US woman living full-time on a cruise ship breaks down the exact monthly costs and budget required compared to living on land
Published on Nov 10, 2026 at 5:44 AM (UTC-5)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Nov 10, 2026 at 5:44 AM (UTC-5)
Edited by
Mason Jones
An American woman has broken down the monthly costs that come with living full-time on a cruise ship.
Lynnelle, the host of YouTube channel Poverty to Paradise, has been very open about her experiences living out at sea.
And that candor was going to continue as she ran the numbers on her living expenses.
If anybody was contemplating a cruise ship lifestyle, she had all the figures people needed to know.
Why are more people deciding to live life on a cruise ship?
In recent years, more and more people are opting to leave life on land behind them.
Whether it’s a retired couple backing 51 back-to-back cruises or a young couple selling all they owned, there’s a lot of diversity among this group.
Among those living out at sea, some of them have taken to being content creators to discuss the pros and cons of the lifestyle.
One such creator is Lynnelle, who runs the YouTube channel Poverty to Paradise.
She’s covered a whole host of topics on her channel from costs to ‘dark truths’.
What did this YouTuber have to factor into her monthly budget?
Lynnelle was currently on a 35-day Holland America Zaandam cruise ship, traveling from San Diego across the Pacific.
To give you an idea of what a good deal she’d gotten on this cruise, she’d spent more getting from Los Angeles to San Diego to board the ship.
She’d found a deal that would cover her going to Hawaii, Tahiti, and Bora Bora.
Ultimately, she paid $560, with $100 coming back to her as onboard credit and $100 in free casino play.
Her budget was usually $2,500, but for this trip it was $3,083.
Would she ultimately end up spending over or under that amount?
How much was this American woman spending on her cruise?
Perhaps the biggest expense she had to grapple with was her wi-fi, which cost $883.
But as a content creator, this was a non-negotiable.
Other expenses including $454 for a flight back to Atlanta for Thanksgiving.
It says a lot about how little she spent on this trip that $30 on distilled water was her biggest regret.
All in all, she’d spent $2,651, factoring in costs on both sides of the trip (Traveling to San Diego, traveling back home).
“The point is not for you to live on cruise ships or to have a YouTube channel,” Lynnelle said.
“The point is that we can all build a life that we love by living within our means.”
Between now and April 2028, she had 45 cruises booked in.
We don’t know about you, but that sounds like the good life to us.
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Ben joined Supercar Blondie in February 2025 after being published by international organizations including LADbible, The Sun, the New York Post, and the Daily Mail. He covers supercars, rare and collectible vehicles, aviation, luxury assets, and the fascinating people behind them. His reporting has explored everything from seven-figure supercars and historic Ferrari collections to unusual aircraft adventures and extraordinary automotive discoveries from around the world. Ben has also gained first-hand insight into vehicle craftsmanship and customization, including visiting specialist workshops to see bespoke vehicles up close.
