The Cost of Cruising in the Med

[mark1882]

I know that this is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question, but in preparation for taking our boat to the Med in May for a few years, probably staying the Med April to October and back in the UK November to March we are trying to put our budget in place, so any advice on average monthly costs/budget would be greatly appreciated.

I know that the average monthly cost will greatly depend upon where we are in the Med, how often we eat ashore and how often we stay in a marina.

I am led to believe that the western Med is more expensive than the eastern Med and if that is so any advice on both would be appreciated.

As an indication of how we plan to live, lets assume that we stay in a marina 2 nights a week and eat out twice a week the rest of the time we try and anchor and go ashore with our dinghy. We plan to explore quite a bit both by sailing to lots of different places and visit places inland.

The above is probably an impossible question to answer accurately but any ball park figures/indications would be greatly appreciated and if anyone has a cost schedule that they have used to list all the various costs this would be great.

Many thanks

Mark

 

[concentrik]

.

You'll spend all you can afford to, then a bit more. The topic has been covered extensively in this parish so you'll be able to garner many opinions if you search; it's a popular discussion on the interweb too. Unless you are very determined you are likely to spend more time in marinas than you hope. One of the biggest factors is maintenance - boats are full of things which are either broken, just recently fixed or about to break - if you can do most of it yourself and you carry a boat full of spares/tools you will save yourself a considerable amount. If you have to shell out every time something fails, you'll struggle unless you have very deep pockets!

 

[RichardS]

You'll spend all you can afford to, then a bit more. The topic has been covered extensively in this parish so you'll be able to garner many opinions if you search; it's a popular discussion on the interweb too. Unless you are very determined you are likely to spend more time in marinas than you hope. One of the biggest factors is maintenance - boats are full of things which are either broken, just recently fixed or about to break - if you can do most of it yourself and you carry a boat full of spares/tools you will save yourself a considerable amount. If you have to shell out every time something fails, you'll struggle unless you have very deep pockets!

In Croatia a night in a marina can easily be the same price as dinner for four in a restaurant. concentric is right about keeping out of Croatian marinas as much as you can. Either spend the money on eating out more often (which is what we do) or eat on the boat and save wonga

Richard

 

[Just_sayin']

Based solely on our experience in 2014 I think that 5 nights at anchor each week is a bit optimistic. We always seemed to be clearing out to the nearest port due to swell or strong wind forecasts.

 

[Richard10002]

2 nights a week in a marina will not be cheap. Get a good anchor, a Honda generator, a bundle of solar power, and an alternator regulator. Coupled with a good dinghy and outboard, you will be able to anchor more, and costs will plummet. Consider a water maker, Aircon and an inboard diesel genny for more self sufficiency.

Look for a cheap marina for winter, Oct to March. Many have cheaper deals for winter.

I only got as far as Malta, but was planning on Greece and Turkey where things got cheaper, but equally sunny and fun looking.

 

[tcm]

I know that this is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question, but in preparation for taking our boat to the Med in May for a few years, probably staying the Med April to October and back in the UK November to March we are trying to put our budget in place, so any advice on average monthly costs/budget would be greatly appreciated.

I know that the average monthly cost will greatly depend upon where we are in the Med, how often we eat ashore and how often we stay in a marina.

I am led to believe that the western Med is more expensive than the eastern Med and if that is so any advice on both would be appreciated.

As an indication of how we plan to live, lets assume that we stay in a marina 2 nights a week and eat out twice a week the rest of the time we try and anchor and go ashore with our dinghy. We plan to explore quite a bit both by sailing to lots of different places and visit places inland.

The above is probably an impossible question to answer accurately but any ball park figures/indications would be greatly appreciated and if anyone has a cost schedule that they have used to list all the various costs this would be great.

Many thanks

Mark

I think that you are gonna need to become very self-reliant in lots of ways if you plan to live aboard a yacht, and those who ask "how much will it all cost?" aren't much showing that characteristic.

Big factors include ... how big is your boat? how much do you plan to travel around? what sort of restaurants? do you drink a bit or a lot? Only you can answer and factor all these issues. It'll sort-of cost whatever you spend at the moment in the uk, plus some flights and boat fixing.

 

[macd]

Unless your budget is very tight, you'll manage, because you'll have to. The process may impinge on your accustomed lifestyle more than you'd wish, but I'd hope that's one of the reasons you're heading off. Try not to stress about it. Going with the flow is much of what it's about for most of us.
Good luck and have a ball.

