Charter destinations compared, head to head
Croatia vs Greece, BVI vs Bahamas, Greece vs Turkey and more: price, weather, licence and distances side by side, with a verdict by traveller type. Sourced.
Pairs compared
6
destination pairs, plus boat types
Cheapest 12-month mean in these pairs
€5,407
Croatia, per week (our arithmetic)
Checked
29 Oct 2026
prices, rules and our calculations
We compare six destination pairs and catamaran vs monohull with the same sourced data: 12 Knots prices, NASA POWER and NOAA weather, official licence rules and our published rules. Over the year the cheaper side is Croatia, BVI, Greece and Turkey about the same, Croatia, Mallorca and Thailand, but the cheaper side in July and August differs for Croatia vs Greece, BVI vs Bahamas and Greece vs Turkey.
Checked 29 Oct 2026. Prices are 12 Knots' average asking prices (updated October 2026); verdicts follow our published rules (how we decide); facts are labelled (labels).
Head-to-head comparisons
| Comparison | Cheaper over the year | Cheaper in July–August | Families (our method) | First charter (licence) | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia vs Greece | Croatia | About the same | Greece | About the same | Read |
| BVI vs Bahamas | BVI | About the same | Bahamas | About the same | Read |
| Greece vs Turkey | About the same | Turkey | About the same | About the same | Read |
| Croatia vs Italy | Croatia | Croatia | Italy | About the same | Read |
| Mallorca vs Ibiza | Mallorca | Mallorca | No pick | About the same | Read |
| Thailand vs French Polynesia | Thailand | Thailand | No pick | French Polynesia | Read |
"About the same" = within 5% on price or 5 points on a score; "No pick" = our rule cannot decide (partial or shared data). Each cell is our rule applied to the data.
| Boat type | Catamaran vs sailboat, Croatia | Greece | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran vs monohull | 2.3× | 2.2× | Read |
Ratio = catamaran ÷ sailboat weekly average, Mali brodari 2026 (Mali brodari, checked 28 Oct 2026); our calculation.
Other comparisons
Compare any two destinations
For other pairs, our free MCP tool compare_destinations and the JSON API return the same figures for any 2–6 of our 10 destinations (for AI and developers). The best time, true cost and licence hubs compare all 10 in one table.
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How we decide
- V1. On a budget, flexible dates: the side with the lower 12-month mean of 12 Knots' average weekly asking prices (our arithmetic). A gap under 5% of the lower mean is "about the same" (our choice).
- V2. Fixed dates: no single pick. We list the months in which each side has the lower 12 Knots price (our arithmetic).
- V3. Summer holidays: the side with the lower mean of the July and August prices; a gap under 5% of the lower figure is "about the same" (our choice).
- V4. Christmas and New Year: the side with the lower December price; a gap under 5% is "about the same".
- V5. Families with children: the higher best-month family score on our published method (calm wind, short hops, warm sea, season); scores within 5 points are a tie (our choice). No pick where a score is partial (Thailand) or both sides share one dataset (Mallorca and Ibiza).
- V6. First charter without a sailing licence: the side whose licence regime is lower in the order none, résumé, not confirmed, licence required (our classification of the sources); the same regime is a tie. Beginner scores on our method are printed beside it.
- V7. Steady wind or calm: no single pick. We print each side's force 6 days per year (22 kn or more, NASA POWER, 2016–2025, our calculation) and which side has more; a gap within 2 days is a tie (our choice).
- V8. Warm water, snorkelling: the side with more months at 24 °C or more by NOAA's mean sea temperature at our reference point; equal counts are a tie.
- V9. Seasonal weather risk: no pick. We quote each side's weather-risk answer and link its page.
- V10. Fishing from the boat: no pick. We quote each side's licence rule and any warning from our fishing pages.
Constants (our choices): price ties under 5% of the lower figure; score ties within 5 points; wind ties within 2 force 6 days.
Verdicts are our rules applied to the data, not a ranking by any source. Means, differences, per-person totals, distances and verdicts are our arithmetic or our rules.
Data: JSON.
How to read the labels
- [Secondary source]: From a newspaper, NGO, guide or tour operator; not official.
- [Not verified]: We could not confirm it. We leave it open rather than guess.
- No label: Read in an official text: government, park authority, ministry or official tourism board.
- our arithmetic: a mean, a difference, a percentage or a per-person total we calculated from the cited figures.
- our calculation: a distance, a weather mean or a day count we calculated from NASA POWER, NOAA or OpenStreetMap data.
- our rule: a verdict. Every "better pick" is a published rule applied to the data (see how we decide), not a ranking by any source.
