How Much Does a Yacht Cost? Purchase Price by Size, Plus What It Costs to Own Each Year

A small cruiser under 50 feet costs roughly $300,000 to $2 million, and a new 24m to 40m yacht runs $5 million to $15 million, according to Kubera (2026) and Ocean Independence (April 2026). Beyond that, the price climbs fast: a 50m superyacht is $25 million to $80 million pre-owned across the 50m to 70m band, per Moran Yacht & Ship (2026).

How much does a yacht cost to own is a different question from the price tag. Most sources put the yearly bill at 10% or more of the purchase price, and the figures below show where that money goes.

How Much Does a Yacht Cost by Size

Length is the main driver of price, and the market uses two different scales. Under 100 feet, buyers talk in feet and the price is set by the builder and the specification. Above roughly 24m (about 80 ft), the yacht is a professionally crewed vessel and the price is set by the yard, the naval architect and the finish.

Two yardsticks are worth knowing. YATCO’s buyer guide (2026) gives a loose rule of thumb: “$1 million per 3.3ft will get you a nice round ballpark.” Ocean Independence (April 2026) says a fully custom new build is often estimated at around $1 million per 3.3 feet of length, and notes that final figures depend heavily on specification. Treat both as a ceiling for a custom build, not a quote.

Under 100 Feet

Kubera, a wealth-management app that publishes illustrative bands (2026), puts yachts under 50 ft at $300,000 to $2 million, 50 to 70 ft at $1 million to $5 million and 70 to 100 ft at $4 million to $20 million. The spread inside each band is wide because new and used, sail and motor, and a basic or fully optioned boat all sit together. Use the bands to size a budget, then price specific models with a broker.

24m and Above

Moran Yacht & Ship (published April 2026, updated August 2026) lists pre-owned prices by length, shown below next to Ocean Independence’s new-build bands.

The bands overlap and the two sources do not use identical cut-offs, so read them as ranges rather than a price list. Moran also says builder matters: less established yards price 20% to 40% below comparable-length yachts from top builders, while Feadship and Lurssen-type names carry a premium of 15% to 30% over the category average.

Superyacht Price

Superyacht price starts around 24m (about 80 ft) and, as the table shows, runs from the single-digit millions pre-owned to hundreds of millions for the largest. The question of how much a superyacht costs mostly comes down to three things: whether it is new or used, which yard built it, and when you can take delivery.

New Build

Moran says new-build motor yachts are priced “20 to 50% above comparable pre-owned pricing.” It puts a new 50m top-tier European yacht at $45 million to $70 million, with three to four years to deliver. On top of the build price, Moran lists project management at 3% to 5% of build cost and a contingency reserve of 10% to 15%, so the contract price is not the final number.

At the very top, prices are reported rather than published. Fortune reported in November 2025 that Jeff Bezos “reportedly paid $500 million” for the 417-foot sailing yacht Koru, linking the figure to Robb Report, and “an extra $75 million” for Abeona, the support vessel with a helipad. Builders rarely confirm figures like these, so they are best read as reported estimates. For the largest hulls afloat, see our list of the biggest yachts in the world.

Used

Used is the cheaper way into the same size class. Moran compares a new 50m top-tier European yacht at $45 million to $70 million with a comparable 5-year-old pre-owned yacht at $25 million to $35 million. Ocean Independence (April 2026) says value falls around 10% in year one and then about 6% to 8% a year, which is roughly 40% to 50% over five years. Those depreciation figures are why a used yacht often makes more financial sense than a new one, though the older the yacht, the more the refit bill matters.

Budget for due diligence too. Moran puts a pre-purchase survey at $5,000 to $25,000 and equipment replacement at $500,000 to $2 million or more.

Build Slots and Timelines

Waiting is part of the price. Boat International reported on September 12, 2024 that Azimut-Benetti had an order book of 2.6 billion euros as of January 1, 2024, with deliveries stretching to 2029 and talks under way for deliveries as far out as 2030. Moran’s three to four years to deliver a 50m yacht fits that picture. If you want a yacht within a year, the realistic route is a used or a yard-stock build.

