The short answer
- Capital is the binding constraint at 50 ft+: the cheapest class median in our catalogue is €608,122 and the dearest is €5,359,969.
- A €1m budget reaches the median 50–62 ft sailing yacht alone, and the median motor yacht 62-85 ft — 4× the price — at four partners.
- Moving up a class changes range, sea-keeping and crew practicality far more than it changes your cost per week, which is why the budget question is really a class question.
What your money reaches at the medians
The table reads as a shortlist filter. For each budget it shows the most expensive class whose median asking price your capital can fund, on your own and in a group of two, four or six.
Nothing in the 50 ft+ catalogue has a median under €608,122, so a €250k budget only enters the market at all through a group.
| Your capital | Alone | 2 partners | 4 partners | 6 partners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €250,000 | Below every 50 ft+ median | Below every 50 ft+ median | Sailing yacht 50-62 ft (€608,122) | Sailing yacht 62-85 ft (€1,302,000) |
| €500,000 | Below every 50 ft+ median | Sailing yacht 50-62 ft (€608,122) | Catamaran 62-85 ft (€1,813,500) | Motor yacht 62-85 ft (€2,408,700) |
| €1,000,000 | Sailing yacht 50-62 ft (€608,122) | Catamaran 62-85 ft (€1,813,500) | Motor yacht 62-85 ft (€2,408,700) | Motor yacht 85-110 ft (€5,359,969) |
| €1,500,000 | Sailing yacht 62-85 ft (€1,302,000) | Motor yacht 62-85 ft (€2,408,700) | Motor yacht 85-110 ft (€5,359,969) | Motor yacht 85-110 ft (€5,359,969) |
Original GetBoat data: 415 euro-converted asking prices of 50–110 ft yachts listed for sale by GetBoat and its partners on 2026-09-20, plus the GetBoat market index (8,474 priced sale listings, 85,489 charter listings). Asking prices, not completed sales. Individual listings are never identified. Model: annual running budget 10% of the yacht price growing 3% a year, resale after 5 years at 72% of the price (per-brand depreciation in the GetBoat market index) less 7% selling costs, 40 owner weeks a year. Excludes VAT, financing, personal tax and programme fees. Illustration, not an offer.
The class jump is the real product
Between the median 50–62 ft motor yacht (€1,111,955) and the median motor yacht 62-85 ft (€2,408,700) sits €1,296,745 of capital. Split four ways, that gap costs each partner €324,186 — about the price of a mid-range car per person for a step change in range, stabilisation, cabin count and crew practicality.
Our per-foot medians show the same effect from the other side: €20,617 per foot at 50–62 ft against €57,245 per foot at 85–110 ft. Length is not linear in price, which is exactly why a group changes which rung of the ladder is realistic.
Do not spend the whole budget on the hull
Whatever class you reach, the running budget follows the price, not your plans: 10% of €2,408,700 is €240,870 a year, or €60,218 per partner in a group of four. A budget that is fully consumed at purchase produces a yacht nobody can afford to run.
The workable rule from our numbers: size the purchase so that your share of the first-year running budget is comfortable in a bad year, not an average one. That usually means one class below your capital ceiling, not at it.
Decision checklist
- 1Capital available for the purchase, separated from running money
- 2Target class chosen by cruising plan, not by what capital allows
- 3Median asking price of that class checked before viewing listings
- 4Share of the first-year running budget tested against a bad year
- 5Partner count fixed before negotiating, since it sets the entry figure
- 6Contingency for post-survey work agreed with the group in advance
What buyers ask next
Is it better to own a smaller yacht alone or a bigger one with partners?
It depends on how many weeks you sail. Below about 10 weeks a year, a group gets you a class you could not otherwise fund without changing your cost per week. Above 20 weeks a year the calendar, not the money, becomes the constraint.
Do the class medians include VAT?
No. Asking prices in the catalogue are quoted on varying tax bases, so we treat every figure as ex VAT and leave tax to the specific transaction, flag and buyer residence.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax, financial, insurance or survey advice. Requirements vary by yacht, provider and jurisdiction; use qualified independent professionals for the transaction. Read our editorial policy.
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