Man Buys Flat On Cruise Ship As It's Cheaper Than Home And He Can Travel The World

With the cost of living, mortgage rates and pretty much everything you can imagine getting more expensive by the day one man has come up with an unusual way to save some cash… 

28-year-old Austin Wells from San Diego is beating the cost of living crisis by ditching life on land and instead buying himself a flat on a cruise ship.

According to Austin, not only is it cheaper than buying property in California, it comes with the added bonus of enabling him to travel the world without ever leaving home - smart! 

Speaking to CNBC, Wells revealed that he spent $300,000 (£246,465) on a 12-year lease for a studio apartment onboard the MV Narrative.

The one current snag is that the ship is still under construction in Croatia and isn’t due to set sail until 2025 - but when it does it will boast 500 private rooms and apartments, with the one Wells has bagged spanning 237 square feet and features a desk, shower room, pantry and foldaway bed.

Full-time residents also get access not a private gym and farmer’s market, but also medical services, 24-hour room service and private kitchens.

The ship will also contain 20 restaurants and bars, a school, a library, a bank, a cinema and a swimming pool.

Wells said: “The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world.

“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 midday to afternoon.”

He added: "This is probably the first time ever that there is even the ability to have a standard job and even consider working and living from a floating apartment complex."

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

According to The Sun, on average, a flat in San Diego costs in the region of $2,500 (£2,053.88) per month while Wells’ room on the MV Narrative will set him back about $2,000 (£1,643.10) per month, which adds up to an instant saving of $500 (£410.77) on rent alone.

The paper notes that Alister Punton and Shannon Lee, the bosses of luxury residential ship brand Storyline, came up with MV Narrative because they ‘wanted to offer more affordable apartments for life at sea’.

Around 1,000 residents will call MV Narrative home when it sets sail in a couple of years and there’ll be 11 different types of home onboard.

Whether it’s Europe’s coolest unknown festivals, a gap year, or a trip home to see your family, TOTUM have got just the travel saving you’re looking for. It doesn’t matter if you’re going by train, plane or automobile, we’ll help you get where you need to go for less money, with less hassle!