- our choice: a reference point, an airport or a tie band.
None of this is a forecast, a safety rating or a recommendation to book a particular boat.
Sources
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in Croatia (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in Greece (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- NASA POWER: Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources: Monthly API (T2M, WS10M) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- DHMZ (Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service): Climate of Croatia: general characteristics (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Tyrlis & Lelieveld, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences: Climatology and dynamics of the summer Etesian winds over the eastern Mediterranean (2013, 70(11): 3374–3396) (reference, not official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- The Globe Sailor: What it really costs to charter a yacht (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- OpenStreetMap (Nominatim geocoder): Nominatim search API: coordinates of airports and the Palma reference point (secondary, not official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- NASA POWER: Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources: Daily API (WS10M_MAX, WD10M) and Monthly API (PRECTOTCORR) (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Met Office: Beaufort wind force scale (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Croatian Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure (MMPI): Recognised certificates for operating boats and yachts (table, May 2026 version) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- Croatian Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure (MMPI): Nautics: chartering and foreign-flagged vessels (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- Anchor (formerly Helm): What qualifications do I need to charter a yacht? (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- RYA: Evidence of competence abroad (ICC) (reference, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- The Moorings: Experience guide: Level 3 sail (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- Island Sailing: Yacht charter Greece: qualifications (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- Mali brodari: Croatia has more charter boats than Greece, but earns less (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in the BVI (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in the Bahamas (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical cyclone climatology (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: Glossary of NHC terms (tropical storm, hurricane, hurricane season) (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: Atlantic hurricane database HURDAT2, 1851–2025 (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Caribbean bareboat charter requirements: do you need a sailing licence? (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in Turkey (secondary, not official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- Turkish Official Legislation Information System (mevzuat.gov.tr): Deniz Turizmi Yönetmeliği (Maritime Tourism Regulation), art. 34, consolidated text (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in Italy (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- Normattiva (Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers): D.lgs. 171/2005, Codice della nautica da diporto, art. 39 (Patente nautica) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT): Decreto interministeriale 146 of 29/07/2008, art. 34 (command of pleasure craft by foreigners) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in Mallorca (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in Ibiza (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- BOE (Spanish Official State Gazette): Real Decreto 875/2014 on nautical licences for recreational craft, consolidated text (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- Govern de les Illes Balears (CAIB): Decreto 25/2018, de 27 de julio, sobre la conservación de la Posidonia oceanica en las Illes Balears (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- MITECO (Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition), National Parks network: Archipiélago de Cabrera: usos compatibles (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in Thailand (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- 12 Knots: Catamaran charter in French Polynesia (Tahiti) (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- Tahiti Tourisme: Tahiti weather (secondary, not official), checked 27 Oct 2026.
- Land Development Department, Thailand: General climatic condition (monsoons) (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Météo-France Polynésie: Climat de la Polynésie (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- Météo-France Polynésie: Perspectives pour la saison chaude 2026-2027 (official), checked 29 Oct 2026.
- DPAM, Government of French Polynesia: Arrêté n° 668 AM of 8 July 1993 on the conduct of motor pleasure craft (consolidated) (official), checked 28 Oct 2026.
Method: methodology. Data: JSON.
More
Frequently asked questions
Is Croatia or Greece cheaper?
Mean of 12 Knots' monthly prices: €5,407 in Croatia and €6,319 in Greece a week (16.9% apart, our arithmetic); cheapest month March (€3,558) in Croatia and March (€4,527) in Greece. Cheaper by month (12 Knots, our arithmetic): Croatia: all 12 months; Greece: no month. More: Croatia vs Greece.
Which Caribbean destination is cheaper, the BVI or the Bahamas?
Mean of 12 Knots' monthly prices: €8,200 in the BVI and €8,965 in the Bahamas a week (9.3% apart, our arithmetic); cheapest month September (€6,816) in the BVI and September (€6,591) in the Bahamas. Cheaper by month (12 Knots, our arithmetic): The BVI: October to July; The Bahamas: August and September. More: BVI vs Bahamas.
Is a catamaran or a monohull cheaper to charter?
A catamaran charter costs about 2.3× a monohull's in Croatia and 2.2× in Greece per week on Mali brodari's 2026 averages (€6,258 vs €2,753 and €7,586 vs €3,425; ratios our arithmetic). More: catamaran vs monohull.
Can I compare destinations that are not listed here?
Yes: the free MCP tool compare_destinations and the JSON API return the same figures for any 2–6 of our 10 destinations. See for AI and developers.