Ever wondered how much it costs to live on a sailboat full-time? In this post, we break down the real expenses of life aboard, from marina fees and boat maintenance to provisioning, insurance, and unexpected costs.

⚓ What You’ll Learn in this post:
✅ Our monthly and annual liveaboard costs – no fluff, just real numbers!
✅ A framework to calculate your own sailing budget based on your lifestyle
✅ The biggest hidden costs that catch new liveaboards off guard
✅ How to save money while still enjoying the cruising lifestyle

Living on a sailboat isn’t always cheap, but it can be affordable with the right planning. Whether you’re dreaming of a budget-friendly sailing adventure or planning a luxurious liveaboard experience, this guide will help you estimate your costs and prepare for life at sea.

✅ Boat Purchase:

We bought a brand new boat, a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 410, non-VAT paid as it’s Australian registered and we are not EU citizens or residents.

The cost of the boat, plus electronics, extra sails (Code 0, Spinnaker, and staysail), dinghy, commissioning, solar arch and panels and LiFePo batteries and other general improvements comes to around $520k AUD.

✅ Boat Maintenance:

We categorise maintenance into the following sub-categories, with what we spent in the last year:

  • Engine – $1,800 – Service + parts for self service
  • Dinghy – $86 (Gel coat repair)
  • Sail – $0
  • Hull/Deck – $13
  • Electrical – $459 (PCB for wind instrument)
  • Interior – $820 (Fridge repair)
  • Systems – $58
  • Total – $3,256*

Note: Because our boat is new we do get some things fixed under warranty. E.g. work to swap the engine mounts, cutlass bearing replacement, portlights that had corroded.

When you have a new boat, you have very little maintenance, and our warranty is for 7 years for the hull and deck and 5 years for everything else.

✅ Boat Operations:

We categorise operations into the following sub-categories, with what we spent in the last year:

  • Equipment – $260
  • Fees – $676 (Corinth canal + agent fees for Greece etc)
  • Insurance – $4,200 (To sail in the Med)
  • Deisel – $1,650 (approx. 300 hrs)
  • LPG – $250 (Price can change a lot. Monastir about $10 – Italy up to $68)
  • Petrol – $250
  • Marina’s Summer – $400 (Three nights at a Marina and three nights on a paid town quay)
  • Marina Winter – $3,150 (Yearly contract but only spent 6 months)
  • Moorings – $0
  • Sailing Subs – $116
  • Total: $10,702

✅ Boat Improvements:

We categorise improvements into the following sub-categories, with what we spent in the last year:

  • Dinghy – $0
  • Electrical – $2,620
  • Engine – $0
  • Hull/Deck – $3,551
  • Interior – $407 (e.g. Air Fryer)
  • Miscellaneous – $579
  • Sails – $0
  • Systems – $3,251 (mostly Water Maker)
  • Total – $10,408

✅ Entertainment:

Minor costs. Netflix, Spotify, etc $504 per year.

✅ Medical:

We categorise Medical into the following sub-categories with what we spent in the last year:

  • Dentist $700 – major dental work including crowns and a bridge
  • Doctor $70
  • Physio $110
  • Health Insurance (Travel Insurance TopSail Yachtsman Insurance) $2,679
  • Medications $25
  • Optical $280 (online purchase of spectacles)
  • Total $ 3,864

✅ Living:

We categorise Living into the following sub-categories, with what we spent per month in winter and summer, and the total for the last year:

We will give you a total of what we spent and a monthly average for both summer and winter as our spending pattern is  quite different. I think that summer is a good guide but winter you will need to decide what fits best. For us Tunisia has been a cheap winter base and we have been able to make more purchases and go out more because it’s quite cheap.  When we spend winter in Cartagena next year then I think it will be more like our summer activities.

Category Summer Winter Annual
Bank Fees $17 $24 $246
Charity $4 $130 $804
Eating Out $326 $220 $3,276
Groceries $958 $472 $8,580
Haberdashery $29 $44 $438
Household $178 $230 $2,448
Laundry $23 $22 $270
Online Subs $10 $10 $120
Transport $18 $81 $594
Personal $119 $398 $3,102
Total

 

 $1,682 $1,631 $19,878*

 

✅ Travel:

We categorise Travel into the following sub-categories, with what we spent in the last year:

  • Car Hire – $0
  • Flights $6,040
  • Accommodation $2,544
  • Attractions $190
  • Misc Travel $272 (Airport transfers)
  • Total $9,046

For us, flights are a big cost if we want to go home to Australia from Europe. If you go and see the big things, then you can spend a lot of money on attractions, e.g., Turkey. However, in the regional areas, things are very cheap and often free. This really depends on how you want to travel, and I would recommend that you budget these out specifically to your plans.

 

✅ Internet & Communications:

Staying connected at sea means paying for Starlink, local SIM cards, or international data plans.

  • Starlink is $136/month
  • Local Sims is about $40/month
  • Total: $2,112

 

Grand Total        $59,750*

*Some totals have been corrected from what was presented in the video.

The Grand Total does not include our business expenses and income for Sailing Helios, such as cameras and software subscriptions.

  1. Discussion – What Drives Costs Up or Down?

There are several things that affect your costs

💡 1. Boat Size & Complexity:

  • A larger boat means more maintenance, higher marina fees, and more expensive insurance.
  • Systems complexity plays a role too—do you have a watermaker, electric winches, or a high-end nav system?

💡 2. Anchoring vs. Marina Life:

  • If you anchor most of the time, your costs will be significantly lower. But in some places, marinas are almost mandatory. So this will very much depend on your cruising area.

💡 3. Sailing vs. Motoring:

  • Fuel can be a major cost factor—if you’re motoring a lot, especially on long passages, you’ll be spending more.

💡 4. DIY vs. Paying for Services:

  • You’ll save a lot of money if you can do your own maintenance. Paying a marine electrician or mechanic adds up fast. Jude is especially good at doing all of the canvas work on Helios.

💡 5. Cruising Region:

  • The Med is generally more expensive than Southeast Asia or the Caribbean, but there are budget-friendly options everywhere.

💡 6. Lifestyle & Comfort Choices:

  • Are you a minimalist sailor or someone who loves luxury? Your spending will reflect that.