This couple made a move that financial advisers rarely suggest: living on a cruise ship — and the numbers actually worked out

“This is the best decision we could’ve made, and we’re definitely a lot happier,” Katrina told People. “We realized this is more affordable, and we’re actually saving money while travelling.”

It sounds like a financial stretch. But it begs the question: How could the math work for the average Canadian household?

How living on a cruise ship compares to life on land

The Middletons didn’t arrive at this decision overnight. It was the result of a multi-step financial reset — one that started when they sold a larger home in September 2025 for over US$400,000 (C$736,000) and downsized, curbing spending and building extra capital along the way (1). Once they sold their downsized home in February, they set a course for the high seas.

Katrina, 29, works as a marketing manager and Kevin, 43, is an IT consultant (1). Their jobs are based on U.K. hours, which means that when they’re at sea, they occasionally need to wake up at any odd hour to log on from whatever time zone the ship happens to be crossing at the time.

Their monthly fixed costs in the U.K. had been significant: more than US$3,000 (C$5,520) a month on their two cars, over US$1,700 (C$3,128) on their mortgage and almost US$800 (C$1,472) on energy (1). Add to that property taxes, groceries, gym memberships and dining out — and the number climbed quickly.

For Canadians, those figures may hit close to home. According to Statistics Canada’s most recent Survey of Household Spending from 2023 (but released in 2025), the average Canadian household spent C$76,750 on goods and services in a year — with shelter alone consuming 32.1% of that total, followed by transportation at 15.8% and food at 15.7% (2). For homeowners carrying a mortgage, shelter costs averaged C$38,718 annually — or roughly C$3,226 a month.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and StatCan use a benchmark of 30% of before-tax household income as the key affordability threshold for shelter. Many Canadians are already at or beyond that line (3).

Aboard the Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas — a 1,181-foot-long ship that holds up to 6,300 guests (4) — the Middletons’ all-in monthly spend looks much different. Their fare, accommodations, food and onboard entertainment run about US$5,200 (C$9,568). WiFi costs US$460 to US$525 (C$847 to C$966), and shore excursions can range from $0 to about US$400 (C$736).

“My love for cruises started a long time ago, but I think we love the fact you unpack once and you get to see the world,” Katrina said.

There are trade-offs, of course. The couple misses family and home-cooked meals, and they manage time zone logistics using a spreadsheet so they can log on to work at the right hour.

“When you’re home, you never fully switch off and you’re still in that environment,” Katrina said. “On the cruise, there’s less stress.”

Why more Canadians are exploring unconventional living options

The Middletons’ story resonates far beyond Scotland. Housing affordability, grocery costs and rising household overhead are squeezing budgets in Canada, too — and may cause some to investigate unconventional approaches to where and how they live.

Canada’s headline inflation rate fell to 1.8% year-over-year in February 2026, according to StatCan — down from 2.3% in January — though food inflation remained elevated and energy prices have climbed in recent months (5). Food prices are forecast to rise another 4% to 6% in 2026, potentially adding close to $1,000 more annually in groceries for a typical family of four (6).

The Middletons are not a unique case. CNN Travel reported Sharon Lane, a retired California teacher who made the Villa Vie Odyssey her home in July 2025 — part of a growing trend of retirees and early retirees contemplating life at sea (7). Closer to home, StatCan reported that cruise arrivals at Canadian ports totalled 1.9 million in 2025, as interest in extended cruise travel continues to grow among Canadians (8).

For most, the appeal isn’t the high seas per se — it’s the idea of collapsing dozens of fixed monthly costs into a single, fixed number. The Middletons’ story highlights how much of any household budget can be tied up in costs that feel unavoidable: mortgage or rent, car payments, utilities, food, subscriptions and gym memberships. Bundled differently, those same dollars might go further.

For a small group of travellers, life at sea may genuinely work. For most Canadians, though, the smarter move may be identifying where those fixed costs are hiding — and finding ways to bring the bundled savings back to shore.

What Canadians can take away from the Middletons’ story

You don’t have to sell your home and book a cruise to take advantage of the lesson here. The Middletons’ experience points to a set of financial principles that are just as relevant on land as they are at sea.

Do a fixed-cost audit. List every recurring monthly expense — mortgage or rent, car payments, insurance, subscriptions, utilities, gym memberships and food. Many Canadians underestimate how much of their income goes to fixed costs before they spend a single discretionary dollar.