What It Costs to Own Each Year

The purchase price is the start. Every source cited here says the yearly cost is a meaningful fraction of the price, and the fraction depends on size, age and how much you use the yacht.

The 10% Rule

The 10% rule says annual running costs will be about 10% of the purchase price. YachtBuyer (Carl Richardson, updated August 2026) calls it an “often-quoted theory” and says it is of limited use for larger crewed yachts and older yachts, where running costs rise as value falls. YATCO (2026) is broader: “10 to 20% of the purchase price of the yacht is what it will cost annually to maintain it.” Moran says the overall range is 8% to 20%, with about 10% typical. Kubera (2026) says a normal year is 10% to 20% of value and a heavy-use, fully crewed or refit year can reach 15% to 25%.

In short: 10% is the floor for a well-run yacht, and 15% is a safer planning number for a crewed one.

That 50m example is a useful worked case. At the $30 million benchmark, the low and high columns above add up to $2.7 million and $5.4 million a year. Put plainly, a $30 million yacht costs about as much per year to run as a good house costs to buy. Use the same method on your target: take the purchase price, apply 10% to 18%, and compare the result with the crew, berth and maintenance lines above.

Crew

Crew is the largest line. Moran says it is typically 30% to 40% of annual operating costs, and puts a captain on a 50m yacht at $100,000 to $180,000 a year. YachtBuyer (updated October 27, 2026) gives suggested crew counts: 2 to 5 on 24m to 30m, 6 to 10 on 30m to 40m, 8 to 12 on 40m to 50m, and 25 to 35 on 80m to 100m.

YachtBuyer’s 2026 base-salary estimates show how pay scales with size:

Role	30m	60m
Captain	$118,000 to $197,000	$235,000 to $393,000
Chef	$60,000 to $108,000	$120,000 to $180,000
Deckhand	$42,000 to $58,000	$48,000 to $70,000

Its case studies, which count salaries only, come to about $390,000 for a 30m yacht with 5 crew, about $942,000 for a 50m with 9 crew and about $2,252,000 for an 80m with 25. YachtBuyer notes these exclude relief crew, recruitment fees and employment costs, so the true bill is higher. A recruitment agency fee of 10% of first-year salary is one example it gives.

Berthing and Fuel

Berthing and fuel are the two lines that move with how you use the yacht. Ocean Independence (April 2026) gives year-one estimates for berthing of $40,000 to $100,000 on a 30m, $150,000 to $350,000 on a 50m and $400,000 to $700,000 on an 80m. For fuel it gives $80,000 to $150,000, $250,000 to $500,000 and $600,000 to $1 million or more at the same sizes. Moran’s figures for a 50m are a little higher ($200,000 to $500,000 for dockage and $300,000 to $600,000 for fuel), which is the usual gap between two broker views of one market.

Moran adds that a 50m motor yacht burns 200 to 400 liters an hour at cruise. On smaller yachts YachtBuyer (2026) puts a marina berth at 400 to 800 dollars or euros per metre and fast-cruising fuel at 5,000 to 10,000 per engine per 50 hours for 500 to 1,000 hp engines.

Insurance

Insurance is the smallest line but not a rounding error. Ocean Independence (April 2026) says premiums typically run 0.5% to 1% of value, and Kubera (2026) gives a wider 0.5% to 2.5%. On a $30 million yacht, Moran’s own range is $200,000 to $400,000.

For the equivalent bill on an aircraft, see the cost of owning a private jet.

Cheaper Ways In

You do not have to own a yacht to spend time on one. The two routes that cost the least are shared ownership and charter.

