In recent years, “van life” has become the chosen style of living for many people across the USA. With the rise of social media, the nomadic lifestyle has become increasingly popular as more and more people choose to give up their home comforts for life on the road. With that, many become curious about how much it will cost to travel full-time in RV. If you are among them, continue reading.
There are tons of different benefits that you can enjoy when you travel full-time in RV. It is literally a lifestyle unlike any other. It allows you to be at one with nature in a way that many people can only dream of.
There is no denying that there are some drawbacks to living in an RV. In fact, there are some tasks around the “house” that you won’t particularly enjoy doing. But all in all, the nomadic lifestyle cannot be beaten.
If you are interested to travel full-time in RV, you might be wondering how much this lifestyle will cost. Like any lifestyle, the costs to travel full-time in RV will differ depending on the lifestyle (see also: Support Your RV Lifestyle: Earn Money And/Or A Free Rv Site As You Travel)choices you make.
But for most, it is an affordable lifestyle. Read on to find out more about how much it will cost for you to travel full-time in RV!
Is It Expensive To Live In Your RV?
First things first, let’s take a look at whether, or not, it is expensive to live in your RV. Well, the thing with the word “expensive” is that it is relevant to your personal situation. If you have a large amount of money in the bank, then you might not see something as “expensive”.
However, if you are living paycheck to paycheck, something as small as a trip to the movies could be considered “expensive”. When looking at the expense of living in an RV, the closest relative expense is living in a house.
Living in a house is the traditional way to live, and ultimately it is the style of living that most people will choose. In comparison to living in a house, living in an RV is significantly less expensive.
When you live in an RV, you will notice a huge difference in the expenses of living in a home. RV living is not only cheaper for day-to-day expenses but also for upkeep too.
There are a ton of taxes and bills you will have to pay when living in a home that you won’t need to pay when living in an RV. A lot of bills are cheaper in RV living than living in a house too.
You can move frequently when living in an RV, and this can allow you to chase cheaper costs across the country.
The cost to park up for the night is generally pretty cheap for RVs too. Hence, you will save a ton of money on these fees in comparison to paying rent or your mortgage for a home. So, in comparison to living in a house, no it isn’t expensive to live in your RV.
How Much Will It Cost You To Travel Full-Time In RV?
Now that we’ve established that living in your RV will allow you to live a cheaper lifestyle than living in a house, let’s take a look at how much it will cost you to travel full-time in RV month to month.
To help make this cost easier to understand, we have broken it down into different categories below.
Loan For RV/Truck/Car
Not everybody is in the privileged position to be able to pay cash for their RV. For many people, it is necessary to take out a loan to cover the cost of their RV.
Likewise, many people have to take out a loan in order to purchase a truck or car to tow their RV. However, if you own your RV and truck/car outright, then you can skip this point.
The average cost with interest included for the loan required for an RV comes with a monthly repayment of around $450 per month. In addition to this, you’d be looking at around $500 per month to pay off your truck/car loan.
If you already own either your RV or your truck/car then this will reduce your monthly fees significantly.
Gas And Propane
After loans, the next biggest fee you will have to pay to travel full-time in your RV is gas and propane. This is the one area where you will likely end up spending more monthly than if you were living in a house.
You will need gas to travel full-time in RV. The cost of this is constantly fluctuating so it really is impossible to give an average cost for gas. Likewise, you will use quite a lot of propane to heat your RV and prepare food/hot drinks.
Generally, you won’t go through more than 2 full 30-pound tanks of propane during the month. With that, the budget around $60 a month for propane is fine.
Campsite Fees
Campsite fees are a fairly gray area when it comes to RV living. That is because fees differ from campsite to campsite. Monthly fees to stay in a campsite tend to be pricier than the fees to stay for short periods, so you can generally keep costs down by traveling regularly.
More basic campsites will cost you around $300 a month. If you go for advanced campsites with lots of amenities, the price will be higher. So bear this in mind when looking for places to stay.
Food and Drink
Food and drink will cost you however much you want it to. But one great way to keep costs down is to prepare your own meals. The average weekly food shop can cost anywhere from $50-100, so bear this in mind when calculating monthly costs.
Phone, Internet, and Entertainment
If you want advanced entertainment systems, then your bill for this combined with your phone and internet will likely average around $350-400 per month.
Insurance
It is incredibly important to have insurance. You will need vehicle insurance and health insurance. Vehicle insurance will differ depending on your State and your car, so bear this in mind when purchasing a truck/car.
Likewise, health insurance will be personal to you and your own health, so it is impossible to calculate an average cost.
Repair Budget
Finally, you need to have a repair budget at all times. Ideally, you will need anywhere between 50 and a couple of hundred dollars to pay for repairs. So, it is best to save this fund month on month to pay for repairs when they are eventually needed.
Summary
In short, traveling full-time in your RV isn’t as costly as you might expect. There are a lot of very expensive upfront costs, such as purchasing your own RV or converting a van to make it livable.
But, once these upfront costs are covered, you will generally be able to save a lot of money by living in a van. Van life isn’t something that you should choose just as a way to save money.
This lifestyle isn’t for everyone, and you should really only go for it if you are interested in this style of life. However, there is no denying that living in your RV will save you money in comparison to living in a traditional home. Thanks for reading!
My name is Eddie, and I am an RV enthusiast! I have enjoyed traveling all my life, and want to give my family the same opportunities to see as much of the world as possible.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered how great RVs can be for vacations with a young family. Here at RV Lifestyle Experts, I want to share my experiences, the tips I’ve picked up along the way. I hope that our guides can encourage you to try the RV lifestyle. I promise you that you won’t regret it!
My name is Eddie, and I am an RV enthusiast! I have enjoyed traveling all my life, and want to give my family the same opportunities to see as much of the world as possible.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve discovered how great RVs can be for vacations with a young family. Here at RV Lifestyle Experts, I want to share my experiences, the tips I’ve picked up along the way. I hope that our guides can encourage you to try the RV lifestyle. I promise you that you won’t regret it!
