Just How Expensive / Inexpensive Is the Med ?

[barnakiel]

Med-way and eating on the cheap:

I noted many med places have great ingredients and very mediocre cooking. This is probably due to lack of interest, on the side of the locals, to experiment and include. In result, the bars and restaurants will serve either pretty bland local stuff or the 'international' stuff.

And yet, if you can find a local green/fresh market and you have some cooking skills (or are willing to develop them) then the food you will cook onboard will be way better and CHEAPER than what you get in an average med restaurant.

barnie

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Med-way and eating on the cheap:

And yet, if you can find a local green/fresh market and you have some cooking skills (or are willing to develop them) then the food you will cook onboard will be way better and CHEAPER than what you get in an average med restaurant.

barnie

Good advice Barnie...
best way to find the 'Good Supermercado's' is head away from the Front to about 4 - 5 streets back then hang a left or right and keep your eyes open for a local with carrier bags and start back tracking their tracks... or if your in a hurry and not 'shy' ask directions.
Once again.. the further from the front the kinder to your budget..
Another tip.. for along the Coast of Andalucia especially, whole swathes of the coast are covered with plastic 'green houses' for export crops.. if you go for a walk you'll find piles of 'unmarketable' produce at give away rates.. all the mishappen under export standard produce is sold in house.
Spent a 'veggie' winter in Agua Dulce in 97, a real god send...

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

The same is true in France marinas in high season will be close to 50 euros per day some cheaper some dearer

Thats the price for Turkish marinas. I can't understand how they can be so expensive in Turkey. I am expecting 50 EUR in France etc, but I thought Turkey would still be affordable.

[Roaring Girl]

Hi - we're currently at anchor in Portoferraio for free and have spent time in Spain, Portugal, Italy and France in last four years. Can't therefore compare with Greece or Turkey but we would say €50 a night for a 39' boat is expensive in May - even here in western Italy!! At the moment the darsena here would charge you €40 plus water and elec and that's a highish end in costs. Come late June to 15 September prices will rocket here though - we were caught by v adverse winds in Isola Capraia last year and paid about €55 for our 40' per night (including services).

In southern France, here in the Tuscan Islands and parts of eastern spain, including the Balearics there are many many anchorages, which are crowded but perfectly usable. (A chum can come in handy, and some anchorages are very deep.) In some places you must watch out for the mistral. Anchoring is free but provision well in somewhere 'ordinary' before reaching the islands as food here (especially fresh veg, on smaller islands) is scandalously dear.

Agree with much of the previous advice about avoiding the tourist traps etc and buying food where locals shop - but you must know all that with the miles you've done. Italy feels dear to us right now but our base currency is sterling so everywhere is feeling expensive. OTOH, we have been prepared to spend money on seeing the astonishing history and culture here - such as visiting the Vatican museums in Rome.

If you can watch the weather, be prepared to move niftily if your anchorage looks like becoming untenable and shop with a bit of common sense, you can live very cheaply.

But, and this is a big one, think v carefully about where and how you want to spend for the winter. Are you likely to want to be in a marina, or will you anchor? Do you want to be near a bigger cruising community? Will you be aboard or do you want to haul out? There is an enormous variety of costs and quality for your wintering options, and you might end up deciding your route after you've made that decision.

[Jad]

Hello,
We sail in the Med since April 2009 (Spain, including Formentera-Ibiza-Majorca-Minorca, Sardinia-Corsica-Italia, including Elba down to Calabria, Greece Ionian see). In our site you will find the description of all those places we visited and prices of marinas. Those go from less than 5€ per day in the winter at Palau (North sardinia) up to nearly 200€ in the summer in Porto Portals (Majorca).
In terms of budget, we spend at least 2500€ per month, all included ( insurances, boat repair etc). Some friends do with less, but forget restaurants, coffee shops, rent a car from time to time, etc.
Philippe
www.ovnijad.com

[Fast Forward]

Thanks again to everyone for all the useful info....