Man living on a cruise ship reveals how much it costs him for a year

The cost of living crisis has left many of us struggling to pay for the most basic of bills and expenses. So no one would blame you for looking for ways to make life easier, whatever they might be.

But what about picking up your life and moving on to a cruise ship?

Well, it is a choice that might well be the one for you after one man did just that. And in turn, revealed exactly how much it cost him for the year.

Fancy this being your gaff? (Getty Stock Image)

Cruise ships are unique things. With thousands of people setting sail for a week or two - or nine months in one case - across different parts of the world, they really are a marvel of human engineering when you stop and look at what they are.

Complete with shopping centres, mini golf, swimming pools, discos and even swings over the ocean, they are a mega creation epitomising humanity's technological advances.

One man loves them that much he moved his life on to them. Kevin Martin, from Missouri in the United States, left life on land behind for journeying across the open seas.

Giving honest accounts of his experiences over on YouTube, the 48-year-old has gone as far as breaking down the costs of taking your life permanently on to a cruise ship.

Kevin Martin now lives his life on cruise ships. (YouTube/@30AndAWakeUp)

Of course he's not the first man to do this, with fellow American Mario Salcedo spending 23 years living on a cruise ship - of which there were significant side effects for his health.

But back to Kevin. The ex army man swapped normal life for cruise ships back in 2019, documenting his life on them across social media.

In the last year he has sailed MSC, NCL, Princess and Royal Caribbean cruises as he spent 12 months on the open waters. And during that time, he made a note of exactly how much it cost him.

Okay, so the boring bits.

Kevin spent £85 a month on his phone bill, health care at £19, and £42 on insurance.

The Ruby Princess cruise ship that Kevin stayed on for a month (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

In March this year he sailed around the Caribbean; specifically St Kitts, St Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, Grand Cayman and Aruba.

The month on board cost him £1,615 in accommodation and for the inclusive buffer dinners on the ship. Kevin spent a further £22 on extra meals during the four or so weeks.

Kevin did this for a period of 12 months, looking for deals to stay on the open waters - so you need to be savvy and not too fussy when it comes to your next excursion if you want to follow in Kevin's footsteps.

The perfect length of time on any one ship, Kevin says, is roughly 45 days. He said: "The sweet spot is maybe like 45 days, 6 weeks or so.

"I think that's kind of the sweet spot. I just finished up with 100 days 103 days on Ruby Princess and I think that was a little bit long.

"It was getting really repetitive and it's just nice to get a change of scenery whether it's the geographic location you're in, or the cruise ship, because even though cruise ships generally are the same there's still little differences that make them unique and keep it fresh."

Adding up Kevin's expenses for the month of April, it would cost an average of £21,396 for the year should you follow in his footsteps and get similarly priced deals to him.

Considering interest rates and how much mortgage repayments can be, we wouldn't blame you for thinking twice and setting sail.