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The rate-per-meter-per-week curve is the single most useful sanity check before signing a charter contract. As of May 2026, a peak-week charter rate in the Mediterranean lands between €5,000 per meter on the value end of the 40m segment and €18,000 per meter on the premium end of the 90m+ segment. The curve is not linear. It has two breakpoints that move the per-meter rate, and a third zone where the per-meter figure stops being a useful comparison.
This post sets out the curve, names yachts that price above and below the line, and explains what the breakpoints are.
The curve, peak Mediterranean 2026
| LOA range | Peak weekly rate range (EUR) | Per-meter rate range |
|---|---|---|
| 35m to 40m | €175K to €260K | €4,500 to €6,500/m |
| 40m to 50m | €230K to €395K | €5,200 to €8,500/m |
| 50m to 60m | €380K to €620K | €6,800 to €10,800/m |
| 60m to 70m | €550K to €895K | €8,200 to €13,000/m |
| 70m to 80m | €875K to €1.55M | €11,500 to €19,500/m |
| 80m to 90m | €1.45M to €2.25M | €16,500 to €25,000/m |
| 90m+ | €1.95M to €3.6M | €19,500 to €36,000/m |
Sources: aggregated from confirmed-charter weeks January through May 2026 across roughly 80 yachts. Numbers are peak season weekly rate before APA and VAT. The range is the spread between the value end and the premium end within each size band.
The first observation: the per-meter rate roughly doubles between the 40m segment and the 90m segment. That is not because the yacht is twice as good. It is because the cost structure scales non-linearly with size. Crew count, dockage fees, marina footprint, and provisioning per guest all rise faster than length.
The two breakpoints
The curve has two genuine breakpoints where the per-meter rate jumps. They are worth knowing because they tell you when the next meter of LOA is expensive and when it is roughly free.
The first breakpoint is at roughly 50m LOA. Below 50m, the yacht usually carries 8 to 11 crew. At 50m and above, the yacht typically carries 12 or more, with a chief engineer, a sous chef, and a junior officer or two added. That crew jump shows up in the rate. A 49m yacht and a 51m yacht are usually €30K to €60K apart per week, mostly because the 51m is staffed at 12 crew.
The second breakpoint is at roughly 70m LOA. Below 70m, the yacht is generally a 12-guest, six- or seven-cabin layout. At 70m and above, the yacht may still take 12 guests (the maximum charter allowance), but the cabin count, guest space ratio, and crew count expand sharply. A 69m yacht and a 75m yacht are usually €200K to €350K apart per week. The per-meter delta is bigger than anywhere else on the curve.
Above 90m, the per-meter rate stops being useful. The 90m+ segment is so thin that the variance within the segment exceeds the segment average. We do not publish a 100m+ per-meter benchmark because we do not believe in averaging six data points.
Yachts that price above the line
Three categories of yacht price above the segment per-meter average.
First, yachts with a strong booked-out calendar. M/Y Lana, the 107m Benetti, is the canonical example. Lana prices in the upper range of the 100m+ segment because the calendar fills 14 months ahead. We covered the over-booking dynamic in the Lana profile.
Second, yachts with a unique spec or differentiator. S/Y Black Pearl, the 106m Oceanco DynaRig sailing yacht, prices well above the motor yacht average for the segment because there is no comparable yacht. Sailing yachts at this size are not a category. They are individual yachts. We covered Black Pearl in the profile.
Third, yachts coming out of a recent major refit. A yacht with a 2024 or 2025 full refit in the 50m to 70m segment prices €30K to €80K above the pre-refit rate for two to three seasons after the refit. The premium amortizes over time. We covered the post-refit pricing dynamic separately.
Yachts that price below the line
Three categories.
First, yachts with a known issue the broker is around. We are not naming specific yachts in a public post but there are three yachts in the 55m to 70m segment in the 2026 Med fleet that are pricing 15% to 20% below the segment median. In all three cases the discount reflects a real issue (one is an interior the market does not like, one has a captain transition that the operator is managing carefully, one has had two charter complaints in the last two seasons). If you find a yacht pricing meaningfully below the curve and your broker cannot explain why, you should walk.
