How Much Does it Cost to do a Bikini Competition?

How many of you have wondered how much it really costs to do a bikini competition?

I remember when I first had the urge to learn more about it, there wasn’t a TON of info out there on how much it cost. More about what to eat, how to workout, which federation to try, etc.

It took me a good couple of days to do some research on the topic until I finally landed on ONE blogger’s website that really got into the nitty-gritty of bikini competitions. The website talked about her daily prep schedule, what she ate, her workouts and more.  Also, it had a breakdown of cost.

I was hooked.

Now, you can find a fair amount of people writing about their experiences, meal prep, workout plans and their costs to do a competition. 

So, here I am… thinking back to when I competed and I wanted to write about my own experience, my own personal struggles, tips and tricks as well as a breakdown of my costs throughout those 12 weeks preparing.

However, there is no way I can fit all of that in one post so today we talk solely about how much it really costs to do a bikini competition. 

**If you see this picture and are curious, yes, I had my breasts done. You can read more about it here.

So, if you are thinking of competing in a bikini competition you first need to get your mind in the game. 

Prep is hard. Like… REALLY HARD.

At least to me, it was. My first competition was in August of 2013. Meaning, around 12 weeks prior was the start of my prep. So, forget about the Fourth of July celebrations, summertime mojitos by the pool and BBQ’s. My daily routine was incredibly repetitive. It looked something like this…

Wake up

Workout Round 1 (fasted cardio for an hour)

Eat Meal 1

Drink a Ton of Water

Go to Work

Eat Meal 2

Drink a Ton of Water

Eat Meal 3

Drink a Ton of Water

Eat Meal 4

Get Home From Work

Prep Meals for the Next Day (or week)

Drink a Ton of Water

Workout Round II (lifting for an hour)

Drink a Ton of Water

Eat Meal 5

Drink a Ton of Water

Eat Meal 6

Finish Water for the Day

Pack Gym Bag

Sleep

REPEAT 

No, I did not have kids yet. I can’t even imagine how hard it is to have kids while competing.  Getting ready for a bikini competition takes discipline, willpower and a ton of planning and patience. 

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However, since you’re reading this post, it seems like you want to get to know me (yay! hi friend!) and if you get to know me, I am the kind of person who likes to push myself to see how far I can go. Once I got to thinking I wanted to compete. BAM. That was it. I was doing it. No turning back. 

So, below are some questions I would get asked.

1. How much does it cost to compete?

2. How long does it take until I will be stage ready?

3. What are the differences between bikini, figure, and bodybuilding?

4. How can you find a coach?

5. How does competing affect your lifestyle? 

Today I will talk about question #1. 

How much does it cost to do a bikini competition? 

It cost me about $2000.00 to compete. Yes, I said $2000.00. That means you shell out a TON of money, literally work your tush off getting ready and get on stage for about five minutes to show off all that hard work.

Was it worth it to me? Absolutely. 

Let me break down the cost.

COMPETITION/POSING COACH:
($200-$500/month)
 First, to get a competition/posing coach, the cost will vary. How long will you need the coach? When is your show? How much time does your body need to get “stage ready?” Do you have a good coach? How many posing practices will you need?

I typically see about a 12-16 week prep which can be anywhere from $200 – $500 a month. However, this is a very estimated guess as these costs can vary dramatically!

I used Michelle Johnson from Team Knockouts as my coach.

TIP: Be sure you get a really good coach. There’s a ton of people out there who have done one show and consider themselves a coach. UGH. Just no. We will get into this when I discuss question #4 in another post. 

GYM MEMBERSHIP: 
($10-$70/month)
Then, you need to make sure you have a gym membership. My gym was $20 a month but some people pay up to $70 a month.

YIKES!

Unless your at-home gym has multiple cardio pieces of equipment, a squat rack, lots of dumbbells varying in different sizes, a TRX machine, yoga ball, and more, you really need a gym membership.

GROCERIES: 
(Varies by meal plan)
You also need to be aware that you are eating MORE than you have ever eaten in your life. I know… a lot of people think competitors are eating less because they are leaner.

