Full-time RV costs can range so much, it can be hard to give an accurate number, but you can have a framework to start calculating your numbers.
This is what we actually spent in January 2023. I’ll go into detail on why each was what it was and any fluctuations we found.
| Category | Spent in January 2023 |
| RV and vehicle costs | $1,379 |
| Repairs, maintenance & registration | $0 |
| Camping costs | $76.69 |
| Groceries | $591 |
| Phone and internet | $228 |
| Fuel & DEF | $420 |
| RV miles driven | 82 miles |
| Memberships & Tolls | $60 |
| Laundry | $20 |
| Propane | $0 |
| Entertainment/fun/eating out | $371 |
| Health insurance | $404 |
| Various normal expenses | $112 |
| Total spent | $3,661.69 |
A few notes – I’m not including the costs of our businesses (because that can vary greatly and you may not be running a business out of your RV) or our rental (previously our home). These are just our full-time RV costs for the month.
Where were we:
We started out the month at a Hipcamp, which is essentially like Airbnb for but campsites. We spent the month hopping between Orlando RV Resort in Clermont, FL and Sherwood RV Resort in Kissimmee, FL.
What did we do:
January was another month of work and Disney. This was THE first month we earned what we spent in a while! Super happy about that! We did visit Disney Springs a few times, I met up with a friend in Orlando and I went to Tampa for an RV content creator meetup as well as the Tampa RV show, which really upped our fuel costs.
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RV and vehicle costs
We spent $1379. This includes the payment for our truck, which is $979.35 each month, and our rig, which is $399.88 per month. We have a seven-year loan on the truck and a twenty-year loan on the RV.
Camping costs
This was $76.69 for the month. We stayed in Thousand Trails campgrounds the entire month. $76.79 was our monthly cost for our annual dues.
Groceries
Our groceries were $591, which was a bit more but I did get another visit into Sacks Grocery Liquidators. We’ve only been purchasing produce, dairy and any odds and ends that we need. This does include shopping at Walmart, which sometimes includes purchasing things for the RV such as toilet paper.
Phone and internet/hotspots
We spent $228 on our phones and internet. We have an unlimited plan through Verizon for our phones which is $116.85. We have a 100 gig hotspot plan with T-Mobile which is $57 a month and a 100 gig hotspot plan with Cricket which is $55 a month.
Fuel & DEF
We paid $420 for fuel this month. We moved three times, despite those short drives, our drives to other places were a bit higher. Bret has a job locally, so he’s been driving more. I, Jen, also went to Disney a few times as well as Tampa twice.
Memberships & Tolls
We spent $60 on memberships and tolls. This was for tolls on roads here in Florida and $30 on mail scanning with Escapees.
Laundry
We spent $20 on laundry this month because our dryer has been broken. BUT we finally got that fixed, so I have $17 in tokens to trade with friends in the parks.
Entertainment/fun/eating out
We spent $371 on fun this month. This was a lot more than last month, but we were visiting with friends a few times.
Health insurance
My health insurance was $404 for the month.
Various normal expenses
The total spent on random other expenses was $112.
I tend to toss everything that doesn’t fit into a category here. So a trip to Target may be groceries, clothes, and fun, but it ends up here. This month it was a trip to the Disney Character Warehouse!
I want these posts to help guide you as you plan to hit the road full-time, see other budgets when you’re already full time, or show you that this isn’t the life for you. Did I answer all your questions? Do you have any more? Let me know in the comments below!