How much does it cost to charter a yacht? What 1,325 real quotes show
Ask what a yacht charter costs and you will get a range so wide it tells you nothing. Advertised "from" prices are the cheapest boat, in the quietest week, with a discount already applied. What you actually pay is a different number.
So we looked at ours. This article is built on 1,325 real charter quotes from the yachts we put in front of clients, with departures between March and November 2026. Every price has been normalised to a seven night week so the comparisons are fair. Here is what they show. For the live quarterly medians by region and boat type, see the UK Yacht Charter Price Index.
The short answer
The median week costs EUR 5,004. Half of all quotes fall between EUR 3,145 and EUR 7,500. The cheapest week in the set was EUR 995 and the most expensive was EUR 48,918.
That spread is not random. Two decisions explain most of it, and neither is the destination. They are the type of hull you choose and the month you go.
A catamaran costs about twice a monohull
This is the single largest lever in the data, and it is larger than most people expect.
| Hull | Quotes | Lower quartile | Median week | Upper quartile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monohull | 741 | EUR 2,641 | EUR 3,542 | EUR 5,043 |
| Catamaran | 583 | EUR 5,321 | EUR 7,120 | EUR 11,548 |
The median catamaran is 101 per cent more expensive than the median monohull. Catamarans cost more to build, they take two berths in most marinas, and demand for them has run ahead of supply for a decade. You are paying for space, stability and a flat deck to eat on.
If the budget is fixed, this is where to look first. The same money buys a considerably larger and newer monohull. If half your party is nervous about heeling, or you are travelling with small children, the catamaran premium may be exactly what you want to spend money on. Just make the choice deliberately rather than by default.
Length costs more than cabins
Price tracks length closely, and the steps are steep.
| Length | Quotes | Median week |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40 ft | 424 | EUR 3,477 |
| 40 to 44 ft | 354 | EUR 4,745 |
| 45 to 49 ft | 358 | EUR 6,736 |
| 50 ft and over | 184 | EUR 7,199 |
Cabins follow the same curve: three cabins has a median of EUR 2,993, four cabins EUR 5,528 and five cabins EUR 7,426.
The useful consequence is that the cost per person falls as the boat fills up. A four cabin monohull in June has a median price of EUR 4,162. Split eight ways that is EUR 520 each for the week, before food and fuel. The same boat sailed by a couple is an expensive way to travel. If you are trying to bring the number down, filling the berths you have already paid for beats trimming the boat.
Dropping a few feet of length will save you more than dropping a cabin, and it costs you far less comfort.
The month you choose is worth up to a third
| Season | Months | Quotes | Median week |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | July and August | 608 | EUR 5,745 |
| Mid | June and September | 524 | EUR 4,745 |
| Low | April, May and October | 170 | EUR 3,375 |
A high season week costs 70 per cent more than a low season week and 21 per cent more than mid season. Moving a booking from the first half of August to the second week of September saves roughly a fifth, with warmer water and thinner crowds. Moving it to May or October saves roughly a third.
The catch is that the sailing season does not run the same way everywhere, and the cheapest month is sometimes cheap for a reason. Monsoon in the Andaman Sea and the Caribbean hurricane season are not bargains, they are closures. Check the weather window for your cruising ground in the relevant destination guide before you chase the price.
What lands on top of the headline price
Almost every quote carries compulsory charges that are not in the advertised price. In our set, 89 per cent of quotes had at least one. The median total is EUR 450, which works out at about 10 per cent of the base charter price. Half of all quotes land between 7 and 15 per cent.
| Compulsory charge | How often it appears | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Final cleaning | 893 quotes | EUR 330 |
| Comfort or safety pack | 240 quotes | EUR 310 |
| National park or marine reserve fee | 203 quotes | EUR 80 |
| Bed linen and towels | 183 quotes | EUR 40 |
| Skipper, where the boat cannot go out bareboat | 143 quotes | EUR 1,610 |
| Outboard engine for the dinghy | 115 quotes | EUR 94 |
| Tourist tax | 76 quotes | EUR 20 |
| Gas bottle | 59 quotes | EUR 35 |
| Transit log or paperwork fee | 10 quotes | EUR 335 |
Budget 10 per cent on top of the advertised price as a rule of thumb, and 15 per cent if your route crosses a marine park. The park fees in the Maddalena Archipelago and the Egadi Islands are small individually but they are not optional, and they surprise people at the base.
