How Much Does It Cost to Charter a Yacht?
As expert yacht charter agents, we get asked this question all the time: How much does it cost to charter a yacht? Truthfully, the answer is: “it depends.”
The cost of a yacht charter varies considerably based on several factors:
Type of Charter
- There are various types of charters ranging from cabin charters to bareboat to fully crewed all-inclusive. Bareboat yacht charters are generally the least expensive while fully crewed all-inclusive yacht charters are the most expensive
- Let’s Compare. You can bareboat charter for one week in April, a 2024 Sun Odyssey 440 monohull, 4 cabin/2 head monohull in the BVI for about $5500. Or you can charter an all-inclusive crewed luxury 76-foot catamaran for one week with 4 en-suite cabins and 3 crew in French Polynesia in June for $78,000. Of course, there are lots of in-between options too!
Boat
- Monohull or catamaran? Monohulls are generally less expensive.
*Note, however, that monohulls are becoming quite limited in the Caribbean and therefore prices for such are increasing.- Let’s Compare. One week bareboat in November in BVI- a Dufour 430 monohull for $5300.00 vs an Elba 45 catamaran for $11,700.00
- How many cabins? Generally, boats with fewer cabins are less expensive. How many heads? Wet head or dry head?
- Boat amenities? Additional amenities such as a bow thruster, watermaker, inverter, and generator can add to the overall cost.
- Let’s Compare. Bareboat one-week charter in Thailand. A 2019 year 40 ft cat with inverter costs $6,800 while a 2021 42 ft catamaran with generator, watermaker, air conditioning, and inverter costs $10,700.
- Boat age? How old?—older is less expensive but we generally don’t recommend boats older than 5 years old for charter. A 5-year-old charter boat is much different in terms of wear and tear than a 5-year-old private single owner/user boat.
- Let’s Compare. Same dates. Bareboat one-week charter in Grenada. A 2009 Oceanis 43 is approximately $2750 while a 2023 Sun Odyssey 440 is $5100.
Destination
- Caribbean, Pacific, Mediterranean? On average, prices tend to be slightly more expensive in the Caribbean compared to the Mediterranean.
- Let’s Compare: One week bareboat during high season on a 2022 Elba 45 catamaran in the Bahamas: $15,000 vs Croatia: $12,000
- In areas with small fleets or limited companies, prices are also more expensive.
- One must also consider local considerations such as cruising/sales tax/VAT, national park fees, and the availability and cost of services at the destination itself can also affect pricing (ex: provisioning, mooring fees, restaurant costs).
Season
- What season are you planning to charter? Each destination has its own high, low, and shoulder seasons. For example, July and August are high season in the Mediterranean while in the Caribbean, summer is low season due to the heat and holidays are high season
- Let’s Compare. One week bareboat out of central Croatia on an Oceanis 40.1. In early May, the cost is $3,000; in early August, the cost is $5,300; and in early October, the cost is $3,300.
Duration
- The length of the charter also impacts cost. While a 7-day charter is the standard, there are options. 6 nights with a sleep-aboard the night prior to common. 10 days is beneficial for longer sailing destinations. And 2 weeks allows for greater exploration and sailing. The longer the charter, the more expensive it will be.
Discounts & Specials
- Discounts are abundant in the yacht charter industry. Some companies allow you to stack discounts while others do not. Some discounts include early booking, repeater, long-term, and NauticEd rank discounts.
- Charter companies often have ‘specials.’ These can range from “First Time Charter” specials to holiday specials (Winter Savings or Black Friday, for example) or a day special (Sail 9 for the price of 7 for example).
Charter Company
- Some charter companies have better reputations than others and therefore charge more. Do you want an A+ company or are you okay with a B company? (we tend to recommend avoiding the C and below ones)
Hired Crew
- Are you doing a bareboat charter? Hiring a skipper? Instructional skipper? Perhaps a hostess or cook? Crew costs range from $1500 to $3000 for a week. Don’t forget that you’re also responsible for provisioning for the crew as well as crew gratuity.
Extras
- There are a variety of optional extras that can add to the cost. Extras to consider include water toys, damage waiver reduction, extra linens, sleep-aboard, outboard engine, early boarding, etc. Each optional extra has its own cost and can vary with charter company, destination, and/or boat selection.
Other Cost Considerations
- There are other costs to be considered as well with chartering. Most companies require you to re-fuel the boat before disembarking. You’ll also need to account for provisioning (grocery shopping) and eating ashore. Mooring and marina fees vary greatly and add to the overall cost. A mooring ball in BVI can cost approximately $50 a night while a berth in Marina Capri can be over $750 a night for a catamaran in prime season. One cannot forget airfare and any accommodations if needed. Finally, part of the fun is onshore activities; these can vary in price (ex: exploring the Baths in BVI or taking a history tour in Croatia).
Yacht chartering is highly customizable, and the final cost depends on the experience you’re looking for. As a result, the cost of chartering a yacht covers an extremely broad price range.
You can expect to pay anywhere from $3,000 per week for smaller sailing yachts to over $10,000 at a minimum for catamarans for a one-week bareboat charter. You can easily spend over $50,000 a week for a crewed catamaran in the Caribbean or Mediterranean. There are also options in the + $100,000 range for those who want a total luxury experience.
Please keep in mind that these numbers change…weekly, sometimes even daily. But they give a good ‘general’ sense of things. Have a particular budget in mind, let NauticEd help!
At NauticEd Sailing Vacations, we’re global yacht charter agents. We can find you a perfect yacht in your desired destinations within your (reasonable) budget. For most destinations, we’ve actually been there! And we can give you expert advice on each location, from how to get there, what company to use, itinerary advice, and so much more.
We don’t charge a fee for our services (note: the charter company itself pays us a professional fee (like apartment hunters) for management of the booking); you get the same price as going directly to the charter company; except with NauticEd you get personalized attention and expert recommendations.
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Your Adventure - Our Expertise
NauticEd are Yacht Charter Agents
NauticEd is your go-to resource for planning an unforgettable charter vacation, whether bareboat or captained. We don’t charge a fee – actually, we will probably save you money because of our extended search capabilities as well as our knowledge of worldwide locations (i.e., “we’ve been there”). So let us help you plan your next yacht charter vacation!
