Yacht ownership costs
Annual running costs land between 8% and 15% of a yacht’s value for most private owners, and the purchase price is rarely the number that decides whether ownership works. These guides break the real budget into line items you can check against a quote.
The gap between what buyers budget and what owners pay is almost always in the same four places: berth, crew, maintenance reserve, and the first-year costs nobody quotes. A 55ft motor yacht bought at $1.2M can run anywhere from $95,000 to $220,000 a year depending on home port, whether it carries crew, and how hard the previous owner deferred maintenance.
These guides are written to be checked, not skimmed. Every cost band is tied to a size range and a region, because a Fort Lauderdale slip and a Gulf Coast slip are different businesses at the same length. Where a number is indicative rather than quoted, it says so.
Start with the total-ownership guide if you are still deciding what you can carry, or go straight to the berth guides if you already know the yacht and need to price the home port. Every guide links to the calculator that models the same numbers, so you can move from reading to a figure for your own vessel.
Want this narrowed down to your yacht?
Send a short brief and we will come back with the guides that apply and the specialists who can quote.
Berth, dockage and storage
Usually the single largest fixed line in the budget, and the one that varies most by port.
Boat Slip Cost 2026: Dock Fees by Length and Region
What a boat slip costs in 2026: $250 to $1,800 a month for 20 to 45ft, $12 to $58 per foot above 50ft, plus mooring, dry stack and Med berth rates.
Boat Lift Cost 2026: Capacity, Water Type and Install
What a boat lift costs by capacity and type, what installation and permits add, how long one lasts, and whether it pays back against slip rent.
Marina Berth Cost Guide: Slip Fees by Region 2026
What a marina berth costs in pounds and euros per metre, how winter and summer split in the Med, and what a berth quote leaves out.
Monaco Yacht Berth Cost 2026: Port Hercule Rates and Riviera Alternatives
Port Hercule berths for a 60ft yacht run €3,500-€5,500/month peak; 40m+ pay €15K-€35K. Rates by LOA, Grand Prix surcharges, cheaper Riviera bases.
Anchoring vs Marina Living Costs: Liveaboard Budget 2026
Anchoring vs marina living costs in 2026: monthly anchor budgets, liveaboard slip fees, hidden costs, Med vs US rules, and when marina wins.
Boat Storage Cost 2026: Wet Slip, Dry Stack, Winter
What boat storage costs by type and region: wet slip, dry stack, hardstand and winter lay-up, and what each one saves or adds.
Yacht Haul-Out Costs: Yard Fees by Boat Size in 2026
Yacht haul out cost by LOA in 2026: lift, blocking, pressure wash, bottom paint, Florida vs Med yard pricing, and storm-season budgeting.
Total annual running costs
Full-budget views that combine crew, fuel, insurance, maintenance and depreciation.
Cost of Owning a Boat: Full Annual Budget by Size 2026
What a boat actually costs per year at 22, 32, 45 and 60 feet: berth, insurance, fuel, servicing and the first-year spend nobody quotes.
Boat Insurance Cost 2026: What Drives the Premium
What boat insurance actually costs by hull value, state and vessel age, why the same boat is quoted twice as high one county over, and how to cut it honestly.
Boat Insurance Australia: What Cover Actually Costs
What Australian boat insurance costs by hull value and mooring type, how cyclone zones move the premium, and what agreed value means under an Australian policy.
Yacht Fuel Price per Litre 2026: Consumption & Budget
Yacht fuel price per litre at marina pumps: €1.70-€2.20/L Med, $5-$7/gal US. Consumption by LOA, annual diesel budget tables, and fuel-saving tips.
Maintenance, survey and refit
The variable half of the budget, and where deferred spending from a previous owner surfaces.
Boat Maintenance Cost 2026: Annual Budget by Length
What boat maintenance costs a year by length and age, line item by line item, and which deferred jobs a surveyor will find later.
Boat Survey Cost 2026: What a Marine Surveyor Charges
What a pre-purchase boat survey costs by length and region, what the haul-out adds, who pays for what, and how findings move the price.
Continue your research
Common questions
For most private yachts, annual running costs fall between 8% and 15% of market value. A $500,000 45ft cruiser without crew typically runs $40,000 to $70,000 a year; a $3M 75ft yacht with two permanent crew commonly runs $250,000 to $450,000. Home port, crew count and cruising hours move the number more than the purchase price does.
Below roughly 60ft without crew, berth or dockage is usually the largest fixed cost. Above 60ft with permanent crew, payroll overtakes it: crew salaries plus employer costs often account for 30% to 40% of the annual budget on a crewed yacht.
A common planning reserve is 2% to 5% of the yacht’s value per year for routine maintenance, rising toward 10% in a refit year. Older vessels and those with deferred maintenance history sit at the top of that band, which is why survey findings matter to the running budget and not only to the purchase price.
The recurring gaps are commissioning and delivery, the first haul-out and antifoul, insurance survey requirements, berth deposits and waiting-list fees, and sales or use tax that falls due after closing rather than at it. Together these commonly add 5% to 12% on top of the purchase price in year one.
No. They are indicative planning ranges compiled from broker, marina and yard sources, with the size band and region stated so you can compare like with like. GlobalYachtGuide is an independent editorial resource, not a broker. Verify every figure with the yard, marina or insurer before you commit.
Get a cost model for your yacht
Tell us the length, home port and whether you plan to carry crew. We will come back with a line-item annual budget and the specialists who can quote it.