Living on a boat is not that big of a shock once you get used to it. The main differences are the limited space, and walk to car.
The inside of a boat is smaller than a house, there is no doubt about it. A large boat is still smaller than a comparably priced house or apartment. This means that you will have less space for stuff which means that you will have less stuff.
Having less stuff is great! It means you didn't have to waste your money buying all that stuff and can instead use your money for activities you can enjoy! Imagine if instead of spending money on dust collectors and clutter, you can save that money for a trip or a nice meal in a fancy restaurant.
The other benefit of less stuff is this directly translates into less stuff to clean. If you have a collection of figurines siting on a shelf, you need to purchase these collectibles, then you need to clean them and keep the dust off of them, lastly you need the space for them.
If you don't have the space for a shelf of delicate figurines, then you would never have had to spend the fortune to purchase them or the time to clean them. This little fortune can instead be spent on something like traveling and hotel stays. While you are on your trip, you won't have to worry about the dust collecting on the figurines while you are away!
Aside from the reduced interior volume, there is the walk to your car. If you live in a house, you might be accustomed to walking into your garage and hopping in into your car. If you live in an apartment, you might be accustomed to walking a bit further to reach your car, usually set in a parking garage or street parking. On a boat, your car will be parked on land and your home will be set in the water. To get between these two points you will walk down a pier where you will be surrounded by fish, birds and other fauna. Walking to your car is akin to walking through a natural park, surrounded by life as you leave your home and return to civilization and all of its rushing and stress.
This is where the most notable difference is between living ashore and living aboard exist.
