An American man bought an apartment on a cruise ship by claiming it’s fairly cheaper than living on land.
“Austin Wells from San Diego paid $300,000 (£246,465) for a studio with a 12-year lease onboard the MV Narrative – a mega cruise ship with 500 private rooms and apartments,” The Sun reported.
“His 237 square foot entry-level room will include a foldaway bed, pantry, desk, and separate shower room.”
The 28-year-old claims he loves traveling but prefers to avoid the hassle of boarding on flights, jet lags, and disrupted routines. So, he decided to buy a studio apartment on a ship that would enable him to travel as much as possible.
According to CNBC, Wells will save up to $500 a month by living on the ship and getting permanent access to medical services, a gym, a private kitchen facility, a farmer’s market, and 24 hours room service.
“The thing that most excites me is I don’t have to upend my daily routine, in order to go see the world,” Austin 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.”
Wells, who works at Meta+’s augmented and virtual reality division, Reality Labs, said that his job is fully remote, and he doesn’t worry about work due to his new living arrangement.
“My working hours will be shifted towards evenings, nights, and very early mornings. But that does open up the ability for me to … maybe see a city midday to afternoon and then start my workday around six or 7 p.m.”
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.
There are nearly 20 restaurants and eating spaces on the cruise ship and several other facilities like a school, bank, swimming pool, cinema, whiskey bar, and library.
According to the San Diego native, the average rental price in his city is $2,500 (£2,053.88) per month. However, by living on the ship, he will be able to save money as he would have to pay $2000 (£1,643.10) every month – $500 less on rent alone.
Austin said he hopes to make new friends on board as he will travel a lot.
“We will be traveling around the world, so it’s better when you make some good friends along the way.”
According to The Sun, “The cruise ship will be home to around 1,000 residents when it launches in 2025.”
“A penthouse apartment on other luxury cruise ships can cost $20.5 million (£16.8 million).”
“The cruise ship will be divided into 11 different types of homes, including a Global residence, which will consist of two levels and have four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large balcony, a dining room, and a walk-in closet.”
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