We are in month three of living on our sailboat. Here are a breakdown of the costs of living averaged so far for our time on the boat.
- Average monthly diesel cost: $80
- Average propane cost: $25
- Average Food Cost: $400
- Eating/Drinking out: $125
- Mooring/Dinghy Fees: $125
- Cell/Internet Bill: $200 (ughh)
- Health Insurance: $225
- Life Insurance: $100
TOTAL: $1280
This doesn’t include repair or improvement costs to the boat, which has been pretty high as we adapt to the cruising life. For instance, we installed a wind generator which cost approximately $800, but it cuts down on our diesel use and lowers the long term maintenance costs to the diesel (significant). I had to replumb and rework the fuel system, but it is a one time (hopefully) job to improve the reliability of the diesel. Then there are the other quality of life improvements- a new dining/coffee table, adding a 2kw inverter to run power tools and computers, changing out lights for lower electrical consumption.
A breakdown of the individual costs:
Diesel Fuel: We intentionally try to limit our fuel needs to diesel and propane. In addition to the extra storage and mess, it also adds another level of maintenance to keep up a gas engine- much more so than a diesel. Another note, when we left St. Simons Island it was cold and we motored the ENTIRE first 2 months down the ICW- which is slow and tedious. We topped up the diesel in St. Augustine and it cost us about $90 in fuel. We just topped off the diesel in Stuart and it was a little cheaper and we used a little less at just under $80 in diesel. With the addition of the wind generator in St. Augustine, we have been able to defer running the engine to recharge the batteries significantly. Since we are sailing offshore more now and skipping the ICW, our running time will also drop significantly. I wouldn’t be surprised if we cut our diesel costs by almost half next month.
Propane: We use about a tank every month. We only use the propane for the stove. We haven’t hooked up the grill yet, so it may increase as the weather gets warmer.
Food Cost: Our single biggest expense. But, truth be known, we have also been stockpiling canned food. We could eat out of the pantry for about a month before we ran out of food (boy would I be tired of beans and pasta, though!). We have dramatically cut back on the amount of meat we eat since being on the boat. It’s expensive and it just doesn’t last that long.
Eating/Drinking Out: Hey- You gotta have a little fun or it wouldn’t be worth doing.
Mooring/Dinghy Fees: A lot of places there’s a charge to land your dinghy and use the facilities. IN Stuart, we moored the boat so we could leave it unattended and visit Hil’s family inland. We try to anchor out most of the time. It’s free and normally pretty quiet.
Cell/Internet: Ughhhh! We have verizon and we have a cell phone and the wireless broadband USB for internet (which works very well). We hardly use the phone and never use up our broadband limits, but I can’t get the bill below about $150 per month no matter what I do. I’m pretty sure, Verizon has screwed up our bill this month, but I’m looking for ways to get this cost down.
Health Insurance: Pretty much catastrophic at it is…I would cancel, but we live in America where everyone has to pay big bucks for health care.
Life Insurance: This is basic term insurance. I can cut this costs. I had the private pilot rider added to my life insurance policy and we haven’t changed it since we sold the airplane. We might also cut back the coverage and try to get the costs in the $40/mo range.
In summary, without additional costs of a mortgage, car payments, multiple types of insurances, and other land based associated costs- you can get by on the ‘Lo Lo’ living on a sailboat. There’s two ways you can use this to your advantage. You can save more or work less. In our case it’s more like earn less. There’s not much work available, but I am enjoying the extra time with Hil and Emma James.
n.b.- The big trade off is time for money. Land life is more expensive certainly but it is also easier on a more fundamental level. Living on a boat is a lot more physical life. Lot’s of hauling, rowing, walking, and time spent simply moving stuff on and off the boat. Time really slows down living on a boat. That can be very rewarding, but if you’re a high adrenaline multi-tasker it could drive you nuts!
Want More Info? Like the Website? Donate a $1-2 so we can answer your questions and keep writing! .
Hi JC,
Posts like this are great! My wife and I are going to be taking up the live aboard lifestyle in the future and its great to see what the costs are. Its inspirational to know that we can do it with our limited means. And, I look forward to the physicality of it, better than sitting at a desk!
You forgot limes, cannons, cannonballs, hook hands, peg legs and eyepatches.