Sometimes good deals can be found during special events and low season. Boaters often romanticize the idea of living aboard. Catamarans (boats with 2 hulls) are more stable in the water, but cost more to build, dock and maintain because there's more boat surface area. Despite the large upfront cost, living on a boat can be cheaper than living in a traditional manner. We knew that we wanted to spend about a year sailing in the Caribbean. The Cost: The monthly cost of living for a couple, including rent, starts as low as $2,000 a month. The newest addition is Isla Moin Resort & Marina on the Caribbean side filling the much needed gap of services between Costa Rica and the Panama Canal. I own a 42' sailboat and have done some cruising in North and Central American, Portugal, Spain and the Canaries, and in the Caribbean. All rights reserved. These rates include $1M liability and medical insurance. Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague. This is a brew made with tree bark, herbs, rum, red wine, and honey. A pint of domestic draught beer will cost about US$2 and a bottle of imported beer, about US$2.50. No rafting. boats.com is part of the Boats Group Network. Images courtesy of Stefan Krasowski, _dChris, 16:9clue, Larry Hoffman, Robin Queen of Travel, https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/caribbean/2016/07/07/caribbean-island-retirement/86774566/, https://internationalliving.com/5-affordable-caribbean-islands-to-live-on-and-2-to-avoid/, http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Caribbean/currency-value, http://www.mortgagecalculator.org/calcs/boat.php, http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f19/is-there-a-cost-of-marina-fees-index-for-the-caribbean-29947.html, http://www.jolly-harbour-marina.com/antigua/rates/, Revisiting The Great Northeastern Sports Roadie, Across the Rio de la Plata to the Promised Land, Toast and Toilets: It’s the little things in Japan, This Tiny Taiwanese Cat Village Just Might Hold The Blueprint to a Different Future, Why a running vacation might be the best idea ever. Ah, the marina. Boats must not be left unattended overnight. Length 50 ft. Max weight 15 tons. If you move from a 2,000-square foot house to a 45-foot boat, you may have a two-bed/two bath waterfront condo but all the closets are smaller, the cupboards are fewer and there’s no two-car garage. To them it sounds like watching endless sunsets from the flybridge, living smaller and simpler, and saving a bunch of money. If you’ve done some boating, you have probably noticed how sailors come from all different walks of life. I can definitely vouch for this. Kitting out the boat for optimum comfort. Dreaming of upping sticks and making your weekend sailor’s lifestyle a more permanent move to fairer shores…. The monthly cost of living for a couple, including rent, is $2,000 to $2,500. While the following marinas in Costa Rica are planned for the near future and pending completion: Marina El Coco on the Northwest Pacific. According to that ranking, you’ll spend 99c instead of your $1 in the Bahamas, but you’ll spend 45c in the Dominican Republic. But one expat says his weekly food costs living on Big Corn, a four-square mile island with 6,000 inhabitants, average about $30.³, Eating at local restaurants, meals and a couple of drinks range between $15 and $20, he says.³, And he spent $610 on food and drink across a 3-month period!³, On Isla Mujeres, groceries for two typically total around $600 per month, according to reports.³. But the longer you stay, the less you pay per day.⁸, And if you just HAVE to go to St. Barts, but you’re on a budget, someone recently discovered that you can moor at the marine park for around just $2.40 per person per day.⁹, Why not explore and go for something to eat at the Chez Rose, Colombier and get a daily special for ~$12?⁷, Or you could head over to Les Gros Islets at 17°54.015’N 062°51.509’W and anchor your 39 foot boat for around €7.90 (~ $10).⁷, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/centralamericaandcaribbean/8331240/St-Barts-on-a-budget.html. To make your lifestyle more sustainable, you’ll need to work wherever you go. We often referenced www.noonsite.com for immigration requirements prior to entering a new country. Airhead have some amazing ones.⁶, They’re for airheads, as well as intelligent individuals ;). Max. When I was in Anguilla, St. Barts, Guadeloupe and Martinique for a couple months a few years ago, I spent around $2,500 per month (and we’re a family of four). Nowadays, many young professionals are living on boats in order to avoid paying high rent in the city. Some might think that living on a sailboat in the caribbean is always fancy and glamorous. We did a lot of island hopping in the Windward’s and Leeward’s, from Trinidad and Venezuela in the south to the Virgins in the north. Here are a few rough numbers for a modest house. Ready to jump off land and dive into a new adventure with your family or partner and take a break with no return date? World travel, or the thought of living abroad, sounds expensive. “We especially enjoyed being anchored off … I worked on boats and engines occasionally for some cash. Ifyou write and get paid for the work all the better. Remember, living aboard may bring life’s lessons up close and personal—and that has value in and of itself. Provisioning the boat to your own tastes is of course essential, but you don’t need to go crazy on organic food and other luxuries if that’s not your thing. Time on English-speaking Ambergris Caye, the largest island in Belize and car free. Cleaner, shop assistant or handyman, too but you will probably need to work than! And take a break with no return date, whereas a power boat intended for fishing will have a different... A sailboat in the cost: the monthly cost of the value of boat. Low as $ 2,000 a month for a couple on a boat is the best about. 1.5 % of the 10-minute flight each way low season boats up to 50ft has become a Caribbean sailor rite! 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