Fractional and Shared Ownership

Shared ownership splits the purchase and the running costs. Boat International carried a paid feature for Princess Yachts in February 2022 on its YachtQuarters program: the last remaining share of a 20-metre Princess 68 cost 275,000 pounds for a four-year ownership period, plus a fixed fee of 47,000 pounds a year covering warranty, berthing, water toys and crew, with fuel and consumables extra. The feature claimed a week of shared ownership cost about 60% of chartering a similar yacht in the Balearic Islands. That is an advertiser’s claim, and the prices are from 2022, so treat it as an illustration of the structure rather than a current price list. Check the exit terms: the same feature lists buying new shares, becoming an outright owner or selling the share for a proportion of the proceeds.

Charter

If you want a week or two a year, charter is usually the cheaper and simpler option, because you pay for the days you use and nothing else. Moran notes that 30m Mediterranean yachts in high season charter for $50,000 to $100,000 a week before expenses, and 50m yachts in peak demand for $150,000 to $250,000. Our yacht charter cost guide covers weekly rates, the APA and the extras in full.

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If you want a full-time escape rather than a boat, a private island can be rented the same way; see our guide to private island rental.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 10% rule for yachts?

The 10% rule says annual running costs will be about 10% of the purchase price. YachtBuyer (updated August 2026) calls it an often-quoted theory with limited use for larger crewed or older yachts, and YATCO (2026) puts the range at 10% to 20%.

How much is a cheaper yacht?

Kubera's illustrative bands (2026) put yachts under 50 ft at $300,000 to $2 million. Moran Yacht & Ship (2026) lists pre-owned yachts from 24m to 30m at $1 million to $8 million. Used boats are the cheapest route into a given size.

How much did Jeff Bezos' yacht cost?

Fortune reported in November 2025 that Bezos reportedly paid $500 million for the 417-foot sailing yacht Koru, citing Robb Report, and an extra $75 million for the support vessel Abeona. The figures are reported, not confirmed by the builder.

How much does a superyacht cost?

Ocean Independence (April 2026) gives new-build bands of $5 million to $15 million for 24m to 40m, $15 million to $40 million for 40m to 60m and $50 million to $150 million or more above 60m. Pre-owned prices run lower, per Moran.

How much does a yacht cost per year to run?

A common rule is about 10% of the purchase price. Moran benchmarks a $30 million 50m yacht at $2.7 million to $5.4 million a year, with crew the largest line at $1.2 million to $1.8 million, as of 2026.

Is it cheaper to buy a used yacht?

Usually yes. Moran (2026) compares a new 50m yacht at $45 million to $70 million with a 5-year-old equivalent at $25 million to $35 million. Ocean Independence (April 2026) says value drops about 10% in year one, then 6% to 8% a year.

Sources

• Moran Yacht & Ship, “How Much Does a Yacht Cost”, published April 1, 2026, updated August 5, 2026, moranyachts.com/news/how-much-does-a-yacht-cost
• Ocean Independence, “How Much Does a Superyacht Really Cost? (2026 Guide)”, April 1, 2026, oceanindependence.com/articles/how-much-does-a-superyacht-cost
• YATCO, “New Yachts for Sale”, 2026, yatco.com/types-of-yachts/new-yachts-for-sale
• YachtBuyer, Carl Richardson, “How Much Does a New Yacht Cost to Run”, updated August 10, 2026, yachtbuyer.com/en-us/advice/how-much-does-a-new-yacht-cost-to-run
• YachtBuyer, Carl Richardson, “How Much Does a Yacht Crew Cost”, updated October 27, 2026, yachtbuyer.com/en-us/advice/how-much-does-a-yacht-crew-cost
• Kubera, “Owning a Yacht”, 2026, kubera.com/blog/owning-a-yacht
• Fortune, “Jeff Bezos’ most expensive investment: $500 million superyacht Koru”, November 21, 2025, fortune.com
• Boat International, Gabrielle Lazaridis, “Azimut-Benetti yacht financial results 2024”, September 12, 2024, boatinternational.com
• Boat International, Laura Nicholls, “Shared ownership” (Princess Yachts paid feature), February 24, 2022, boatinternational.com/boat-presents/shared-ownership