How Much Was A Ticket On The Titanic?

White Star Line’s RMS Titanic, a British passenger ship, sank over a century ago on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. This tragic event has captivated people’s interest worldwide, with many wondering about various aspects of the luxurious ocean liner, including the cost of a ticket to board the ill-fated ship.

How much was a ticket on the Titanic?

Back in 1912, ticket prices on the Titanic varied depending on the class of accommodation. A First Class Suite ticket cost around £870 (equivalent to $4,350 at the time), a First Class Berth was £30 ($150), Second Class was £12 ($60), and a Third Class ticket was £7 ($35).

Keep reading to learn more about Titanic’s ticket prices.

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How Much Was a Ticket on the Titanic?

Rms titanic colorized in 1912 sailing out of Southampton England

The Titanic offered three classes of tickets to cater to passengers with varying budgets in 1912. These ticket classes consisted of First Class, Second Class, and Third Class accommodations, each with its range of amenities, prices, and experiences.

Below is a chart showing the different ticket prices in 1912 and 2023 when accounting for inflation.

Class	Price in 1912 (£)	Price in 1912 ($)	Price in May 2023 (£)	Price in May 2023 ($)
First Class Suite	£870	$4,350	£81,671.44	$136,686.85
First Class Berth	£30	$150	£2,816.26	$4,702.99
Second Class	£12	$60	£1,126.50	$1,881.20
Third Class	£7	$35	£657.13	$1,097.37

When looking at the ticket prices in today’s dollars, the cruise fares aren’t much different when you compare the Titanic to a cruise ship.

First Class

replica ticket and boarding pass for the titanic on a wooden table

The wealthiest passengers on the Titanic purchased first-class tickets, with prices ranging from £30 to £870, depending on the type of accommodation chosen. In today’s currency, this equates to £28,816.26 and £81,671.44.

These luxurious options included private suites and berths, offering travelers the epitome of comfort and elegance. The first-class staterooms rivaled many of the high-end hotels of the era.

Historians estimate that there were around 324 passengers on Titanic’s maiden voyage.

Some of the amenities and features First Class passengers could enjoy included a Turkish bath, indoor swimming pool, squash courts, gyms, shuffleboard, chess, and more. First-class guests also accessed the Titanic’s poop deck, providing ample open-air space.

Second Class

Second Class tickets were priced more moderately and aimed at middle-class travelers. Priced at £12, or approximately $60 in 1912, today’s equivalent cost is around £1,126.50. While this ticket class didn’t offer first-class luxury, it still provided passengers comfortable accommodations, a dining room, and lounges.

There were 284 second-class passengers on the Titanic’s maiden voyage.

Second Class travelers were treated to private cabins, though less large or ornate than those reserved for the First Class passengers. Additionally, they had shared bathroom facilities.

These guests enjoyed a good range of amenities like smoking rooms and a library to make their journey enjoyable.

Third Class

Lastly, Third Class tickets catered to the needs of lower-income passengers and were the most affordable of all ticket classes. These tickets were £7, roughly equal to $35 or £657.13 in today’s currency.

The cost of a third-class ticket was around 7% of a skilled working man’s annual wage in England. Many third-class passengers were looking to begin a new life in America.

The accommodations in this class were more basic and consisted of shared facilities, including communal bathrooms.

The third class was the largest group on the ship, with around 709 third-class guests sailing on the Titanic’s maiden voyages. Most of the 107 kids who sailed on the Titanic were third-class passengers.

Despite the lower cost, the Titanic still provided third-class passengers with more comfortable accommodations than those found aboard many other ships of the time. They had access to basic amenities, shared restrooms, and a dining area.

While the Third Class experience was not as refined or luxurious as the higher classes, it still allowed passengers a safer and more comfortable journey across the Atlantic than many options available at the time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Was The Most Expensive Ticket On The Titanic?

The most expensive ticket on the Titanic was for a first-class suite, costing £870, but it was unoccupied during the Titanic’s first sailing. In today’s currency, this amount would be equivalent to over £81,000 in today’s pounds.

The most expensive ticket purchased for the Titanic was believed to be £512 (2,560) or £48,064.11 ($80,264.45) in today’s value.

Who Was The Richest Passenger On The Titanic?

The richest passenger aboard the Titanic was John Jacob Astor IV, an American businessman with an estimated net worth of around $87 million, which would be equivalent to nearly $2.7 billion in today’s currency.

Astor was accompanied on the voyage by his 19-year-old pregnant wife, Madeleine, after their vacation in Egypt and Europe. Tragically, John Jacob Astor IV did not survive the sinking of the Titanic, but his wife was able to board one of the lifeboats and was later rescued by the RMS Carpathia.