Man buys flat on cruise ship because it’s cheaper than home

The housing crisis pushes people to all sorts of lengths

Rather than hedging his bets and attempting to buy a traditional on-land residence in his hometown of San Diego, Austin Wells has decided to purchase a flat onboard a cruise ship.

While speaking to CNBC, Wells explained that he has spent $300,000 (£238,000) on a studio onboard the MV Narrative.

For this price, he gets to lease the space for 12 years, and gets access to amenities onboard, including a private gym, farmer’s market, medical amenities and private kitchens.

He will also be able to make use of the ship's 24-hour room service, school, library, bank, cinema, swimming pool and the 20 different eateries onboard.

Although the boat is still under construction and won't be setting sail until 2025, it is set to host 500 apartments and rooms.

In Wells' space, he is due to have 237 square feet of space, which will include a desk, shower room, pantry and foldaway bed.

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

"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.”

The 28-year-old continued: "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."

The Sun reports that Wells' plan does in fact work out cheaper than renting in his home city.

The outlet says a flat in San Diego can set you back $2,500 (£1,980) per month, whereas a room onboard the MV Narrative costs just $2,000 (£1,587) per month.