 

[vyv_cox]

Based on about six months cruising April to October. The most we have spent on fuel and berthing was about €1800 in France, Corsica, Sardinia, Italy. The least we have spent was €350, in Greece Aegean. We don't find food prices much different from UK wherever we go. We rarely eat out in UK but probably a couple of times per week on average in the Med. Maintenance costs vary enormously year on year, from almost nothing other than antifouling to quite a lot, such as new dinghy, stackpack and now a complete new instrument system. Other incidentals are car hire, which we do several times per season, about €30 per day in Greece.

Overwintering depends what you want. For 10.6 metres we have paid €100 per month in France plus lift and launch, about twice that in Preveza, lift and launch included, and about twice again for a full year ashore or afloat in the marina in Leros.

In much of mainland Europe (not Greece) you may struggle to find anchorages, whereas in the Balearics we anchored every night except two for three months. Plenty of anchorages in Corsica and Sardinia and of course Greece, where it can be quite difficult to pay money to berth.

 

[charles_reed]

Bill Cooper put it best the Western Med is "put there by God to see if you deserve the Eastern Med".

You'll be lucky to find many (safe, comfortable) anchorages until you've got past the heel of Italy. There are lots of reasonable anchorages in Croatian waters, but avoid their marinas. Italian marinas are the most expensive, rivalling Croatia, I found France the least unreasonable.

My experience was that cost about 2 1/2 times as much in the W & Central Med as it does in the E Med.
Unlike Vyv I find (especially the last 18 months) the Greece is quite easily the cheapest in which to feed yourself of UK, France, Italy & Finland, where I've been able to gauge food prices during the last 18 months.

Unless you can do all your maintenance yourself, expect the boat, overall to cost you the most - I get by, comfortably, in Greece, last year, spending 6 months on a 10m boat, for €5300 on boat associated costs (excluding £1900 on replacing a 15 year-old main) and €5293, on travel, food and eating out. Note I did all the boat maintenance myself and sail solo. For a greater loa boat just pro-rata and for each person allow the sum given. In the Western Med, at least double the boat costs. I spent 4 nights in marinas the rest on the hook or on town quays, last season.
There are many people who make do on less than half my costs (in the E Med) have a great time, regularly anchor year-round only buy food in markets and on the mainland. You pay and "island premium" on most islands of 20-30%, for food. those islands that are self-sufficient in foodstuffs (Lesbos & Limnos) and not overwhelmed by tourists are similarly economical - islands which are tourist overrun (Rhodos, Chios & Ionians) are pricey, comparable to UK for food and drink.

 

[daveg45]

The cost of sailing in the med can be massively cheaper than in the uk.

My experience was leaving the UK in June 2010 after spending my time anchored in the river Dart after my marina contract ended in March. I sailed across Biscay and spent one week in a Marina in La Coruna in June before sailing the Spanish Ria's. My next marina experience was not until the following October when I wintered in Partimao on the Algarve. The following summer I spent one week in a marina in Cartagena and another week in Barbate waiting for weather. I anchored in the Ibiza, and spent 2 months anchored in Pollenca in Mallorca as a base. My next marina experience was in Sicily where took a winter contract from October. Apart from winter in boat yards I have been in a Marina for maybe 8 days in total over the past 3 seasons in Greece and Turkey.

For the record I do not have a water maker or inboard generator. I do have around 190 watts of solar power and 440 h/r house battery's. I have a Honda portable generator which is very infrequently used. I carry 100 gallons of water in tanks which can last up to a month 2 up and drink bottled water which is very cheap. Stock up at the likes of Eroski supermarkets in Spain and ABB in Greece and avoid the tourist supermarkets.

I have only ever needed one anchor and the odd occasion I have dragged has been due to insufficient chain out. I have 60m chain and 30m of rope. 70m of chain would be better.


Budget UK prices for add hock marina visits and repairs.

 

[ribrage]

I know that this is a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question, but in preparation for taking our boat to the Med in May for a few years, probably staying the Med April to October and back in the UK November to March we are trying to put our budget in place, so any advice on average monthly costs/budget would be greatly appreciated.

I know that the average monthly cost will greatly depend upon where we are in the Med, how often we eat ashore and how often we stay in a marina.

I am led to believe that the western Med is more expensive than the eastern Med and if that is so any advice on both would be appreciated.

As an indication of how we plan to live, lets assume that we stay in a marina 2 nights a week and eat out twice a week the rest of the time we try and anchor and go ashore with our dinghy. We plan to explore quite a bit both by sailing to lots of different places and visit places inland.

The above is probably an impossible question to answer accurately but any ball park figures/indications would be greatly appreciated and if anyone has a cost schedule that they have used to list all the various costs this would be great.

