A crewed charter week is quoted as a weekly base rate, and the base rate is the beginning of the arithmetic. Published listings for the 2026 season typically show crewed sailing yachts in the 20-metre class from around €20,000-35,000 per week, 24-to-30-metre crewed motor yachts from around €35,000-70,000, the 40-metre class from roughly €120,000-250,000, and the 60-metre-plus fleet from half a million into seven figures. On top of the base sit three lines that first-timers consistently misjudge: the APA, VAT, and the tip. Budget them before you fall in love with a boat.
This is a cost anatomy based on how charter pricing is conventionally structured across the market as of the 2026 season — ranges, not a quotation. Exact numbers come from the listing, the contract and the cruising country's tax rules.
What the base rate actually buys
The base hire of the yacht and the wages of her professional crew, plus the yacht's standing insurance. It does not buy fuel, food, wine, marina berths, communications or the tender's toys running on fuel — all of that lives in the APA. High and low season rates on the same yacht commonly differ by 10-20 percent, and some owners quote plus-neutrally for special events weeks, when the rate goes up and the diary goes fast.
The APA, in one paragraph
The Advance Provisioning Allowance is a fund, customarily 20-35 percent of the base rate — sailing yachts and efficient itineraries at the lower end, thirsty motor yachts and marina-heavy routes at the top — paid to the captain before the week and spent on your provisioning, fuel, berths and incidentals. The captain logs every euro, reconciles the account at the end of the week, and either tops up or refunds the difference. A quiet, anchorage-heavy week on a sailing yacht can come in under the APA; a fast, marina-every-night motor itinerary can outrun it. The APA is not a fee. It is your money, accounted.
VAT: the line that varies
Value-added tax depends on where the yacht cruises and her commercial registration, not on your passport. In the Western Mediterranean, charter VAT commonly runs around 20-22 percent as of the 2026 season, applied to the base rate and, in most jurisdictions, the APA; some areas offer reduced rates for itineraries that qualify, and the rules move. This is the one line your broker computes for your exact route — never estimate it from a neighbour's trip two summers ago.
What the honest total looks like
Worked example, mid-range and realistic: a 30-metre crewed motor yacht, West Mediterranean, July, base rate €55,000. APA at 30 percent adds €16,500. VAT at 22 percent on base and APA adds €15,730. A tip at the customary 10-15 percent of base adds €5,500-8,250. The honest total: €92,730-95,480, call it €93,000-95,000, split among eight guests — under €12,000 a head for a week with a private crew. The same arithmetic on a 20-metre sailing yacht at €25,000 base produces roughly €42,000-44,000 all-in. Neither number is hidden; both are simply not on the headline line.
Where the money saves
Three honest levers. Move the week: June and September cut the base rate 10-20 percent and the crowds harder. Move the itinerary: anchorages instead of quay walls drop APA burn noticeably on motor yachts. And move the size class, not the standard: a superb 30-metre with an owner who cares beats a tired 38-metre at the same money — the crew and the condition are the week, the LOA is just the number on the bow.
What you do not pay for
The broker. Charter brokers are paid commission by the management company out of the base rate — the charterer pays the same whether they use one or not, which is why using a good one is among the few free lunches in the industry. What the broker saves you is mismatches, contract surprises and weeks on boats that photograph better than they behave.