Free Tool · Superyachts
Yacht running cost calculator
Estimate your yearly running cost
Value is in US$ millions; the annual percentage is editable. Size and usage load illustrative assumptions, not surveyed market averages. Results are rounded to the nearest $1,000.
Modelled annual running cost$3,000,000 / year (10% of value)
This scenario applies 10% to $30 million. The category split is illustrative, not supplier quotes. Rounded components may differ slightly from the rounded total.
The formula and the 10% shortcut
Annual budget = yacht value in millions × $1,000,000 × annual percentage ÷ 100. A $30 million yacht at 10% gives a $3 million scenario. At 15%, the same shortcut gives $4.5 million. Neither is a quote.
Moran Yacht & Ship's published ownership guide describes 10% as a shorthand and gives a wider 8–20% context depending on the vessel and use. We reviewed that source on September 27, 2026. Purchase value alone cannot capture crew, cruising area, technical condition or a major refit. A lower resale value does not make an unchanged crew or maintenance plan cheaper.
How the scenario controls work
Size loads a base annual assumption: under 40 m, 8%; 40–60 m, 10%; 60–80 m, 12%; over 80 m, 13%. Light use subtracts 1.5 percentage points, moderate use changes nothing and heavy use adds 2.5 points. These are demonstration presets, not a validated relationship between length, use and cost.
Edit the annual percentage to replace the preset with your own assumption. Changing size or usage loads a new preset; changing value keeps your chosen percentage. The model accepts $1–600 million of value and a 1–30% annual assumption. A real budget can fall outside those limits.
Crew, maintenance, dockage, fuel and insurance
The displayed allocation is 35% crew, 25% maintenance and reserve, 10% dockage, 15% fuel, 5% insurance and 10% other costs. These example shares sum to 100%; they are not quoted expenses or source-derived averages. Adjusting the total scales every category, although real costs do not all move together.
- Crew: confirm headcount, rotation, employment costs, training and travel.
- Maintenance: use the survey, service schedule and refit plan; a reserve is not a repair quote.
- Dockage: obtain prices for the actual home berth and itinerary.
- Fuel: model engine consumption, operating hours, speed and local fuel prices.
- Insurance: seek a quote for the yacht, navigation area and intended use.
- Other costs: specify management, communications, administration, provisioning and flag-related expenses.
What this estimate leaves out
It does not automatically include purchase price, financing, depreciation, tax and import exposure, extraordinary repairs, major refits, acquisition surveys or sale costs. It does not assume charter income will pay the bills. Private and commercial use may require different operating and compliance arrangements; ask the relevant specialists to review the actual plan.
Start with how much a yacht costs. Before a purchase, compare buyer-broker scope and responsibilities, and obtain independent survey and operating advice.
How Passion Asset Advisory models the running-cost scenario
Reviewed September 27, 2026. Moran's published guide provides context for the percentage shortcut, not validation of this calculator's presets or allocations. All formulas and assumptions are shown above. This tool is not a valuation, management quote or audited operating forecast. See our editorial policy.
FAQ
Yacht running cost questions
Does every yacht cost 10% of its value to run?
No. Passion Asset Advisory uses ten percent as an editable planning shortcut, not a forecast. Actual expenses depend on crew, condition, maintenance timing, cruising area and use. A change in resale value does not automatically change those expenses.
How much does a $30 million yacht cost in the example?
At the default 10% assumption, the model gives $3 million per year. At 15%, it gives $4.5 million. These are arithmetic scenarios, not quotes or guaranteed operating budgets.
Are the category amounts supplier quotes?
No. They are fixed example shares of the modelled total: 35% crew, 25% maintenance, 10% dockage, 15% fuel, 5% insurance and 10% other costs. A vessel-specific budget should replace them with actual estimates.
Can I change the annual percentage?
Yes. Enter an assumption from 1% to 30%. Editing it overrides the size and usage preset. Changing either scenario selector loads a new preset; changing the yacht value keeps the percentage you entered.
Does the calculator include a major refit or charter income?
No. The maintenance share is only an illustrative annual allowance. Major refits, extraordinary repairs, financing, depreciation, taxes and acquisition costs need separate budgets. No charter income is deducted.
Superyachts
Budget for the vessel, not the shortcut.
A survey, operating plan and written supplier estimates make the next decision more useful than a percentage alone.