Jump ticket skydive costs: How expensive is skydiving as a hobby?

How expensive is skydiving as a hobby? There are various factors to take into consideration, including the cost of training, equipment and membership. Plus of course the jump ticket skydive costs whenever you fancy some freefall.

A jump ticket is the price for a qualified skydiver to jump out of a plane or helicopter. It’s what you’ll pay each time you want to catch a ride to altitude to jump over a dropzone.

Jump ticket skydive costs

Unsurprisingly the jump ticket price varies around the world with different dropzones charging what works for them. While there are regional variations there are also large price differences within the same country. So, it pays to do your research.

To give you some idea of of jump ticket skydive costs here’s a breakdown of the average, lowest and highest prices per continent. Prices are from the global database www.dropzone.com and are correct as of March 2020.

Europe

• Low cost: UK £17 ($21/€19)
• High cost: Switzerland £43 ($53/€49)
• Average: £25-30 ($31-37/€28-33)
• Advantages: Almost every country in Europe has dropzones so it is a great way to combine travel, culture and excitement!

Middle East

• Low cost: UAE £27 ($33/€30)
• High cost: Israel £46 ($57/€50)
• Average: £30-35 ($37-43/€33-39)
• Advantages: Jumps are rarely cancelled due to bad weather.

North America

• Low cost: USA/Mexico £16 ($20/€18)
• High cost: Canada £26 ($32/€29)
• Average: £20-25 ($25-31/€22-28)
• Advantages: More dropzones than any other continent means lots of choice and good prices.

Central America

• Low cost: Costa Rica £27 ($34/€30)
• High cost: Guatemala £32 ($40/€36)
• Average: £29 ($36/€32)
• Advantages: Skydiving might be more expensive but accommodation and travel are very affordable.

Caribbean

• Low cost: Cuba £17 ($20/€18)
• High cost: Dominican Republic £29 ($35/€32)
• Average: £20-25 ($25-31/€22-28)
• Advantages: Idyllic skydiving which doesn’t cost a fortune.

South America

• Low cost: Argentina £13 ($16/€15)
• High cost: Brazil £33 ($41/€37)
• Average: £20-25 ($25-31/€22-28)
• Advantages: Some of the most affordable skydiving in the world.

Asia

• Low cost: Indonesia £16 ($20/€18)
• High cost: Philippines £55 ($68/€61)
• Average: £20-25 ($25-31/€22-28)
• Advantages: While the jump ticket skydive costs can be quite high cost of living is very low.

Australasia

• Low cost: Australia £13 ($16/€15)
• High cost: New Zealand £27 ($34/€30)
• Average: £18-23 ($21-29/€20-26)
• Advantages: Some of the prettiest dropzones on the planet and a high concentration compared to the population.

Africa

• Low cost: South Africa £8 ($10/€9)
• High cost: Botswana £32 ($40/€36)
• Average: £15-20 ($19-25/€17-22)
• Advantages: Cheapest jump ticket prices in the world

How expensive is skydiving as a hobby?

But to get into skydiving you’ll not just be paying jump ticket skydive costs. There are a number of other expenses you’ll need to shell out for if you want to skydive as a hobby.

The course

In order to skydive by yourself you will need to be qualified. A licensed course includes teaching, equipment rental, temporary membership fees and an approved multistage instruction programme.

Most popular is the AFF skydive course. Globally costs do vary quite a bit. But you should expect to pay between £1,000 ($1250/€1100) and £2,000 ($2500/€2200) for an accredited course. 

The licence

Until you achieve your A licence, you are considered a student. In order to do this you must complete the course and sit a written exam. You also have to demonstrate that you can land a parachute on a target 10 times. This may involve additional jump ticket skydive costs and equipment hire. 

Equipment

If you are serious about doing skydiving as a hobby you will want to invest in your own equipment. The skydive rig, is the harness, parachute system, reserve and automatic activation device. You will also need a helmet, altimeter, goggles and jumpsuit.

Skydive equipment is not an area where you want to skimp and save. A full set of kit will set you back between £2,000 ($2,500/€2,200) and £5,000 ($7,500/€5,500). Although you can usually hire all of this at the dropzone. 

Membership

To be able to jump solo in some countries, you need to purchase an annual membership of the federation or association. For example, the Australia Parachute Federation charges AU$220 a year.

So, you need to factor this into your plans to jump abroad. 

Ongoing training

Once you are qualified the training doesn’t end there. There are many different types of skydiving you might wish to get into. For example to progress towards formation skydiving with other skydivers requires additional training.

Skydive costs as a hobby?

If you want to get qualified and have your own gear you’ll probably spend around £5,000 ($7,500/€5,500). To save up try using an app like charlie as it will help keep you on track while also reducing bills and other costs.

While skydiving is relatively expensive to get into, ongoing it is not too pricey. Jump ticket skydive costs around the world are relatively low. And even it costs a lot to get started it is worth every penny.

We hope we answered ‘How expensive is skydiving as a hobby?, to your satisfaction! If you want to save some money check out our skydiving discounts.