Average Yearly Cruising Budget

[DaveSherman]

Can anyone give me some feedback as to the monthly cost of cruising these days for a boat of 45' to 49'?

Also whether you are talking about staying in roughly one place like the Carribean or making major moves like crossing the Pacific that often cost more in terms of fuel and repairs.

Boat Expenses?
Food?
Petty Cash & entertainment?
Other optional expenses such as berthage?

Thanks
Dave Sherman

[Morganministry]

It really depends on what your life style is.

Here is a link to a blog where the family posts their monthly expenses. The family also uses this form.

Barra Navidad Photos | SV THIRD DAY

Scott

[sailorboy1]

Dave, if you do a search on the site you will see that really all you are going to get is "it depends" answers. But good luck here.

[Zanshin]

I have a 49' in the Caribbean. I don't dock but anchor out and prefer to spend mooring ball money at bars and restaurants. While the boat is only 3 years old, I do spend a lot on spares and parts and upgrades - but almost all of that has been 100% discretionary; meaning that I could have gone with spending almost nothing on the boat apart from a tank of diesel every 2-3 months. The diesel was mainly for the genset to charge up the batteries (refrigeration) and to run the watermaker.

Food costs are comparable or a bit higher than you would spend at home for groceries, so those you can easily extrapolate from your current consumption.

Clearing in & out of countries in the Caribbean is going to be the least of your costs (unless you plan on doing a lot of trips to cruise Anguilla), fuel costs will be low if you prefer to sail over using the engine, since the trades are quite reliable.

[osirissail]

All of the cost of cruising threads on numerous forums break down because everybody cannot agree on what is to be included in the cost of cruising. Keeping your land home/operation/cars/storage going along with medical/insurance costs can vary from nothing for young folks who cut off all ties to land and to a major portion of your costs should you have a complicated life. There are so many variables involved that it is like asking what the weather will be next week and wanting a "absolute-definite" answer.
- - Ignoring most all living costs not directly associated with the boat and operating the boat plus eating you get numbers split into three categories. For young healthy, footloose and fancy free cruisers a cost somewhere centering around $1K/year; for average middle income lifestyle on a average 40-45 ft boat a cost centering around $20-30K/year; and for high end lifestyle on a significantly priced boat a cost centering around $40-50K/year.
- - However, there are so many exceptions and combinations that citing a specific number is virtually meaningless as I mentioned first nobody can agree on what is to be included and excluded from the numbers.
- - As mentioned by others there are websites/blogs, etc. with other cruisers' experiences and costs of living on a boat that are very valuable to read - if your lifestyle/objectives are similar to theirs.
- - Bottomline, don't expect to significantly change the cost of living that you now have by moving onto a cruising boat and actually cruising the world. Generally, what you save by eliminating a land-based expense you spend on an additional aspect of your cruising life and home(vessel). So you end up with the much abused answer - "As much as you have . . ."

[DaveSherman]

Thanks everyone with a special thanks to Osiris!

I plan on buying a 44' to 47' boat (with two of us on board) and will have a little more than $2000 a month to spend.

I returned from a circumnavigation in 2000 with my wife and two kids. We spent about $1000 a month during the four+ years we were on the boat. So, with inflation factored in, $25,000 seems about right.

Dave Sherman
formerly aboard Rubaiyat a Stevens 47

[susan kennedy]

I must be missing something. If you already have cruised for over 4 years, and somewhat recently, why ask a question to which you already know the answer?

[barnakiel]

Depends only on your 'style' of cruising. Some will do with 200 pm pp, others will be very unhappy with 1000. Cruising often costs just as much as the land life we have (had) plus the boat expenses. We seem to drag the lifestyle behind us cruising or not. But you already know this, don't ya.

I do not think 2000 is realistic for two Californians, on a 44-47', in the Caribbean.

b.

[HHNTR111]

For six months, two of us on a 46' which will be in pretty good shape by the time we leave, 2 years from now, about 10k per month, all in. That's just living on the boat, not the shoreside stuff.

[HHNTR111]

I just re-read my post...by shore side stuff, I mean the house, storing cars, property tax. I'm thinking 10k per month, including the occasional night at a slip, dinner at a restaurant.

[DaveSherman]

YOU just re-read my post...by shore side stuff, I mean the house, storing cars, property tax. I'm thinking 10k per month, including the occasional night at a slip, dinner at a restaurant.[/QUOTE]


ME I am not asking about shore expenses- only the out of pocket for the usual kinds of cruising expenses for a "middle class cruiser."
Food, repairs, an occasional berth but not often, etc, going out to eat at restaurants that are fairly inexpensive. Sort of a middle class cruiser with a 47' boat.

I spent $1000 a month on my circumnavigation with my wife and 2 children, but that was around 10 years ago. Around how much would it be now?

Dave

[HHNTR111]

Well, Dave, it is me and my wife. We are not planning a bare bones existance, but if a slip rental for a few days is $75 per night, the nice lunch or dinner ashore about the same, reasonable rations aboard, wine at dinner, diesel every now and then, and inevitable boat repairs, I'm targeting $10,000 per month. Might be more or less, but not $2k, and not $20k.

[osirissail]

For $10K per month (120K/year) and a 46ft boat you could stay in the fanciest marina every night; have your car shipped from island to island for your use; and eat out in the fanciest gourmet restaurant every day. That is a huge amount of money.
- - Average middle class in the Caribbean is about $2K/month and $3K for a more upscale style with marinas and eating out a lot, etc. If you have a Catamaran add about an extra 50% to those numbers only because the marinas charge you from 50% to double for a slip space.
- - Anchoring out is free for mono's or cat's. But for the Caribbean circle - go with a catamaran if you plan on anchoring out a lot. Most anchorages are somewhat to quite rolly in a mono while the cat's are riding flat.

[HHNTR111]

Thanks, Osiris!!! Maybe we'll go sooner.

[limmer]

we are cruising in mexico and are getting by just fine on 2500 cdn per month. myself, wife and 2 year old boy. We stay on average in a marina 5 to 7 days per month and never miss out on a chance to go out for dinner because of money. This price includes everything, boat repairs, diesel, food, entertainment and so on.