Second, yachts in their first commercial charter season. M/Y Aurelius (49m Sanlorenzo, first Caribbean season) is an example. First-season yachts often price 8% to 15% below the comparable second-season yacht because the operator wants the calendar to fill and the social proof to compound. This is a legitimate value play and not a red flag.
Third, yachts in a deep-shoulder rate band. Per-meter rates for the same yachts in October are 25% to 32% below the peak figure on the curve. The yacht is unchanged. The week is the discount.
How to use the curve
The curve is a quick-check tool. Three uses.
First, the sanity check. If a broker is quoting €750K peak for a 60m yacht and the segment range is €550K to €895K, the rate is mid-curve and not a flag. If a broker is quoting €1.1M for a 60m yacht, you should ask why. The answer might be a refit premium or a calendar premium. If the answer is not specific, walk.
Second, the trade-off check. Some clients have a fixed budget and want to know which size class fits. At €500K weekly, you are in the upper end of the 40m to 50m segment or the value end of the 50m to 60m segment. The 50m+ segment delivers more crew per guest, more deck volume, and more cabin space. The 40m to 50m segment is the more nimble platform with shallower draft and more anchorage flexibility. Pick the trade-off you actually care about. We covered the 55m sweet spot piece separately.
Third, the negotiation reference. If the yacht is at the upper end of the segment range, ask what justifies the premium. If the yacht is at the lower end, ask what does not justify a premium. Either question puts the rate conversation on a structural footing rather than a haggling one.
Caribbean curve differences
The Caribbean per-meter curve in peak (December peak and February peak) runs roughly 15% to 25% below the Med peak per-meter for the same yachts. Christmas and New Year week pricing runs 35% to 50% above peak base.
The cost structure reasons are the shorter season, lower marina costs in most Caribbean charter grounds, and lower crew gratuity expectations. The market reasons are that the Caribbean charter client is more price-sensitive than the Med peak client and the market clears at a lower per-meter level.
A 60m yacht running peak December in the BVI for USD $625K is at the segment median. The same yacht in peak August on the Riviera is at €750K. The delivered cost difference is real and recurring across the fleet.
What is not on the curve
Three things the per-meter curve does not capture and which you should price separately.
APA. The curve is rate only. APA is 25% to 35% on top, and 2 to 3 points of APA variance is worth €15K to €40K depending on yacht size. We covered the APA fuel pass-through separately.
VAT. Charter VAT varies by country and flag. French waters apply 20% VAT with offsets, Italian waters apply different rates, Greek waters apply a post-2022 charter tax, and Croatian waters apply boravisna pristojba. We covered country VAT in the Mediterranean VAT piece.
Crew gratuity. The cultural floor is 10% of charter fee on Med peak and 7% to 8% on Caribbean peak. On a €750K week, that is €52K to €75K. The curve does not include it.
Stack the three on a 60m Med peak week and the delivered cost is roughly 65% to 75% above the headline weekly rate.
Verdict
The per-meter curve is a useful sanity check and a useful negotiation reference. It is not a price for a specific yacht. Two yachts at the same LOA in the same segment can have a 30% rate difference for legitimate reasons. Use the curve as the comparison and ask the broker to explain where the specific yacht sits and why.
Passed on
We did not include sailing yachts in the per-meter curve because the sailing yacht charter market is thin enough that any per-meter average is misleading. Sailing yacht rates at equivalent LOA run 10% to 25% above motor yacht rates, with significant yacht-by-yacht variance. We covered the sailing yacht charter rates piece separately.
We did not include catamarans in the curve because the catamaran charter market operates at a different rate structure (smaller crews, lower per-meter rates, different cabin counts). We covered the catamaran rate piece separately.
CTA BLOCKS
Primary: "Inquire about a yacht in the right size class." Routes to the charter desk with the size-band quick filter. Secondary: Newsletter signup. Tertiary: Related-post grid linking to the 2026 H1 rate trends, the peak-versus-shoulder gap, the 50m segment rates, and the 60m sweet-spot piece.