Subway franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Subway franchise takes $238,623 – $536,745 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $15,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 8% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 5%. To qualify, Subway asks for $30,000 in liquid cash and a $80,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Subway's current disclosure (2026 FDD summaries) lists the same $15,000 franchise fee and a flat 8% royalty shown above, with a 4.5% advertising fee; published traditional-store build-out ranges (~$263,000–$630,000) sit slightly above our dataset snapshot's filed range.
Subway publishes no Item 19 earnings claim, and the audited unit history above shows a multi-year decline in US store count — weigh the closure trend alongside the low entry price.
Editorially reviewed 2026-07-07 (APEX editorial lane) — sources: peersense.com · qsr.pro · fddiq.com
Subway franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $15,000 | $15,000 | $15,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $238,623 | $536,745 | $238,623 to $536,745 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $80,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $238,623 | $536,745 | $238,623 to $536,745 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 8% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 5% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
See the full Subway cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Subway's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Subway's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $238,623 — about 16% below the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $15,000 — about 57% below the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Subway's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 23,610 units; 6,969 units opened, 9,977 closed, ending at 20,576 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Subway or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Subway for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Subway is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Subway grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Subway can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Subway franchise
Subway is a food & beverage franchisor with 20,576 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 23,610 units; its filings record 6,969 unit openings and 9,977 closures, ending at 20,576 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Doctor's Associates.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
You will sell foot-long and other sandwiches, salads and other food items from a retail store.
Subway franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Subway franchise cost?
- $238,623 – $536,745 all-in to open, per Subway's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Subway units are there?
- 20,576 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Subway's units held up?
- 82.6% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is Subway SBA-eligible?
- Subway is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.
- Is Subway a franchise?
- Yes. Subway is one of the largest franchise systems in the world, with 13,680 units on record in our data (as of 2026-05). Unlike Chick-fil-A or 7-Eleven, it is a conventional franchise: you pay the fee, fund your own build-out, and own the operating business. Weigh that ownership against the multi-year decline in US store count shown in the unit history above.