Cost of Sailing to the Caribbean: Bahamas to Grenada
2023 Cost of Sailing Review
I’ve been very excited to report how we have been doing with respect to our budget for the first half of 2024, during which we have been capturing our cost of sailing to the Caribbean.
Earlier this year, I reported our cost of sailing over our first full year of cruising in this article: Realistic Sailing Expenses: Cost of Sailing After Year 1. In 2023, we sailed from Mobile, AL through the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys over to the Bahamas. After 2 months in the Bahamas, we sailed up the east coast to the Chesapeake, where we spent hurricane season, then back down the east coast of the United States to prepare for our next visit to the Bahamas.
In 2023 our monthly budget was $4,700 and we finished the year spending approximately $900 more per month on average. Based on our actual spending and after reviewing what we have saved and invested we decided to work toward a monthly budget band of $4,750 (the same as our original monthly budget) to $5,590 (a value that better reflected our 2023 average month spending and a value we felt we could sustain long term).
Cost of Sailing to the Caribbean: January to June 2024
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $4,750 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $5,140 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper End) | $5,590 |
2024 has been considerably different from our first year of sailing. In 2024, we made our way from the Bahamas down to the Caribbean with a summer hurricane season destination almost all the way down the Caribbean chain to Grenada. I am happy to report that we have been able stay within our budget boundaries throughout our adventures over the first six months of 2024 with average monthly expenditures of approximately $5,140 ($390 per month over our original budget but $350 per month under our adjusted budget).
We have been watching some of our key budget items such as Groceries & Restaurants, Marinas & Moorings, and Boat Expenses and we’ve done well so far this year. However, we have found some new budget categories have become points of focus going forward, namely Travel.
Budget Review by Category
As discussed in our Sailing Budget Categories article, we came up with 11 budget categories to help us keep track of our spending while living aboard a sailboat. That article goes into more detail on what items are included in each category, such as boat insurance, boat registration, etc.
Below I will review what our average monthly actual expenses were from January through June 2024 to see our cost of sailing to the Caribbean, broken down by each category.
1. Boat Expenses
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $785 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $1,175 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper End) | $975 |
We exceeded our budget in this category most significantly in 2023, and as such our adjusted monthly budget (upper end) was a good deal greater than our original budget. Over the course of the first six months of 2024, we have not necessarily completed any major boat projects, but we have spent a good deal of money on boat maintenance as we were on the move nearly constantly from the Bahamas all the way down to Grenada.
Overall, we felt we did well by staying with our budget goals for boat expenses over the first six months of 2024. We will need to continue to watch this category closely over the second half of 2024 as we do have some significant work planned, such as hauling out to redo the bottom paint on the boat later this summer.
Fortunately, we have already accounted for a significant portion of that work with the purchase of our bottom pain in June, which was roughly $1,700 for five gallons of bottom paint.
2. Fuel (Diesel, Gasoline and Propane)
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $280 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $275 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper End) | $280 |
For this category we did not make any adjustments to our monthly budget. We were a little skeptical of staying within this budget given the distance we had to travel and the fact that the majority of that travel would be along the ‘Thorny Path’, where we felt we would be running the engine a great deal.
While that was generally the case, we also found numerous good opportunities to sail Pelagia and at the end of the first six months we were right on budget.
To read more about our Thorny Path travels, check out these articles here:
3. Marinas and Mooring Balls
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $750 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $705 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper End) | $800 |
We were able to maintain our budget quite well over the first six months of 2024. During our travels to Grenada, we were able to find a good number of free anchorages at many stops.
However, we also enjoyed the comfort of the occasional marina in the Exumas, Puerta Plata, St. Thomas, St. Lucia and Grenada. We also found many locations having mooring balls with nightly fees. We stayed on mooring balls in St. John, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Grenada.
We will again need to keep a close watch on this category for the second half of 2024 as we plan to stay in a marina in Grenada for a couple more months, but we believe we can maintain this portion of our budget within reason.
4. Groceries and Restaurants
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $1,400 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $1,288 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $1,445 |
This is our most significant budget item in terms of the overall value. While we have found the cost of food to be generally greater than what one would see in the US, we have managed to stay within our budget. We saved money by primarily preparing our meals and eating on the boat, and provisioning for the Bahamas and beyond before we left the United States in late December 2023.
We also take advantage of the numerous specials you can find at various restaurants while sailing in the Caribbean.
Note:
The Grenada Yacht Club has weekly Wing Night on Wednesdays were you can buy chicken wings for $1 ECD (that’s $0.37 USD) per wing!
5. Internet and Cell Phones
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $280 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $183 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $200 |
While our budget may look a little out of order in this category with the Adjusted Monthly Budget value (Upper End) being less than the Original Monthly Budget value (Lower End), we made these adjustments primarily based on our actual spending in 2023 and what we planned for internet and cell phones in 2024.
Starlink has been great as our primary source of internet on board the boat. We found it worked flawlessly all the was down the island chain, with some short outages between the island but nothing that impacted us negatively. We could have gotten internet in those circumstances by temporarily switching to the $2/GB plan with Starlink when too far from shore.
For cell phones we paid for a monthly service with Aliv in the Bahamas and basically just relied on Starlink until we got to Martinique where we picked up a great Caribbean plan through Digicel.
Our Aliv plan in the Bahamas was the most basic plan with 5GB of data each month, costing us $30 per month (SIM card included).
Our Digicel plan that we got in Martinique gives us unlimited data, calls and texts to most Caribbean islands, costing us $37 per month plus $21.50 initial charge for the SIM card.
