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. We are a full-time working couple with no kids or pets. See some links below for other RVers actual spends!
This is what we actually spent in October 2024. I’ll go into detail on why each was what it was and any fluctuations we found.
| Category | Spent in October 2024 |
| RV and vehicle costs | $1379.23 |
| Repairs, maintenance & registration | $286.67 |
| Camping costs | $97.14 |
| Groceries | $512.49 |
| Phone and internet | $295.32 |
| Fuel & DEF | $340.96 |
| RV miles driven | 1138.6 miles |
| Tolls | $20 |
| Memberships | $178.50 |
| Laundry | $5 |
| Entertainment/fun/eating out | $836.73 |
| Travel | $0 |
| Life insurance | $46.62 |
| Vehicle insurance | $0 |
| Health insurance | $488.82 |
| Various normal expenses | $1.06 |
| Total spent | $4,488.54 |
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 Gettysburg Farm in Dover, PA, moved to PA Dutch in Manheim, PA, then to Round Top in Gettysburg, PA to Lake Gaston in Littleton, NC to The Oaks at Point South in Yemassee, SC and ended the month at Thousand Trails Orlando in Clermont, FL.
What did we do:
October was about seeing friends and getting “home” to Orlando. We visited with long time friends and family in PA, beelined it down to Florida and spent the last week of the month with a whirlwind of visits! It feels so good to be back in Orlando and a slower pace of moving (at the max, we’re looking at 1-2 hours).
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RV and vehicle costs
We spent $1379.23. 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.
Repairs, maintenance & registration
We spent $286.67 this month. This was for new seals for our RV slides.
Camping costs
This was $97.14 for the month. We stayed in Thousand Trails campgrounds for the entire month. The $97.14 was our monthly annual dues. This was a little more than last month because our dues went up. But $97.14 to camp for an entire month is STILL worth it!
Groceries
Our groceries were $512.39. This was a bit less than last month and I expect it will go down from here. We did get to visit BB’s in PA, which is one of our favorite discount grocery stores and we’re really stocked up right now. One tip I have for full-time travel is to look for discount grocery stores in the area. It really helps to decrease the grocery costs. This does include shopping at Walmart, which sometimes includes purchasing things for the RV such as toilet paper.
Phone and internet/hotspots
We spent $295.32 on our phones and internet. We have an unlimited plan through Verizon for our phones which is $185.32. We have a 100 gig hotspot plan with T-Mobile which is $55 a month and a 100 gig hotspot plan with Cricket which is $55 a month.
Fuel & DEF
We paid $340.96 for fuel this month. This was less than I expected, to be honest, because we moved from PA all the way down to Florida. But fuel was considerably cheaper in Maryland and using Open Roads saved us SO much at the pump! Just on two fill-ups, we saved $21.53 on our trip south.
Tolls
We spent $20 on tolls. Florida has a few toll roads, so we replenished a few times.
Memberships
We spent $178.50 on memberships. October is another big month for memberships, because we started a lot of memberships around this time when we first hit the road. We spent $30 for mail scanning, $25 reupping our per-scan account, and $123.50 on our Escapees account. Having our mail scanned is SUCH a big help.
Entertainment/fun/eating out
We spent $836.73 on fun this month. This is one of our higher months, but surprisingly, our overall spend was only a little higher than last month. I renewed my Disney World annual pass and Bret finally got a pass of his own. After the last week of the month, we do expect our costs to go down in this area. Though Orlando is a very tempting area to spend money!
Travel
We spent $0 on travel this month.
Life insurance
Our life insurance was $46.62 for the month.
Health insurance
My health insurance was $488.82 for the month.
Auto insurance
We spent $0 on auto insurance
Various normal expenses
The total spent on random other expenses was $1.06. This was for a cute little stuffed dog wearing a santa hat.
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.
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!
Other RVers expenses
There are so many ways to travel and so many family make ups, rig type and ways to live on the road, here are other RVers who share what they spent.
The Adventure Detour – family of three with pets in a fifth wheel. Lots of great info here too!
Open Roading – couple with pets in a fifth wheel. Kalyn’s spending posts are some of the cleanest and prettiest looking costs I’ve seen!
Wild RV Life – couple with pets in a fifth wheel. They do a LOT of boondocking as well.
The Traveling Tiongsons – couple with pets in a travel trailer toy hauler. These guys have done all of the lower 48!
Herrins on the Roam – family of five in a fifth wheel.
Blogs
Living in Beauty – retired couple with pets in an Airstream. This is one THE best summary spending posts I’ve seen. They’ve been on the road since July 18, 2016 and have all of their stats on this link. Very helpful!
The Home That Roams – couple with pets in a travel trailer. They also share about boats as well!
Reset Your Journey – family of four in a travel trailer. Very detailed post!
Live Work Dream – couple with pets in a fifth wheel. Another one with detailed posts about budgeting and costs.
YouTube Channels
Our Road Less Traveled – Couple with pets in a fifth Wheel.
Class C Broads – Couple with FIVE dogs! in a Super C.
Happy Travels Life – Family of three with pets. – Travel trailer.
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