Many thanks

Mark

mark

plenty of good advice coming your way - for us , we anchored as much as possible , there are good anchorages and then stretches of coast line with very few ( Atlantic Portugal ) we hopped along the coast as I spend enough time at sea working and have little wish to miss the towns and cities of interest, the best time to visit the cities is in the winter when the marina cost for six months is bare able

If I wound back the clock I'd spend 2 or 3 good seasons in Biscay France and Spain , it has a lot to offer ( except sun ) once around Cape St Vincent and onto the Algarve there are plenty of good anchorages, once beyond Gib and into the med we have been at anchor

we had a good summer season with few storms , un budgeted maintenance has been our biggest expense thanks to others incompetence ( now an ongoing court case ) there was a thread on here a while back when people put up copies of XL spread sheets detailing exact costs, a search should find it.

 

[duncan99210]

The OP is right in saying its a piece of string question..... But I'd endorse the general options on here that the western Med is both more expensive and lacking in places to anchor in all but the most settled of weather. In the season, this will lead to needing to use marinas more often and that will cost €50 - 70 a night in Spain, a bit less in France and double that in Italy.

Anchorages become more frequent as you go east, with the islands being the best. In addition, you can still find town quays in Italian ports where you can stay for a night or two for free, you just have to hunt for them. Fuel is all priced at the standard road going rates, so expect to pay more tha UK prices for it. Most expensive in Italy, cheaper in Spain and Greece.

We find that we spend about the same on food as we do in UK in terms of eating on board. Some things are more expensive (breakfast cereal) others cheaper (salad ingredients) so things tend to balance out. If you try to stick to a meat and two veg diet, it'll cost you more. Eat grilled meats and salads, it'll cost less. Local wines can be very drinkable and cheap but equally can be fairly horrible - hunt round to find a compromise that suits you palate and pocket.

Gas supplies can be costly in the Western Med, especially if you're using Camping Gaz -€25 in Spain and more in Italy. Cheaper in Greece as it's not Camping Gaz but locally refilled bottles at about €8 a time. In Greece you can get the smaller Calor Gas bottles refilled easily but with the cost of the locally available Gaz equivilent it probably not worth it.

Eating out is again a moveable feast. In Spain, the lunchtime menu del dia is usually about €10 a head for two or three courses including wine and coffee. The same restaurant in the evening, serving essentially the same meal will cost €25 a head. We tend to spend about €25 - 30 for two for an evening meal in Greece, less if you're content with a blow out serving of giros in the local fast food place.

All of that said, we find that for general living expenses over the past couple of summers in Greece we spend about €250 - 300 a week. That covers food, eating out once a week or so, drinks in bars, fuel, water, the occassional port fee and even more occassional car hire fee. On top of that comes the costs of keeping the boat afloat but that really is a piece of string question as we'll go for weeks with no costs the suddenly break several things, drop sometching over the side and have someone ram us during the night..... And suddenly find ourselves with a few hundred € in repairs and replacements.

The other major spend is travel to and from the UK. Last year with all sorts of family crises to manage, we spent several thousand pounds on travelling back and to. The year before, the cost was less than a thousand, as we simply didn't need to return to the UK except for a period over Christmas.

Finally, somewhere to keep the boat over the winter costs us in the region of €1500. Some places will cost more, others less but that's a good marker to plan round for a boat that's about the same size as the OP. If you need to haul out, factor that in as well but costs vary so much from place to place that it's better to look at costs locally.

Having said all of that, we know folks who have a great time on a good deal less money than we spend. I think you'll find that you adjust your spending to match your income.

 

[Tony Cross]

One point that's not been mentioned (I don't think?) is buying food. You will save a fortune (especially in the eastern Med) by avoiding buying products you know. Look for the local equivalent, you'll find them just as good and a whole lot cheaper. As an example, a tin of Heinz baked beans here in Crete is is about €1.50 whilst the local Greek baked beans (Kyknos) are around €0.75. Also ask everywhere you stop about local markets (again especially in the eastern Med) you'll find you can buy armfuls of fruit and veg for pennies. So I'd recommend that food-wise (and with other sundries) you forget the brands you know and go for the cheaper local stuff.

 

[RichardS]

One point that's not been mentioned (I don't think?) is buying food. You will save a fortune (especially in the eastern Med) by avoiding buying products you know. Look for the local equivalent, you'll find them just as good and a whole lot cheaper. As an example, a tin of Heinz baked beans here in Crete is is about €1.50 whilst the local Greek baked beans (Kyknos) are around €0.75. Also ask everywhere you stop about local markets (again especially in the eastern Med) you'll find you can buy armfuls of fruit and veg for pennies. So I'd recommend that food-wise (and with other sundries) you forget the brands you know and go for the cheaper local stuff.

Especially true of Wine of course! We buy gallons of the local white Grasevina in Croatia at a couple of quid per litre. The red is also very drinkable especially if you buy a Croatia Merlot or similar but it's twice the cost. Volume or quality?....... You decide!

Richard