The security deposit is not a cost
This is the most misread line on any charter quote. Just over half the quotes in our set list a security deposit, and the median is EUR 3,500. Half fall between EUR 2,500 and EUR 4,500, and the largest catamarans in the set carry up to EUR 14,200.
That money is refundable. It is blocked on a credit card at check in and released when the yacht comes back undamaged. It is not part of the price of your holiday. What it does need is headroom on the card, which is worth checking well before you travel, particularly if two families are splitting the booking and only one card is going behind the counter.
If the deposit is awkward, most operators sell a damage waiver that reduces or removes it. In our data the compulsory versions have a median of EUR 380 and the optional versions EUR 390. Whether that is good value depends on your cash flow rather than your seamanship.
Optional extras worth deciding before you book
| Extra | Median | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Skipper | EUR 1,500 per week | Plus food, and a berth if the boat is full |
| Cook | EUR 1,505 per week | Usually on larger boats only |
| Hostess | EUR 1,260 per week | Often doubles as cook on smaller yachts |
| Fuel | EUR 780 | Where it is prepaid rather than settled on return |
| Damage waiver | EUR 390 | Reduces or removes the deposit |
| Gennaker or spinnaker | EUR 250 | Worth it for light airs in the Ionian and Cyclades |
| Paddleboard | EUR 130 | The most commonly offered extra of all |
| Kayak | EUR 120 | |
| Pets | EUR 150 | Listed on 281 quotes |
| Wi-Fi | EUR 60 | Cheaper than roaming in most of the Med |
| Snorkelling gear | EUR 15 | Bring your own mask if you have one |
The skipper is the one that moves the total. At a median of EUR 1,500 plus food, a professional skipper adds about a third to a EUR 4,162 boat. That is money well spent if the alternative is a nervous first week or a licence you do not hold, and it is money wasted if you have the tickets and the miles. Decide honestly, and read our notes on how demanding your chosen cruising ground actually is.
The pet line is worth flagging because people assume it is impossible rather than EUR 150. If you are hoping to bring the dog, the rules are more about paperwork than price. We cover that in detail in dog friendly yacht chartering and the companion guide to chartering with cats.
Almost nobody pays the list price
Seventy per cent of the quotes carried at least one discount. The median reduction was 15 per cent off the list price, the upper quartile 20 per cent, and the largest single reduction in the set was 64 per cent.
The most common label by far is early booking, typically 5 to 10 per cent for committing months ahead. After that come special weeks, Easter and spring promotions, and end of season clearances. The pattern is the familiar one in travel: the discounts sit at the two ends of the calendar, not in the middle. Book early, or be genuinely flexible and take what is left.
What this means in practice is that an advertised rate is an opening position rather than a fixed price, and that the quote you receive is often already better than the website suggested.
Two worked weeks
| Four cabin monohull, June | Four cabin catamaran, August | |
|---|---|---|
| Base charter | EUR 4,162 | EUR 6,888 |
| Compulsory extras at 10 per cent | EUR 416 | EUR 689 |
| Total paid to the operator | EUR 4,578 | EUR 7,577 |
| Per person across eight | EUR 572 | EUR 947 |
| Refundable deposit held | EUR 3,500 | EUR 3,500 and up |
Neither figure includes getting there, eating, fuel burned or the marina fees you pay along the way. Those vary far too much by route and appetite for us to put a credible median on them, so plan them as a separate line rather than assuming the charter price is the holiday price.
Crewed and luxury charter works differently
Everything above describes bareboat and skippered charter, which is what most people book. Fully crewed yachts, and motor yachts in particular, price on a different model.
There the headline fee buys the yacht and the crew, and the running costs sit outside it in an Advance Provisioning Allowance. The APA is paid up front, commonly 25 to 35 per cent of the charter fee, and it covers fuel, food, drink, port and marina fees for the week. The captain accounts for it as you go, then returns the balance or asks for a top up. Expect local taxes and crew gratuity on top of that again.
The practical upshot is that a crewed quote and a bareboat quote are not comparable numbers, and comparing them is the most common way people end up with a budget that is out by a third.
Six ways to cut the bill, in order of what they are worth
- Move out of July and August. Worth up to a third, and it improves the sailing as well as the price.
- Sail a monohull. Worth about half against a comparable catamaran.
