Cost of Living in an RV

September 04, 2018

Nothing could be quite as much fun as getting to live an RV for awhile and explore the countryside. Life in an RV is actually more cost-friendly than paying a house mortgage, a car note, an electricity bill, an HOA fee, and the various other costs that come with having a sedentary home. However, this doesn’t mean that RV living is free, as life on the road has requirements of its own.

Payments and Parking

If you haven’t paid for your RV in full, you’ll have to make monthly payments until you have, just like a car note. When you’re on the road, you might get lucky enough to find free parking somewhere. Most of the time though, RV parks with waste hookups can cost $30 and up to park depending on where you go. If you’re planning to stay somewhere for a semi-permanent amount of time, you can easily pay a month to month fee like you would with an apartment.

Insurance for the Family, and the RV

Just because you don’t live in a regular house doesn’t mean that personal health and hygiene falls to the wayside. You still have to take care of dental appointments, vision, checkups for prescription medications and so on. The average cost per person per month is somewhere around $150 to $250 depending on their needs and other personal factors.

Groceries

No matter where you are, groceries are just about everyone’s least favorite bill. Food is costly, things like bread, eggs, milk, water, meat, and other basic staples can cost $50 and up per visit! Unless you’re doing your own canning while on the road, it’s good to keep non-perishables on hand as well. Canned goods are thankfully much cheaper than fresh produce, but they won’t have the same nutritional value. On the other hand, they’ll keep you going when times get tough financially or when you find yourself in a crisis situation.

Don’t forget to add things like rapid dissolving RV toilet paper and water filters to this list as well as these special items usually aren’t found at your local grocery but are extremely important.

RV Repairs

Just like your vehicle, anything can wrong, and it’s usually at the worst possible time. Even if you have insurance, you should have at least $2,000 put away in savings for repairs. If a pipe breaks, or if you start having engine problems, you’ll be glad you saved some money to handle it on the spot. Other common reasons that RV’s break down are dead vehicle batteries, flat tires, and issues with refrigerators and water heaters, which you probably want to be functional when camping.

Water Treatment

While it may not be a “requirement,” you should add water treatment to your cost. It only costs you about $20-$30 per month, but it’s important to take care of your septic system for obvious reasons. You can easily find pods that not only deodorize, but also help break down waste and toilet tissue to keep things from getting backed up. This way your RV doesn’t end up smelling like a downtown treatment facility, and you don’t have to worry about paying extra for repair costs!