One of the questions we get asked more than any other is:
“How much does it actually cost to live on a boat and cruise full-time?”
The honest answer is… it depends.
One of the best parts about this lifestyle is that you have a surprising amount of control over your monthly expenses. You can live very frugally if you want to—or you can choose more comfort and convenience when it fits your life and work.
In this post, I’ll walk you through what our real monthly costs look like, and how they change depending on whether we’re living more simply or a little more comfortably.
For reference, this is based on our life aboard as a family, working remotely while cruising full-time.
Anchoring vs. Marinas
One of the biggest budget variables for any liveaboard is whether you mostly anchor or mostly stay in marinas.
Anchoring is obviously the cheapest option. It’s also one of the most beautiful parts of cruising. There is nothing quite like waking up at anchor, making coffee, and watching the sunrise while dolphins or manatees swim past the boat. Those moments are hard to put a price on.
That said, anchoring comes with real challenges. You have to be more self-sufficient, especially when it comes to power, water, and getting to shore. You need a reliable dinghy, you need to think ahead about storms, and you need to be comfortable managing your systems without shore power.
For us, the biggest factor is work. We both work remotely, and while we technically can make it work at anchor, it’s simply less stressful to have consistent shore power when we’re working full days online.
Because of that, we tend to stay in marinas most of the time when we’re stationary, and anchor primarily while traveling between destinations.
Our marina costs usually fall between $600 and $1,000 per month, depending heavily on location. We’ve found that prices generally drop as you move north, and climb quickly the closer you get to South Florida.
Of course, if you choose to anchor full-time, this category can easily be close to zero.
Estimated cost:
$0 – $1,000 per month
Boat Insurance
Insurance costs vary widely depending on your boat, your cruising area, and your provider.
Our current policy covers the entire U.S. and parts of the Caribbean, which is important for the way we travel.
Our cost:
$155 per month
Internet on Board (Starlink)
Reliable internet is non-negotiable for us. Because we work remotely, we need to be able to connect almost anywhere we go.
We chose Starlink specifically because of its marine coverage and flexibility.
So far, our experience has been excellent. We’ve had strong, fast service even in very remote locations, and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by how reliable it has been. We even discovered—by accident during a snowstorm—that the system can heat itself to prevent weather-related interruptions.
What we really love, though, is the ability to switch plans instantly through the app.
When we’re staying in one place on land or near shore, we use the basic service, which costs about $50 per month. When we’re actively traveling or crossing offshore, we upgrade to the highest plan at $250 per month for peace of mind.
The switch is immediate—even if you’re currently in an area where the lower plan doesn’t work. That flexibility has saved us more than once.
The biggest downside is the upfront cost and installation. But for us, it has absolutely been worth it. To check it out on Amazon, just click the image below. In honor of total transparency, I receive a small commission if you purchase through this link.
Estimated cost:
$50 – $250 per month
Phones and Hotspots
We also carry a premium phone plan with international coverage and mobile hotspots on all of our phones.
This allows us to work from shore when needed—whether that’s a coffee shop, park, library, or anywhere else we can get signal.
This is another category where you could easily spend much less if you don’t need global coverage, multiple lines, or hotspots.
Our cost:
$285 per month
Boat Maintenance and Repairs
A common rule of thumb in the boating world is to budget about 10% of your boat’s value each year for maintenance and repairs.
In real life, this doesn’t come out evenly month to month.
Some months we spend almost nothing. Other months, a single repair wipes out several months of budget at once. But over time, that 10% estimate has been surprisingly accurate for us.
For our boat, that works out to an average of about $740 per month.
Whether you do most of your own work or hire professionals will also make a huge difference. Labor can easily cost five to ten times more than the parts themselves.
Estimated cost:
$740 per month (on average)
Provisions (Groceries & Household Supplies)
This category depends heavily on family size, location, and eating habits.
For our family, we typically spend about $800 per month on food and basic household supplies.
Prices do fluctuate depending on where we are cruising and how often we’re provisioning in tourist areas.
Our cost:
$800 per month
Fuel
Fuel is another variable expense.
Some months, we sail almost everywhere and spend very little. Other months, bad wind or tighter schedules mean more motoring.
For us, this usually falls somewhere between $0 and $200 per month.
Estimated cost:
$0 – $200 per month
Laundry
We use laundromats about every one to two weeks.
On average, one load (wash and dry) costs around $9. If we run four loads in a month, that puts us at about $36 per month.
Some cruisers wash by hand or have compact washers on board, which can lower this expense even more.
Our cost:
$36 per month
Transportation, Grocery Delivery, and Ubers
When we moved aboard full-time, we sold our truck. It didn’t make sense to keep paying for a vehicle that we almost never used.
Instead, we rely on walking, public dinghy docks, grocery delivery, and rideshares.
When we’re anchored, we usually dinghy to shore and then walk if the store is close enough. If it isn’t, we use Uber or delivery services.
Between delivery fees and rides, this typically costs us about $80 to $100 per month. Which I must say, this is much cheaper than a car payment.
Estimated cost:
$80 – $100 per month
Entertainment and Activities
One of the beautiful parts of cruising is how much free entertainment is built into daily life.
We’ve spent entire days exploring deserted islands in the Bahamas without seeing another person. Along the U.S. East Coast, we’ve found plenty of free museums, historic towns, and public attractions.
That said, we still enjoy going out to eat occasionally, shopping locally, and visiting paid attractions from time to time.
On average, we spend about $200 per month on entertainment and activities.
Our cost:
$200 per month
So… What Does It All Add Up To?
Here’s what our real numbers look like when everything is added together.
Living more frugally
(anchoring more, lower service plans, fewer extras)
≈ $2,146 per month
Living more comfortably
(more marina time, higher internet plan, more convenience)
≈ $3,766 per month
Final Thoughts
The biggest takeaway I want to share is this:
Full-time cruising does not have one fixed price.
You can design this lifestyle around your budget, your work situation, and your priorities. Whether you’re aiming to live as simply as possible or prefer a little more comfort and stability, there is plenty of flexibility in how you structure your monthly costs.
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