Battlecruiser operating economics

Were battlecruisers more expensive to build and operate than battleships?

Construction depended on the design, but operating costs were often similar and some battlecruisers cruised efficiently at reduced power.

Crew sizes were broadly comparable with those of battleships, so the operating bill did not automatically rise simply because a ship was called a battlecruiser. High fuel consumption appeared chiefly when the machinery was used to sustain high speed. At ordinary passage speed, much of the boiler plant could be shut down. Long, relatively narrow hulls also reduced resistance and could produce an efficient cruising regime. Construction cost still depended on the individual design, but speed did not require the ship to burn fuel at its maximum rate on every voyage.