How much does it cost to charter a yacht? [2025 guide]

Chartering a yacht, sailboat or catamaran is a dream for many people, giving the freedom to pick your own itinerary and enjoy the luxury of being on the open waves.

Yacht charter prices vary enormously, according to factors like the season, the size and type of boat you pick, and exactly where in the world you want to explore. Join us as we look at a basic yacht charter cost breakdown including example yacht charter fees for different scenarios.

How much does it cost to charter a yacht?

Luxury yacht rental prices vary enormously, depending on where you are hiring, seasonality, the size and type of the boat, and which extras you want thrown in. We’ll explore how these key factors impact the cost to rent a yacht in more detail later, including a look at different common charter options which you may consider.

First, let’s get a very broad overview of the types of price you might pay to charter a sailing boat, catamaran or motor yacht.

These figures are extremely broad as they reflect averages across many different charter locations and types - but they can give you a quick idea of the types of costs you’re expecting:

	Average weekly hire: Under 80 ft	Average weekly hire: Over 80 ft
Sailing boat	10,000 USD - 20,000 USD	20,000 USD + For the largest boats, 150ft+, expect costs of 100,000 USD to 200,000 USD
Catamaran	10,000 USD - 50,000 USD	40,000 USD to 100,000 USD
Motor yacht	20,000 USD - 25,000 USD	35,000 USD + For the largest boats, 150ft+, expect costs of 150,000 USD to 500,000 USD

We’ll explore the way different factors impact the costs of hiring a yacht more later - but to give a couple of more concrete examples:

• Bareboat charters of a 60 ft sailboat in the British Virgin Isles starts from about 12,000 EUR (about 13,000 USD) a week, while a week on a motor yacht of the same size could rise to 30,000 EUR¹ (about 32,000 USD)

• Bareboat charters in Greece in low season can be as little as 1,500 EUR (about 1,600 USD) a week, but would rise to more like 20,000 EUR weekly in peak periods² (about 22,000 USD)

As we’ve seen, the range of prices to charter a yacht is very broad. Let’s look at what factors matter, so you can assess your options when it comes to luxury yacht hire.

What factors affect the cost of chartering a yacht?

Yacht charter prices can range from a few thousand dollars a week, through to closer to half a million or more, depending on exactly what you pick.

Chartering a boat or catamaran is an amazing experience, but unless you have a huge budget, you’ll need to look carefully at the different available yacht charter fees based on your personal preferences before you pick your perfect break.

Here are some of the most important factors that affect the cost of chartering a yacht or other boat.

Yacht type

A key driver of the cost to rent a yacht is the type of boat you prefer. You’ll usually be offered a motor yacht, sailboat or catamaran, which come in different sizes to accommodate the needs of different groups.

Generally boats are liveaboard, so the costs of your accommodation is included in the cost of chartering your yacht - but as we'll explore later, there are additional fees to think about, including crewing and provisions.

As a general rule, a motor yacht is going to cost you more than a sailboat or catamaran - and catamarans are likely to be available in only small to mid range sizes. If you’re looking to cater for a very big group you may prefer to look at sailboats and motor yachts instead.

Size

Luxury yacht rental prices also depend on the size of the craft you pick. Smaller crafts - under 50 ft for a catamaran or 80 ft for a sailboat or motor yacht - will naturally be cheaper than the largest of boats. The very biggest options out there can be over 150 ft in size, and accommodate far more people compared to a smaller craft. These mega yachts can include multiple decks and may suit 20 - 100 passengers.

The availability of different boat types may depend on where you’re planning on taking your vacation - as you might expect, there aren’t that many mega yachts for hire on the open market, but smaller craft are fairly common in some areas such as the caribbean and the mediterranean, which drives more competitive pricing.

Location and season

The final important factor in yacht charter prices is location - and connected to that, season. You might want to hire a yacht relatively close to home, around the Florida Keys, British Virgin Islands or Bahamas for example, or you might be considering flying to Europe to charter your boat. Popular European destinations include the Greek Islands, the French Riviera and Sicily.

