Which franchise categories are cheapest to break into, and which cost the most?

Everyone quotes the franchise fee, but the number that matters is total initial investment (FDD Item 7), which bundles the fee with build-out, equipment, and working capital. I pulled it for 2,382 active franchise brands and took the MEDIAN in each category (median, not average, so a handful of mega-expensive brands don't skew it).

Typical cost to open, cheapest categories first:

Professional Services (782 brands): $66,403 to $124,020

Education & Arts (31 brands): $68,500 to $76,500

Pet Services (20 brands): $78,038 to $211,775

Sports & Recreation (16 brands): $90,500 to $176,150

Home Services (93 brands): $101,857 to $170,555

Health & Fitness (404 brands): $119,393 to $237,700

Retail (86 brands): $137,833 to $259,850

Auto & Travel (79 brands): $165,400 to $469,950

Entertainment & Recreation (8 brands): $167,500 to $361,350

Food & Beverage (720 brands): $181,500 to $456,750

Lodging & Leisure (143 brands): $6,077,894 to $12,477,789

Across all 2,382 brands, the median franchise costs $100,100 to $204,525 to open. The cheapest category to break into is Professional Services (median $66,403); the priciest is Lodging & Leisure (median $6,077,894).

Source: 2,382 Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) via Franchise Fast Track.