US Man Buys Flat On Cruise Ship, Says It's Cheaper Than Purchasing A Home

With the cost of living and property prices rising every day, a man from the US has bought an apartment on a cruise ship, claiming it's more affordable than purchasing a house. According to Metro, Austin Wells from San Diego has bought a flat on board the MV Narratives, so he could travel the globe and work remotely.

Mr Wells revealed that he spent $300,000 (Rs 2.5 crore) on a 12-year lease for a studio apartment onboard the mega cruise ship. His 237 square foot room will feature a foldaway bed, pantry, desk and separate shower room.

Mr Wells believes this will cost him less than living in a city apartment. While an apartment in San Diego, California, would cost him around $2,500 (Rs 2,08,984), a cruise room will set him back $2,000 (Rs 1,67,187). So, he will end up saving $500 (Rs 41,796) every month. There's also an option of renting out his flat if he wants to take a trip back home or he can invite friends or family aboard for a month too.

''The thing that most excites me is I don't have to upend my daily routine, to go see the world,” Mr Wells earlier told CNBC.

''I'm going from this model where you want to go somewhere, you pack a bag, you get on a flight, you rent a room, to now my condo, my gym, my doctors and dentists, all of my grocery stores travel the world with me,'' he added.

He works at Meta's augmented and virtual reality division, Reality Labs, and his job is fully remote.

''My working hours will be shifted towards evenings, nights and very early mornings, but that does open up the ability for me to see a city from midday to afternoon. This is probably the first time that there is even the ability to have a standard job and even consider working and living from a floating apartment complex'', he further said. 

Mr Wells said he is hoping to make plenty of friends onboard seeing as he'll be ‘travelling the world with them'.

Notably, MV Narrative, owned by the Miami-based shipbuilding company Storylines, is a residential cruise ship made up of 500 private rooms and apartments.  The cruise boasts 20 dining restaurant and bar options, a microbrewery, a 10,000-book library, a movie theatre, three pools, a gym, an art studio and even an on-board doctor. The cruise, which is expected to take off in 2025, is set to visit Rome, Naples, Venice, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and Turkey.