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Cruise lovers, rejoice! It’s actually cheaper
to cruise nonstop for an entire year than to pay rent and live in many major
U.S. cities. That’s the latest finding of a study by cruise search engine
CruiseWatch.com.
 According
to the study, citizens of Honolulu would save $7,518 per person each year if
they went on continuous cruises in 2017. San Francisco residents would save
$7,154, Los Angelenos $2,058 and Stamford, Conn., residents, $3,878. New Yorkers
topped the list with a savings of $10,430 for traveling the high seas nonstop.
CruiseWatch calculated how much an average person would spend for things like
housing, transportation, utilities and other everyday living expenses. This
averaged around $637 per week for an average household size of 2.5 people in New
York City. “Currently, the best available prices for the cheapest cruises in our
database average around $313.25 per week, which represents a significant savings
of $323.75 per week,” the company said in a press release.
The cruise prices used for comparison were accurate as of June 16, 2016 and
reflect costs for a two-person interior cabin. Ocean view rooms and suites would
cost more.
To conduct the study, the company tapped data, including five years’ worth of
cruise price information, to gain a historical perspective on how cruise prices
fluctuate throughout the year. CruiseWatch.com also relied on data from the 2012
U.S. Census to calculate the current cost of living in 132 U.S. cities.
The findings aren’t all that surprising, given several housing studies have
found rent is becoming increasingly burdensome for many consumers. A recent
study from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, for
instance, found the number of renters devoting at least half of their individual
income to rent hit a shocking all-time high in 2014 — 11.4 million.
You may be able to save on rent by negotiating with a landlord, signing a longer
lease, finding a roommate or opting for a smaller space.
And, in the meantime, if you’re looking to save on a cruise — whether for a week
or a year — it’s a good idea to see if your credit card rewards can help pay for
part of your trip. |
