Cost of Living in an RV

Is it more cost effective to live in an RV? What about a tiny house, or a small house? You would only be asking these questions if you were tired of the high cost of renting or being tired of spending all of your money on your mortgage and costly repairs. At least, that’s how I feel. Or maybe, you’re tired of living the 9 – 5 work schedule, and the same boring drive to and from work. Yup, I feel like that, too! Or maybe, you’re like me and you want to live on LESS, so you have more.

Whatever the reason, we’re all looking for solutions.

Since I am not a full time RV-er (yet), I will use our monthly budget in the house we are renting, and compare it to information I find at nearby campgrounds and on the internet. 

Rent: $1100  

Electric: $170                                          

Water: $160                                    

Cable and Internet: $150                               

Cell Phones: $170

Gas (stove and water heater): $45

Car Payment (1 car): $160

Car Insurance (2 cars): $200

Gas for Cars: $200

Food: $600

Miscellaneous (because there’s ALWAYS something): $100 - $150

TOTAL…..$3105………

That’s absolutely, I N S A N E!!!

Now, here’s the information I’m finding on the cost of living in an RV.

Rent: The only thing you will be renting will be a spot to park in or the loan on your RV (unless you have the money to pay for your rig up front). A monthly spot in a campground near me rents for $385 monthly. We have priced out some RV's, and we're probably looking at a loan payment between $300 and $500 (and that's guessing high). ($885)

Electric: Some camp sites include this with your utilities, but long-term residents are usually billed separately. The bill can range from $20 - $150. There are many variable that play into how much you might pay for electricity.

($50)

Water: Your water and sewer are covered in your lot fee, if you have to pay. Otherwise, your water is free.   

Cable and Internet: Again, this will be a personal decision for each person You can hook up cable through satellite TV or go without. You can also use the free WiFi from the campground or from coffee shops, fast food restaurants or other hot spots. I would definitely need to make sure we have top-notch internet service. I do everything online and I am deathly afraid that the WiFi provided by the sites may not cover everything we need for school, work and play. ($35)

Cell Phones: Again, that is a definite necessity for our family. ($170)

Propane: Depends on usage, but it typically runs around $20 - $45 per month. It all depends on how much you use your stove and generators. Since it's more fuel efficient to use electricity while connected at the site, don't use your generator and save on propane costs. ($30)

Gas for RV: this will depend on how much you want to travel!! 

Gas for the car: If you're only driving to the store and back, you could probably get away with low fuel costs. This is one of those costs that you can budget as needed. ($100)

RV Insurance: This seems to run people around $75 - $100. So, pretty much the same as 1 of our cars. ($200)

Food: My thought behind this varies. I'm not sure how much more or less this expense will be. The healthier we eat, the more expensive it is. I guess I won't know until we are on the road. ($600)

Miscellaneous: Like I said, "Something ALWAYS comes up!" :)  ($150)

TOTAL:.....$2220....

That's almost $1000 less than what it costs for us to live in our house. I used the higher values for the expenses, but I'm sure there could be more trimming done in the budget. All I know is that I won't really know, until we set our dreams into motion. 

I would love to hear about any advice, comments or suggestions you have to help us keep full-time RV living expenses down. I should also mention that we plan to buy brand new, so any repairs should be covered under warranty (except the normal wear and tear items)....right?? LOL

~~Sue~~