Timeshare vs Paying-Per-Trip Calculator
Example: Timeshare purchase price: 20000 $ · Years you will own it: 15 · Annual maintenance fee: 1200 $ · Maintenance fee growth per year: 5 % · Cost to book the trip yourself: 1800 $ · Trips per year: 1
| Timeshare saves per year | $-1,153 |
| Annualized timeshare cost | $2,953 |
| Annual pay-per-trip cost | $1,800 |
Worked example
A $20,000 timeshare held 15 years spreads to about $1,333 a year in purchase cost. With a $1,200 maintenance fee growing 5% annually, the average fee over the hold is roughly $1,620, so the total annualized cost is about $2,953. Booking one $1,800 trip a year yourself costs $1,800. Here the timeshare costs about $1,153 more per year — a negative saving that shows why paying per trip often wins.
Frequently asked questions
Why do maintenance fees matter so much?
Maintenance fees are charged every year whether you use the timeshare or not, and they typically rise faster than inflation. Over a long hold they often exceed the purchase price, which is why this tool grows them each year rather than holding them flat.
Does a timeshare have resale value?
Many timeshares resell for a small fraction of their purchase price, and some are hard to give away because the fees transfer with them. This tool assumes you consume the purchase over the hold; if you expect meaningful resale, treat the result as conservative.
When can a timeshare make sense?
It can work if you would genuinely take the same trip every year, you buy on the resale market for far less than retail, and the maintenance fee is low relative to comparable rentals. Even then, run this comparison with honest numbers first.
What about exchange and booking flexibility?
Booking your own trips lets you change destinations, dates, and budgets freely, while timeshares can lock you into a location or a points system with availability limits. That flexibility has real value beyond the dollar comparison.