XTERRA TRX3500$1,499
Spirit XTI85$1,899
Spirit XT285$2,299
Spirit XT385$2,499
Spirit XT485$2,699
Spirit XT485ENT$3,299
Spirit XT685$2,999
Echelon Stride Treadmill$1,299
Echelon Stride-s Smart Treadmill$1,599
Echelon Stride-5s Smart Treadmill$2,499
Manual Walking Treadmills
Manual walking treadmills are an excellent—and very budget-friendly—option for those who want to crank up their steps without having to leave the house.
Walking treadmills don’t have the same bells and whistles as motorized treadmills, and as a result, the cost is way cheaper, with some options retailing for less than $200.
Manual walking treadmills require you to adjust the incline by hand, which can be annoying if you want more of an interval walking workout, but long and steady walking workouts, it’s great.
Additionally, manual walking treadmills are more difficult and burn more calories compared to motorized treadmills as there is nothing moving the belt except for your legs. (The same goes for curved treadmills, which we will look at next.)
While there aren’t as many options for walking treadmills compared to motorized treadmills, there are some very cost-friendly and quality options for home use:
TREADMILLPRICE
Sunny Health Manual Walking Treadmill$179
Fitness Reality TR3000$275
Sunny Health Cardio Trainer Manual Treadmill$699
Curved Treadmills
Curved treadmills are the newest kind of treadmill on the scene.
The main benefits of curved treadmills compared to your regular flat machine is that there is reduced impact on the joints, burn more calories1 because you are the motor to move the belt, and don’t require power.
While those benefits all sound great, curved treadmills are really expensive, particularly when you consider that they don’t have much in the way of screens or tech and they don’t use a motor to move the belt.
Because the curved treadmill is fully powered by the runner, newer trainees will have a harder time doing extended workouts on it because of the increased muscular power required to move the belt.
The average cost of a curved treadmill far exceeds that of the median price of a treadmill machine.
CURVED TREADMILLSPRICE
Woodway Curve LTG$3,995
True Form Trainer$3,995
True Form Runner$6,889
AssaultRunner Pro$2,999
AssaultRunner Elite$3,499
Under Desk Treadmills
“Sitting is the new smoking” is one of those lines that have been circulating in recent years. And it makes sense, as a culture, we are sitting more than ever.
One study from 2016 showed that the average American adult spent 6.4 hours sitting per day. And this was an increase of an hour from a decade earlier.
It’s difficult to imagine those trends reversing, making it more crucial than ever to spend more time upright, standing, and better—walking.
Under desk treadmills have emerged as a solution to the ails of the chronically sitting, offering a way to get the steps in while working away at a desk.
Under desk treadmills are generally cheaper than other motorized treadmills as they are designed for walking, not running, and have less powerful motors.
Additionally, because they don’t have consoles or large touchscreens, the cost of the under desk treadmills is further reduced compared to other treadmills.
Here is a look at the cost of some of the more popular under desk treadmills on the market right now:
UNDER DESK TREADMILLSCOST
LifeSpan TR5000 GlowUp$1,899
GoPlus Folding and Under Desk Treadmill$479
WalkingPad Under Desk Treadmill$399
Urevo 2-in-1 Under Desk Treadmill$379
Sunny Health Slim Under Desk Treadmill$369
Treadmill Cost – Key Factors That Influence Cost
While the function of a treadmill is relatively simple—get on, burn a ton of calories, and move on with your day—the particular functions, and as a result, the cost, of the machine vary widely.
Here are the primary cost-movers when it comes to comparing the price of treadmill machines:
Motor
The treadmills you find at your local gym are almost entirely powered by motors. The amount of horsepower—or more accurately, continuous horsepower (CHP)—dictates how fast the belt moves and how smoothly the treadmill handles speed changes.
The main differences between motorized vs. manual treadmills are ease of speed change, increasing/decreasing incline, and setting speed targets.
Motorized treadmills start with motors with 1.5 HP (the ProForm City L6, for example) and there are heavy-duty treadmills for heavier people that have motors with 4.0 to 5.0 HP.
Most users will do just fine with a motor of 2-3.0 HP.
Incline and Decline
Using the incline on a treadmill is one of my favorite ways to increase difficulty and calorie-burning during my cardio workouts. It’s also one of the most popular features people look for when buying a new treadmill machine.
And for good reason—one study2 found that walking on a 5% incline burned a whopping extra 17% calories on the treadmill!
Almost every under $2,000 treadmill on the market, save for some of the very budget-friendly treadmills, have incline varying from 0 to 15-degrees.
Treadmills like the NordicTrack X32i—our pick for the best incline treadmill—has an incline of up to 40-degrees for really hard-core incline training.
