US couple who sold 31 cars to live on cruise ship for 15 years share what the costs are really like after leaving Hawaii to sail around the world

This American couple traded their Hawaiian lifestyle for 15 years living on a cruise ship.

Lanette Canen and Johan Bodin have been sharing stories of their life out at sea on their YouTube channel.

It’s amassed them a sizable following online.

Speaking to Supercar Blondie, the couple opened up about the costs attached to their lifestyle.

Living life on a cruise ship sounds like a dream come true for many people

It seems like more and more people are opting to move away from land and take up residence on a cruise ship.

At the very least, it feels like more people on YouTube are making this bold decision.

One American woman made this choice and has since been sharing candid views about her expenses.

For one woman in Tennessee, selling everything she owned to live the high life on a cruise ship was a dream come true.

And sea living is only set to get easier, should this $16 billion floating city get the go-ahead.

Johan and Lanette have also taken up this lifestyle, which they document on their YouTube channel Living Life on a Cruise.

Speaking to Supercar Blondie, they reflected on their decision to live out at sea and the financial costs that have come along with that choice.

How did Lanette and Johan end up living out at sea?

Back in 2022, the couple headed on a European cruise.

Despite warnings that they would be ‘bored within three days’, they had a great time.

“We loved every second of it,” Johan told Supercar Blondie.

“We came back to Hawaii, and we kept getting bombarded with cruise offers.

“And then slowly but surely found these companies offering us the residential cruise lifestyle at affordable pricing.”

After weighing it up for a while, they decided to go for it.

Selling the 31 cars they had in their rental car business, they bought a cabin on board a ship and set sail.

The financial reality of living on a cruise ship

While living on a cruise sounds like many people’s idea of luxury, many will be daunted by the thought that it’s too costly a way to live.

Lanette and Johan – much like other cruise ship livers – have been very open about their finances.

In a video, they estimated that their monthly expenses came out at around $5,150 a month.

Having spent around 20 months out at sea, that comes to around $103,000.

In addition to the cabin they invested in, they’ve spent around $200,000 so far.

“[Some people] think we’re rich and we’re not at all,” Lanette said.

“We still work from the ship.”

Lanette owns an auto glass business in Arizona, and the couple also make money from their YouTube channel.

“We’re accidental YouTubers,” Johan admitted.

“We’re doing the best that we can and sharing this with everybody, because there are so many people in the world that just have never heard of this.”

The couple said that their living expenses have been sliced in half compared to what they were paying to live in Hawaii.

“We loved our life there. It was paradise,” Lanette said.

“I never thought we’d leave. Now we get to change countries every few days, and it’s even better.”

What should you be doing if you’re thinking of living like Lanette and Johan?

Along the way, many people have followed Lanette and Johan’s journeys.

But what advice would the couple offer to anyone who was considering following in their footsteps?

“Come and try it before you buy it,” Lanette said.

“You can come and try it for like a month. Definitely recommend that because it may not be for you.”

The couple have 13 years left on their cabin and they still have a lot left to see.