It is wonderful having a data plan when we are on land exploring the islands!
6. Health Care and Medical
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $625 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $387 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $615 |
Similar to last year we are doing well in this budget category and fortunately we have both stayed healthy and avoided any serious medical costs for health issues (it may be the salt air!). Our budget accounts for monthly costs for my Affordable Care Act plan (Scott is covered under the VA) and for our international health travel plan that both of us have for any significant issues we may encounter overseas.
There is a change from 2023, when I was using Medi-Share for my health insurance, as discussed in Health Insurance for Liveaboard Cruisers After Retiring Early, and we did not yet purchase an international health insurance plan.
In Bequia we saw a dentist for a cleaning and annual check up to make sure our teeth remain healthy. This cost us $75 USD per person. We also plan to see a dermatologist in Grenada in August for a general checkup, since we spend so much time outside.
We have found in our limited experience that the health care provided while sailing the Caribbean islands is on par with what you would get in the US and generally quite affordable without using any insurance at all.
7. Travel
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $300 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $1,037 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $400 |
Well, it always seems like one of these categories jumps up and gets us, and for the first six months of 2024 that would be Travel!
The biggest difference we are facing this year is that for our ‘down time’ over the summer months we are a long way from friends and family in the US. The most significant ‘hit’ to this category was our separate trips to the US.
Scott and I flew separately to the US so someone could stay on the boat with Mangaux. Another challenge we have discovered living with a dog on a sailboat.
We each flew to the US separately, Scott’s ticket to Miami was approximately $650 and my ticket to Michigan was approximately $1,050.
Additionally, since we sold everything we had back in Mobile, Scott rented a condo to spend a week with his sons on nearby Dauphin Island. This way they had a place where they could all catch up and spend time together, including visiting with Grandpa and Winnie, in a comfortable space. This condo added another roughly $3,500 of expenses to this category!
We will need to reevaluate this category for next year as we do plan to keep the boat in Grenada again for next hurricane season.
8. Pet Care
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $100 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $75 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $250 |
We did quite well in this category even though we Mangaux had to see a number of vets. He visited vets in St. Martin, Martinique, and St. Lucia for health certificates, as discussed in Sailing with a Dog in Caribbean.
We already know we won’t do quite as well in the second half of 2024 as Mangaux had his annual checkup and vaccinations in Grenada in July. We also ordered full year supplies of his heartworm and flea & tick treatments in July.
All that being said, we still feel we will maintain this budget item well as long as our man stays healthy!
9. Laundry
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $20 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $30 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $20 |
Laundry is expensive in the Caribbean!! We busted another budget item. Good thing this is a pretty small budget item though!
We were able to find laundry mats over the course of the first half of our journey from the Bahamas down to Grenada, but they became fewer and farther between as we worked our way down the windward and leeward islands.
In St. Martin we did use a laundry mat we found on the French side of the island, although it wasn’t really all the cheap.
We have spent anywhere from $10 – $20 USD for a load of laundry on our way down the Caribbean chain.
Since then, we have predominantly found only laundry services where they wash, dry and fold your clothes. That is nice, but generally can cost a little more. We are spending approximately $25 – $30 USD per load of laundry for wash, dry and fold.
10. Mail and Packages
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $25 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $17 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $40 |
Another relatively small budget category and we were able to maintain it quite well! Most of our expenses in this category come from our mail forwarding system that we use, St. Brendan’s Isle, out of Florida. We set this up when we set up our Florida residency before we sailed away.
We have been able to save money in this category by not having any items shipped to us here in the Caribbean. Many cruisers do have items (i.e., Amazon orders) shipped to them here and those costs can really add up with the additional freight costs, broker fees and additional local taxes.
We were able to get a bunch of stuff during our respective visits to the US (such as a new dog life jacket, dog treats, new shoes and clothes, etc.) but we suspect that by later this year we may need to ship some things down.
We are looking at doing this in St. Martin or St. Thomas where we understand the shipping may be a little less and/or they do not add extra import fees.
11. Clothing, Gifts, Entertainment and Hobbies
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $185 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $163 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $365 |
It would seem we need to buy more clothes, gifts and do more entertainment and hobbies! I did replenish some clothes and shoes in July when I went to Michigan that will reflect in our next budget review. It seemed strange to buy a lot of clothes and shoes at one time, but the selection and cost of clothing and shoes in the United States is a bit better than anything we have found in the Caribbean (outside of Decathlon in Martinique!).
We’ve maintained this budget category quite well but we will continue to monitor it through the remainder of the year. I do have expenses for this website that come up in the second half of the year. While I am making some very small affiliate income, I am not breaking even on this website. Therefore, I have it categorized as a hobby, which falls under this expense category.
Total Cost of Sailing to the Caribbean
| Category | Amount |
| Original Monthly Budget (Lower End) | $4,750 |
| Average Monthly Actual Expenses (Jan 24 – Jun 24) | $5,140 |
| Adjusted Monthly Budget (Upper Budget) | $5,590 |
As illustrated in the graph and table above, we were able to manage our spending while sailing to the Caribbean. From January to June 2024, we traveled from the Bahamas all the way down to Grenada.
We generally stayed within our budget boundaries in all categories with the exception of Travel.
Overall, our spending over the first six months of the year has fallen right in the middle of our budget goals, which will help us maintain this lifestyle that we are enjoying so much.
I hope this information regarding our budget and actual spending while sailing to the Caribbean is helpful to everyone.
Live your dreams,