Additionally, there are a handful of treadmills that have decline options, though this feature is more rare.
Treadmills like the ProForm Pro 9000, Sole TT8, NordicTrack Commercial 2450, and Bowflex Treadmill 10 all have both healthy incline and decline settings.
Screen Size
Tech has come a big way in the fitness space in recent years, and nowhere is this more apparent than with the big HD touchscreens that populate many of the more popular treadmills on the market.
Big screens are perfect for the treadmill runner/walker who likes doing online classes and workouts through popular training portals like iFit, Peloton, STUDIO, and JRNY.
But, as you can imagine, with big screens come a higher cost for the treadmill machine.
Treadmill machines with 20”+ touchscreens start at $2,099 and quickly go up from there.
Here is a quick look at what you can expect to pay for a treadmill machine with larger screens:
TREADMILLSCREEN SIZEPRICE
NordicTrack X32i32”$4,499
NordicTrack X22i22”$3,499
Bowflex Treadmill 2222”$2,699
Echelon Stride-5s Smart Treadmill24”$2,499
ProForm Pro 900022”$2,099
ProForm Carbon T1414”$1,599
Weight Capacity
Costing out a treadmill also means properly assessing the weight capacity on the machine. This is an injury-prevention feature, for starters, as treadmills designed for heavier people tend to have more “flex” in the deck, reducing impact and joint stress.
Some treadmills, like the Landice L8, even have an optional upgrade orthopedic deck for even more joint protection.
Additionally, using a treadmill within your weight class means you won’t be adding stress to the belt and deck, damaging your treadmill and leading to more maintenance and repair issues down the road.
Treadmills with a higher weight capacity tend to be more expensive—although this isn’t a hard rule, as the NordicTrack treadmills max out at 300lbs but are some of the more expensive treadmills for home gyms—but there are plenty of excellent value picks for heavier users just getting started on their weight loss journey.
Some of the best cost-friendly ellipticals for heavy people include:
TREADMILLWEIGHT CAPACITYPRICE
Spirit XT485425lb$2,699
Sole F85400lb$1,899
Echelon Stride-5s Smart Treadmill400lb$2,499
Bowflex Treadmill 22400lb$2,699
Bowflex Treadmill 10400lb$1,999
Horizon Fitness 7.8 AT375lb$1,999
Running Deck Size
Running deck size, in this case, refers to the area available to runners/walkers while on the treadmill machine.
Taller runners will want a running deck that has enough length so that they can walk-run with a full stride. Running decks vary in size from a “standard” width of 20” and around 55” of length.
Those with longer legs will definitely want a treadmill with a running deck with 60”+ of length, and wider users, or those who aren’t as comfortable with their running technique and struggle with running straight on the treadmill, will want to lean towards a belt width of 22”.
Some of the best treadmills for taller runners include:
TREADMILLDECK SIZEPRICE
NordicTrack X32i22” x 65”$4,499
Sole F6522” x 60”$1,399
Landice L822” x 63”$5,899
Spirit XT38522” x 60”$2,499
Horizon 7.4 AT22” x 60”$1,599
Bowflex Treadmill 1022” x 60”$1,999
Treadmill Cost – FAQs
How much should you pay for a treadmill machine?
Treadmills vary widely in cost, but for around $1,500 you can get a commercial-grade treadmill machine that can handle speeds of up to 12mph, has incline features for added workout difficulty, and lots of programmed workouts to challenge you.
Under desk and manual walking treadmills are significantly cheaper, with excellent options on the market for less than $400.
Are treadmill machines worth it?
Treadmill machines are absolutely worth it, especially when they match your workout and health goals. Although treadmills are relatively simple in terms of function—get on, walk or run, get off—the way they operate varies widely.
By choosing the treadmill that matches your aspirations and current physical condition, the machine will be absolutely worth it.
The Bottom Line
The cost of a treadmill machine, particularly some of the higher end models, can cause a little bit of sticker shock at first.
But when you consider the bonanza of benefits of using the machine—improved health3, better mobility, better sleep4, improved immunological function5, and much more, what you end up getting back from the machine far outweighs the cost.
Choose the best treadmill machine that lines up with your budget and get to work on melting off the fat and improving your cardiovascular health!
More Treadmill Guides and Articles
How to Build Your Glutes on the Treadmill (Plus Sample Workouts). The treadmill machine is a monster for building bigger and stronger glutes. Here’s how to target your glutes on the treadmill and some butt-building workouts to get you started.
Treadmill Machine vs Outdoor Running – Which is Best for You? Running on a treadmill and running outdoors have a lot of benefits. But they differ in some very key ways. Read on to see the best option for you and your running goals.