But with all the working out, your body will be burning off so much fat and even a fair amount of muscle. Therefore, you will be prepping and eating multiple times a day (every 2.5-3 hours) and you will still be hungry for more. 

More grocery shopping = higher grocery bills.

I’m going to estimate it cost me about $75 a week although, I’ve been known to spend $100+ weekly on food!

I used a 6 Pack Bag to carry my meals to work. This is a great bag because it kept my food insulated for up to 8 hours. Also, this bag held three of my meals (four including a shake), a water bottle, my supplements, and utensils. The convenience of having all of this in one place made it worth the money.

SUPPLEMENTS:
($100/month)
Your coach will give you the appropriate supplements during your prep. They will most likely tell you to get protein powder, BCAA, vitamins, and more.

I recommend you purchase as many supplements as you can on iHerb. I did that for a lot of my prep and saved a ton of money. Also, if you use my code (CSW131) you will get 10% off your first order and 5% off your orders after that.

Read more about that here.

Ok, so we’ve discussed a coach, a gym membership, food, and supplements.

Now, let’s get into the finer details of bikini competition costs.

MEMBERSHIP: 
($125.00/year)
Keep in mind, you need to pay to be in a federation. I opted to be in the NPC (National Physique Committee) federation because they are the most well known. It costs $125.00 a year.

ENTRY FEES: 
($80-$120 per category)
Then, you have entry fees for each show you compete in. These cost around $80-$120 per category per show.

BIKINI: 
($150-$800)
This part is fun but also can be incredibly expensive. My first bikini cost me $400 to make and I only wore it twice! I am actually selling it now so if you are interested, contact me here and I’ll give you a good price for it! 

(SPOILER ALERT: I won my second show in this suit!)

You also don’t want to skimp out and get a bikini that isn’t flattering to your body. A bikini can make or break your show. You need to make sure you get the right color, shape, gems, and connectors that all work with you. Not only that, a pro bikini can cost up to $800!

Some great places to get your suit: 

Amber Competition Bikinis

Angel Competition Bikinis

Ravish Sands

Suits You Swimwear

TAN:
($100)
 This is an important part of your overall appearance. Yes, you’ll look incredibly dark in person but on stage, you’ll look great! Keep in mind, this tan is not a normal spray tan from Palm Beach tan. This is a tan specific to competitions and can cost about $100. 

STAGE HEELS:
($40-$60)
 My favorite shoes are Ellie’s shoes from Amazon. I got them for $40 and they were comfortable and at 4.5 inches, just the right height! These Ellie shoes from Amazon were a lot cheaper than other stores I looked at and I recommend these to everyone who wants to do a bikini competition.

Just trust me on this… these are actually quite comfortable even though they may not look like it.

HAIR AND MAKEUP:
($200)
 If you can find a friend (thank you Samantha) to do your hair and makeup, do it. Otherwise, these services can cost over $200.00.

JEWELRY:
($50-$100)
Some people will pay a pretty penny for competition jewelry. I’m talking about $50-$100 for earrings, bracelet, and a single cocktail ring. Me on the other hand? You guessed it… AMAZON! Below are some perfect pieces to complement your overall look.

Earrings #1
Earrings #2

Bracelet #1
Bracelet #2

Cocktail Ring #1
Cocktail Ring #2

OTHER:
(Varies)
Then, there are other things that you would never think of like Bikini Bite (a slip-resistant suit fastener). This helps keeps your suit from slipping.

Besides, no one wants a wedgie on stage, am I right?

Also, if the shows aren’t near where you live, you’ll have to shell out another $100 or so for a hotel. In addition to that, there are so many other little things that can add up for a bikini competition. Gas money to drive there, getting your nails done, plastic cups with holes cut out of them to pee in (we’ll discuss that another time). So on and so forth.

So, this list pretty much sums up the majority (if not all) of the cost that it takes to do a bikini competition.

From this list, you can see that a 12-week program could cost between $1500-$3500.

Quite an expensive hobby huh? 

This is why I want to reiterate that if you are thinking of competing you need to get your mind in the game. Otherwise, all that money goes to waste. 

Just enjoy the process.

Besides, competing is an experience I will never ever forget!