How Much Does It Cost to Train at Shaolin Temple in China?

The short answer: full-time residential training at a Shaolin kung fu school in China costs roughly US$600 to US$1,200 a month at most academies — all-inclusive of training, a room and three meals a day — with budget places nearer US$430 and premium ones up to around US$1,800. The longer you stay, the cheaper each month gets. A taster lesson on a day tour costs far less, because it is simply part of the tour price. Here is the full breakdown. Compare the day-tour options on the Shaolin Temple tours page.

What a Month Actually Costs

Most legitimate schools quote a single all-inclusive monthly fee covering training, accommodation and meals. Across the well-known academies near the temple, that lands broadly like this:

Crucially, almost every school discounts longer stays — the monthly rate typically drops by US$20 to US$40 for each additional month, and year-long commitments can fall well below half the standard rate. If you are serious, committing up front is by far the cheapest way in.

What's Included — and What Isn't

The headline fee usually covers training, a shared room and three meals a day, plus use of the school's facilities. Sitting around it are several smaller costs that catch people out:

• One-time application fee: commonly around US$100 (some schools more), paid to reserve your place.
• Airport or station pick-up: often a small flat fee from Zhengzhou.
• Insurance: a modest charge scaled to the length of your stay.
• Flights and visa: your biggest variable, entirely down to where you travel from.
• Extras: weapons, extra uniforms and personal spending money.

A Rough Example

To make it concrete: a one-month stay at a mainstream school, all-inclusive, might come to somewhere around US$850 for the month, plus a US$100 application fee, a small pick-up and insurance charge, and your flights. Three months at the same school would cost less per month than the first, thanks to the standard length discount. Always price it against the specific school's current fee sheet, since the details differ. One more thing worth checking: whether the quote is per calendar month or per set number of days, as a "month" is defined slightly differently from school to school and can shift the true cost of a short stay.

How It Compares to Training at Home

Put beside a year of gym memberships, private martial-arts classes and living costs back home, an all-inclusive month at a Shaolin school can look surprisingly reasonable — the fee bundles your training, a bed and every meal into one figure. The big variable is not the tuition but getting there: international flights to Zhengzhou are usually the largest single line in the budget. Booking flights a couple of months out and midweek keeps that cost down, and the longer you stay once you arrive, the more the airfare is spread across a low daily cost of living.

Short-Term or Long-Term?

The right length depends on your goal. A week or two is enough to taste the lifestyle, learn the basics and decide whether it is for you — though some schools set a minimum stay of around two weeks. One to three months is the sweet spot for genuine progress without upending your life, and it unlocks the first real length discounts. Six months to a year is where the per-month price drops most steeply and where deeper skill is built. Because the monthly rate falls the longer you commit, the cost per month of a long stay can be far lower than a single trial month.

Living Costs on Top

Because tuition, room and meals are bundled, day-to-day spending at the school is low — the food is included and there is little to buy on site. Your extra money mostly goes on weekend trips, snacks, laundry, any weapons or spare uniforms, and the occasional visa run. Many students find that once they have arrived and paid, a month at a Shaolin school costs less in spending money than an ordinary month at home, which is part of the appeal of a longer stay. It is also worth knowing that fees at these schools are generally fixed rather than negotiable — the published rate, plus the length discount, is the rate — so there is no haggling to do, only comparing. Carrying some cash for the arrival payment and keeping a mobile-payment app for everyday spending covers almost every situation.

How Payment Usually Works

The pattern is fairly standard across schools. You reserve your place with a one-time application fee paid in advance, sometimes followed by a small deposit to lock in a start date. The bulk of the fee — tuition, room and meals — is then paid on arrival, often in cash, in RMB or a major currency, with longer stays sometimes settled by bank transfer or mobile payment. Because so much is paid on the ground, it pays to arrive with your budget clear and confirmed in writing beforehand.

What to Verify Before You Commit

Before paying anything, get a plain breakdown that states the monthly fee and exactly what it includes, the length discount, the application fee, and any charges for pick-up, insurance, weapons or uniforms. Check the refund policy if you have to leave early — many schools do not refund but let you return later to use the balance. And confirm what the training day actually looks like, so the schedule matches what you are paying for. A transparent school will answer all of this without hesitation; vagueness on price is the clearest warning sign.

The Cheaper Alternative: A Taster on a Tour

If a month of residential training is more than you are after, a hands-on lesson bundled into a guided day is the low-cost way to try it. It is included in the tour price rather than charged separately, and it needs no application, insurance or long-term commitment. What that involves is covered in the guide to Shaolin kung fu training, and timing tips are in the best time to visit.

So: budget on roughly US$600 to US$1,200 a month for the real thing, less per month the longer you stay, or simply add a lesson to a day trip to sample it first. Compare the day options on the Shaolin Temple tours home page.