Because you can hire your yacht in many different locations, it’s important to check the seasonality of your destination. In Europe, for example, fall and winter will be the off season.

During this time some operators will not offer boats for hire, while others will continue to be available with lower prices - and a higher risk of your trip being curtailed by inclement weather. Weigh up the costs and risks of both high, low and shoulder season hires to see which suits you best.

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Types of yacht charters

As we’ve mentioned, the costs of hiring a yacht can vary depending on the services you need. Here’s a basic yacht charter cost breakdown based on different hire categories.

Bareboat charters

The cheapest yacht charter prices you find are likely to be bareboat. This means you’re paying for use of the boat only - no crew will be provided, and no provisions are included. This is only an option if you and your group can sail the specific boat type, or if you can provide your own crew.

Crewed charters

Crewed charters come with a crew to do the hard work of sailing the boat. However, there are other costs to pay such as food, drink, fuel, dockage and taxes.

All-Inclusive charters

As it sounds, in an all-inclusive charter, you pay an upfront fee for pretty much everything including food and drink and fuel. However, other costs might still arise depending on your itinerary, such as dockage costs based on where you stop.

What's included in the charter price?

Yacht charter prices can be split out into a few different categories:

Base charter fee

Yacht charter fees will always include a base charter fee, although this might be rolled up into another package - such as an all-inclusive package if you pick one.

Advanced Provisioning Allowance (APA)

The APA is paid to offset the additional costs of your trip over and above the charter fee. These include costs for food, fuel, dockage and so on.

If your charter includes an APA, this may be around 35% of the cost of the base charter fee. This is paid to the captain upfront and used throughout your charter - if you run out, you may need to pay more.

Taxes and value added tax (VAT)

The need to pay taxes such as VAT and port tax varies a lot depending on your destination. Some ports do not have additional taxes, but the tax can rise to over 20% in some locations.

Additional costs

Once you’ve calculated the costs of your specific charter package, be sure to also think about other incidental expenses.

For example, you may need to pay for insurance, or a delivery fee if you’re hiring a boat outside of its normal location. You may also need to replenish your APA amount if the advance you’ve paid is used up prior to your charter ending.

Top yacht charter destinations

Not sure where to start your research into hiring a luxury yacht? Here are some popular locations where there are options to charter boats of different sizes:

Mediterranean

• French Riviera

• Greece and the Ionian Islands

• Montenegro and surrounding area

• Amalfi Coast

Caribbean

• British Virgin islands

• US Virgin islands

• Bahamas

• Barbados

Other popular destinations

• New England

• Indonesia

• Maldives

• Seychelles

How to save money on yacht charters?

Yacht charters are not cheap. The best way to ensure you get great value for money is to shop around. As we've explored, the costs of chartering a yacht vary enormously, based on the size and type of boat, the location and the time of year.

You may find that you can get a lower cost by flying somewhere in Europe to meet your boat, for example, even though that means paying for a long haul flight. You may also want to rent your yacht either off season or in the shoulder seasons either side of peak times, based on the specific location.

Is it cheaper to rent a yacht off-season?

Yes. It’s usually cheaper to rent a yacht off season. However, you may find that availability is more limited as some operators simply shut up shop out of season.

It’s also important to note that you may find your options are limited due to inclement weather - check your operator’s policy if your trip needs to be cut short or if you fail to get out of port at all.

How much should you tip the crew on a yacht charter?

If you’ve been looked after by a crew during your yacht charter, giving a gratuity to the captain before you leave is expected. This is usually 15% - 25% of the charter cost, which needs to be built into your budget as you plan.

If you’re dreaming of a vacation on the water, this guide to yacht charter prices gives you a starting point. Enjoy researching the different locations and boat types that might suit your needs, and get ready for the trip of a lifetime.

Sources:

1. Your Boat Holiday - BVI charter cost
2. Ionian Charter - price list

Sources checked on 11.07.2024