- Fill the berths. The boat costs the same whether six or ten people sleep on it.
- Drop length before you drop cabins. Five feet is worth more than you think and costs you very little.
- Book early or very late. Early booking discounts run at 5 to 10 per cent and end of season deals go further.
- Take a skipper only if you need one. EUR 1,500 plus food is the right price for confidence and the wrong price for habit.
How to read these numbers
Three honest caveats. The sample is weighted towards the Mediterranean, with Sardinia and Sicily accounting for more than half of it, so the medians describe Mediterranean charter well and the Caribbean and Pacific figures are indicative rather than definitive. Every price is quoted in euros, including the Caribbean and French Polynesian bases. And these are quotes rather than settled invoices, so they reflect what operators asked rather than every last negotiation.
For a price on a specific week in a specific place, the yacht charter pages carry current starting prices by region and season, and our charter concierge will put real availability in front of you without a sales pitch attached.
FAQs
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How much does it cost to charter a yacht for a week?
Across 1,325 real quotes the median week costs EUR 5,004, with half of all quotes falling between EUR 3,145 and EUR 7,500. A monohull comes in at a median of EUR 3,542 and a catamaran at EUR 7,120. Compulsory extras add roughly 10 per cent on top. See current starting prices by region →
Why does a catamaran charter cost so much more?
The median catamaran week is 101 per cent more expensive than the median monohull, at EUR 7,120 against EUR 3,542. Catamarans are more expensive to build, they occupy two berths in most marinas, and demand has outstripped supply for years. The same budget buys a noticeably larger and newer monohull.
Is the security deposit refundable?
Yes. The deposit is blocked on a credit card at check in and released when the yacht is returned undamaged, so it is not a cost. The median is EUR 3,500, with half of quotes between EUR 2,500 and EUR 4,500. A damage waiver, median EUR 390, reduces or removes it if the card headroom is a problem.
What extras are compulsory on top of the charter price?
Around 89 per cent of quotes carry compulsory charges, adding a median of EUR 450 or about 10 per cent of the base price. The most common are final cleaning at a median of EUR 330, a comfort or safety pack at EUR 310, national park fees at EUR 80, and bed linen at EUR 40. Budget 15 per cent if your route crosses a marine park.
How much does a skipper cost?
A professional skipper has a median price of EUR 1,500 per week, plus food and a berth. On a typical four cabin monohull that is about a third on top of the charter price. Where a yacht cannot be chartered bareboat the skipper is compulsory and the median rises to EUR 1,610.
When is the cheapest time to charter a yacht?
April, May and October are cheapest, with a median week of EUR 3,375 against EUR 5,745 in July and August, a saving of about a third. June and September sit in between at EUR 4,745 and are usually the best compromise between price, weather and crowds. Check the destination guide first, because in some cruising grounds the cheap months are cheap because the weather has closed the season.
Will I pay the advertised price?
Usually less. Seventy per cent of quotes carried a discount, at a median of 15 per cent off list and an upper quartile of 20 per cent. Early booking reductions of 5 to 10 per cent are the most common, followed by special weeks and end of season deals.
What is APA on a crewed charter?
The Advance Provisioning Allowance applies to fully crewed yachts. The charter fee buys the yacht and crew, then the APA, commonly 25 to 35 per cent of the charter fee, is paid up front to cover fuel, food, drink and port fees. The captain accounts for it during the week and returns the balance. Crewed and bareboat quotes are not directly comparable for this reason.
How much does a charter cost in Sardinia, Greece or the Caribbean?
From our quote data: a monohull in Sardinia runs to a median of EUR 3,120 in June and September and EUR 3,763 in high season, while a catamaran there reaches EUR 12,564 in August. A monohull in the Cyclades has a median of EUR 2,480 in high season and in the Ionian EUR 2,300. In the British Virgin Islands a low season monohull runs to EUR 3,800, and a high season catamaran in French Polynesia to EUR 6,300. Compare regions →
Can I bring a dog on a charter, and what does it cost?
Often yes. A pet fee appeared on 281 quotes at a median of EUR 150. The harder part is paperwork rather than price, since every country on your route sets its own import rules. See dog friendly yacht chartering for the detail.
Planning a specific week? Our charter concierge will check real availability and pricing for your dates, or browse charters by region to see what a week costs where you are headed.
