Day charter rates · 2026
How much does it cost to rent a yacht for a day?
The cost to rent a yacht for a day runs $200 to $15,000. Miami is the cheapest entry point at $200 for a full day. Cabo San Lucas tops the list at $15,000 for a large motor yacht. Day rates are all-in: no APA, just the rate plus local tax and a 10–18% crew tip. A day rental is a short-form yacht charter: the same private yacht model as a week-long booking, priced by the day instead of the week.
Miami — estimated total
$854
Full day (8 h) · mid range
- Base $700 (82%)
- APA $0 (0%)
- Tax $49 (6%)
- Tip $105 (12%)
High season: Dec–Apr. Tax note: FL sales tax approx — verify.
Yacht rental cost per day, by destination
The cost to charter a yacht for a day breaks down the same way across all eight markets below. Full-day means 8 hours on the water. Half-day rates below are half the full-day rate — the floor most operators charge. Within each range, boat length sets most of the charter cost: the low end is the smallest boat in the fleet, the high end is 80 ft and up.
| Destination | Half day (4 h) | Full day (8 h) | Week | Local tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | $100–$600 | $200–$1,200 | $10,000–$80,000 | ~7% |
| New York City | $900–$5,000 | $1,800–$10,000 | — | 8.875% |
| Cabo San Lucas | $600–$7,500 | $1,200–$15,000 | — | 16% |
| Cancún | $125–$3,250 | $250–$6,500 | — | 16% |
| Dubai | $250–$2,500 | $500–$5,000 | $5,400–$68,500 | 5% |
| British Virgin Islands | $400–$3,000 | $800–$6,000 | $5,000–$60,000 | 0% |
| Bahamas | $500–$4,000 | $1,000–$8,000 | $8,000–$150,000 | 14% |
| Greece | €300–€2,500 | €600–€5,000 | €1,500–€100,000 | 12% |
Yacht rental prices above come from published marketplace and broker listings. Weekly column spans the cheapest sailing yacht to the most expensive motor yacht where weekly charters operate. Miami lists yachts available through three booking partners — Boatsetter, GetMyBoat and Boatbookings — more than any other market in this table.
What moves a day rate up or down
Four factors set the rental price inside each destination's range. Boat length is the big one: the jump from a 40 ft boat to an 80 ft luxury yacht multiplies the rate, not adds to it. Miami's $200–$1,200 spread is exactly that jump.
Season is the second. High season — December to April in Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean, May to September in New York — books out first and prices at the top of the range. The same boat discounts in shoulder months.
Duration is the third: a 4-hour block costs about half an 8-hour day, so two half-days cost the same as one full day. If you want sunset hours specifically, expect full-rate pricing — those slots sell out. A day charter also runs a fixed itinerary: one destination, no overnight stops, unlike a week-long charter that moves the boat between islands or anchorages each day.
The fourth is what the quote leaves out. US day rates usually include captain and fuel for a standard route, then add sales tax (~7% in Florida, 8.875% in New York City, 16% in Mexico) and tip (15–18% in the US, 10% in Dubai). A $700 Miami day quote lands at $854 once tax and tip are in. This rate-then-tax- then-tip order is standard across yachting, whether you are booking a day rental or a week-long charter. The calculator on this page runs that math per destination.
Destinations that also sell by the week — Miami, Dubai, BVI, Bahamas and Greece, per the table above — price that format differently. A 30–40% APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance) applies instead of tax-and-tip-only pricing: a provision for fuel, food and beverage across the week, refunded if unused. Day rates skip APA entirely — the day price is all-in once tax and tip are added.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to rent a yacht for a day?
A full-day yacht charter (8 hours) costs $200–$15,000 depending on destination and boat. Miami starts at $200. New York City runs $1,800–$10,000. Cabo San Lucas: $1,200–$15,000. Cancún: $250–$6,500. Dubai: $500–$5,000. Add local tax and a 10–18% tip.
How much does it cost to rent a yacht for half a day?
Half-day rentals (4 hours) run about half the full-day rate: $100–$600 in Miami, $600–$7,500 in Cabo San Lucas, $900–$5,000 in New York City. Operators price half days at half the full-day rate or slightly above, so treat these figures as the floor.
How much does a yacht rental cost per hour?
Divide the day rate by 8 for a rough hourly figure: $25–$150 per hour in Miami at the low end, up to $1,875 per hour for a top luxury yacht in Cabo San Lucas. Most operators sell 4-hour minimum blocks, not single hours.
Do day yacht rentals include a captain?
Rates for larger private yachts are normally quoted with captain and crew. Small boats on marketplaces like Boatsetter and GetMyBoat list with or without captain — the listing states it. Tip the crew 10–18% of the rate either way.
Is it cheaper to rent a yacht for a week than by the day?
Per day, yes. A $1,200-per-day Miami boat costs $8,400 across 7 days, while weekly charters in Miami start at $10,000 for a sailing yacht — but the weekly boat is a different class. Where both formats exist, the weekly rate per day undercuts the day rate for comparable boats.