Equipping your home gym could be as simple as assembling a sturdy chair or bench, a floor mat ($150) a full-length mirror (from $400), a couple of bottles of mineral water ($7 each) and a resistance band ($110). Alternatively you could go the professional route.
Dumbbells: Plastic range from $130/3lbs to $150/5lbs. Chrome $180/8lbs to $220/12lbs. Collapsible dumbbells $130/3lbs to $170/7lbs. Buy dumbbells with interchangeable weights to vary your workout. Increase the weight only when you can do 12 to 15 repetitions comfortably.
Dynaband: $110/light, $130/medium, $150/heavy. Compact and easy to pack when you travel, resistance bands train muscles for a fraction of the cost of weights and machines.
Exercise bikes: Tunturi E4 (100cm x 67cm), $6,800. It's popular because you exercise sitting down. But they aren't great calorie burners compared with treadmills.
Treadmills: Tunturi T3.5F (184cm-95cm [when folded] x74cm), $9,800; T60F (202cm-115cm [when folded] x94cm), $18,800. Although pricey, a treadmill can last for decades. As long as your balance is good, you can multitask by reading or watching TV while exercising.
Cross trainer: Tunturi E3 (146cm x 64cm), $4,800; E4 (same size as E3), $5,800. A popular option because it works a range of muscle groups.