What Kids' Activities Cost in 2026: Swimming, Dance and Soccer Prices in Five Capitals

A weekly group swimming lesson for a school-age child costs a median $25 in 2026, a weekly dance class $22, and a season of club soccer for an under-10 anywhere from $215 to $963. We read 43 current prices straight from providers' own websites in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, and put each one in the same unit so they can be compared.

The finding that matters most for a family budget: the provider you choose changes the price far more than the city you live in. The median swimming lesson differs by only $4.05 between the cheapest and dearest capital, but within Perth the dearest lesson we found costs 73% more than the cheapest.

Key takeaways

• Swimming: median $25 per weekly group lesson (19 providers), from $18.50 to $32.75. Most lessons are 30 minutes, so that is about $50 an hour of pool time.
• Dance: median $22 per weekly class (16 studios), from $16.11 to $29.07.
• Junior soccer: $215 to $963 for a full club season, association fees included (8 clubs).
• A year of weekly swimming lessons costs about $1,000 at the median price; a year of weekly dance, about $880.
• A whole season of club soccer costs the same as 9 to 39 swimming lessons.
• The cheapest lessons we found were at council pools; the dearest, at private swim schools.

How much do swimming lessons cost?

A median $25 per lesson, and the five capitals sit within $4.05 of each other. Adelaide's median was highest at $26.90 and Perth's lowest at $22.85 — but each city's own range is much wider than that gap.

The two cheapest lessons were at council-run pools in Perth: Armadale ($18.50) and Bayswater ($18.70). The three dearest were at private swim schools — Carlile at Ryde ($32.75) and Wavell Heights ($32.25), and Aquanat's warm-water pool ($32). Price differences usually reflect class size, pool temperature and the level being taught; the price page says which.

A year of weekly lessons at the median price is about $1,000 — four 10-week terms at $25 a lesson. Many children swim all year, so this is one of the biggest recurring activity costs a family carries.

How much do dance classes cost?

A median $22 for a weekly class of 45 to 60 minutes, from $16.11 at Dianne Jackson Theatre Dance in Adelaide to $29.07 at Just For Fun The Dance Company in Adelaide in Term 4.

Two things change what dance really costs:

• Term length. Several studios charge the same fee every term, however many weeks it runs. A short Term 4 makes each class dearer: Just For Fun's $203.50 term fee, which includes costumes, is $29.07 a class over Term 4's seven weeks.
• Extras. Yearly registration ($40 to $55 at the studios above), costumes and end-of-year concert levies are billed on top at many studios. The What the price covers column lists the ones each studio publishes.

How much does junior soccer cost?

$215 to $963 for a season of club soccer for a child around Under 10, with the state and national football association fees included. We counted only clubs that publish a total including those fees, so the figures are comparable.

Read the fee page carefully before you compare clubs. Of the 21 club prices we checked, 13 could not be compared like for like: the club fee left out association fees, the page did not say whether they were included, the club had already moved to 2027 fees, or the package bundled professional coaching. Uniforms are often extra — a new playing kit at West Adelaide is $360.

What does a year of activities add up to?

One weekly swimming lesson and one weekly dance class for a year cost about $1,880 together at median prices. Add a season of club soccer and a single child's three activities can pass $2,000.

These are activity fees only. They leave out uniforms, costumes, registration fees and the cost of getting there.

How can you pay less?

• Use your state's activity voucher. Most states help with sport and activity fees for eligible children; what each program covers differs — see kids' activity vouchers by state.
• Start with the council pool. The cheapest swimming lessons we found were council-run.
• Ask about sibling and multi-class discounts. Most of the dance studios and several swim schools above publish them.
• Compare the all-in season fee for soccer, not the headline club fee.

Our guide to the cost of kids' sport in Australia covers the wider research on what families spend, and you can find providers near you on our kids' activities pages.

How we collected the prices

• Where: metropolitan Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. We started with providers listed in the AroundSchools directory and added others where too few listed providers publish a price; 12 of the 43 are listed with us.
• When: every price was read on the provider's own website, price page or fee document in October 2026. No price comes from a comparison site or a search snippet.
• Units: swimming as the price of one weekly group lesson for a school-age child; dance as the price of one weekly class of 45 to 60 minutes for a primary-school child — the studio's published per-class price, or its Term 4 2026 fee divided by that term's classes; soccer as the full 2026 season fee for a child around Under 9 to Under 11, including state and national association fees.
• Left out: 20 prices we read but could not compare — club fees without association fees, 2027 prices, per-term prices with no class count, a from price, a possible last-year rate, a price with no confirmed age group, a package that bundles professional coaching and a term fee listed under a combined-class special.
• Medians: the median of the prices in each group. With three to five providers per city, a city median describes those providers, not the whole market.

Limitations

• Small samples. Three to five providers per activity per city. Treat city medians as a guide, not a price index.
• Prices change. Three of the council pools here reset their fees on 1 July 2026, and many providers change prices in January. Several soccer clubs already show 2027 fees.
• Like for like is never perfect. Class sizes, lesson lengths and what is included differ; the price page linked in each row says what you get.
• Hobart, Canberra and Darwin are not covered because too few providers there publish prices online.

To cite this: "AroundSchools, What Kids' Activities Cost in 2026, 43 prices read from providers' own websites in October 2026." Please link to this page.

Frequently asked questions

How much are kids' swimming lessons in Australia in 2026?

Among 19 providers in five capitals, a weekly group lesson for a school-age child cost a median $25, from $18.50 to $32.75. Most lessons are 30 minutes.

How much do kids' dance classes cost?

A weekly class of 45 to 60 minutes cost a median $22 across 16 studios, from $16.11 to $29.07. Many studios also charge a yearly registration fee and costume or concert fees.

How much does junior soccer registration cost?

For a child around Under 10, a full club season with association fees included cost $215 to $963 at the eight clubs that publish a comparable total.

Which city has the cheapest kids' activities?

The differences between cities are small. For swimming, the median lesson ranged from $22.85 in Perth to $26.90 in Adelaide. The provider matters more than the city.

Can I use a voucher for swimming or dance?

It depends on the state — each program sets its own rules about which activities it covers. Our voucher guide lists them.

Related reading

• Kids' activity vouchers by state
• The cost of kids' sport in Australia
• Junior soccer in New South Wales
• Summer swimming programs for kids

Prices as published by each provider, read October 2026.