11 Most Expensive Hobbies In the World

Everyone has a hobby, but a number of hobbies are clearly more expensive than any others, like the 11 Most Expensive Hobbies In the World. Hobbies can consist of everything from hair-styling to jet-skiing. Hobbies can also be cheap (cooking) or expensive (theme park hopping).

In most cases, hobbies are never expensive right off. But when it becomes more than just an occasional pastime, the cost can start racking up. For instance, if you wanted to go mini-golfing one day with a group of friends, it costs an average of $8 per adult. But if you decided you really liked golf and wanted to continue pursuing it often, then you would need to buy equipment, and pay to play or join a club. This comes to a total of at least $100,000, not to mention competitions. (More about the cost of golf later.)

As another example, racing matchbox cars is one thing, but racing speedboats is another. Check out how steep the 11 Most Expensive Speedboats In the World can get.

So, if you’re looking for something to do on a rainy day and you don’t have thousands of dollars in pocket change, you’d best steer away from the 11 Most Expensive Hobbies In the World.

 

11. Philanthropy

Good thing this one is at the bottom of the list, since giving to charities makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Experts say the annual American donates 3-5% of their annual gross income to charities. Warren Buffet, on the other hand, donated 85% of his annual income to Bill Gates, with the philosophy of giving to those he trusts who will live longer than him.

 

10. Investing

Much like gambling, the money poured into investments may come back to you, but it also may not. Money Beat says 48% of percent of Americans have some money invested in stocks, and stock prices for S&P Companies begin around $50 a share.

 

9. Traveling (or any other hobby that involves it such as mountain climbing, photography, geocaching, storm chasing, and many others)

We all know how outrageous airline tickets can be, not to mention food, lodging, transportation, and other expenses.

 

8. Racing

Like collecting, it depends on what you’re racing. Among some of the most expensive are cars, boats, horses, and, believe it or not, camels? (Camel racing is a relatively common sport in India and Saudi Arabia.)

 

7. Flying/Aviation

Flying lessons also seem exciting, but after factoring in books and materials, ground instruction and briefings, flight instruction, equipment and aircraft rental, a Private Pilot Course can cost a minimum of $5,000. Even a simple helicopter flight can range from $200-$750.

6. Diving

Your sky diving experience might serve as a great conversation starter, but definitely one of the 11 Most Expensive Hobbies in the World. One tandem jump costs $150-$250 (and lasts under a minute). Certification in this sport is $1,500. And if you want your own equipment, a good parachute may cost $5,000.

Scuba diving is even worse. Bloomberg calculates $2,000 for equipment, $200 for an online learning course, $200 per private lesson, $275 per open water dive, $200 for a good underwater camera (which you’re likely to want), and the rest for possible accident costs, totaling around $10,000 just to get started in the sport.

5. Ballroom Dancing

Lessons are usually $60-$200 per hour, dresses and costumes can easily reach into the thousands, and competition costs start at $1,500 and reach up to $15,000 for cross country competitions.

4. Golf

As said above, this doesn’t have to be expensive, but if you join country clubs (up to $100,000 total, calculating initiation fees, monthly fees, and food and drink), buy expensive equipment (anywhere from $150 to $1000), and participate in competitions and tours ($750-$1,000), it’s almost as bad as gambling your life away.

3. Gambling (high stakes poker and black jack)

It might seem oxymoron to say that gambling is an expensive hobby. But if you’re serious, you might want to go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City, which will add traveling costs to initial gambling costs. Most people drink and eat out while gambling, which also adds to its cost. The average American puts $400 into gambling yearly. In 2010, casinos earned a gross income of $125 billion, if that tells you anything.

2. Collecting items

Collecting items can be extremely expensive as well, depending on what item that is. Collectibles (like John F. Kennedy’s signature– $38,837) and classic cars (worth more than $100,000) are among the most expensive items to collect with art, guns, boats and antiques right behind.

1. Owning a sports team

Owning a sports team is quite possibly the most expensive hobby in the world. It can cost millions to billions of dollars to purchase, depending on the team. Of course, a little of that money might come back to you if you buy a good team. The National Football League (NFL) is said to make the most money, with Major League Baseball (MLB) second, followed bythe National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL). But this kind of hobby is pretty much unattainable for the average citizen.

So on rainy days, grabbing a good book or calling up a friend would prove much more economical than any of the 11 Most Expensive Hobbies In the World. Now you know for sure.