Myth #1 - Fulltime RVing is a Cheap Way to Live

You could buy a 15-year-old trailer, park it down by the river and sit. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Chances are you would reduce your expenses. But, that’s not exactly living. That’s existing. After all, RVs have wheels. They are designed to move. And, people are meant to live. Moving and living both cost money.

How much fulltime RVing costs depends on many factors. The biggest is the answer to this question: “Why do you want to fulltime?” If your objective is to visit 49 states and Canada, you’re going to have to move. And, that will cost money. If you want to experience local cuisine across the continent, that’ll cost you. If the reason you want to fulltime is to save money, chances are you’re going to sit. If you want to visit 49 states and save money, good luck with that.

For those of us who want to feel free to roam around the country, our cost of living is dependent on so many things that are so out of our control. Diesel fuel could top $6 a gallon. Or, heck, maybe $10. And, fuel is the life blood of a mobile lifestyle. Without it, we are no longer moving. Nobody wants to see fuel prices rise, but it pays to plan for it. It not only impacts the price we pay at the pump, but the cost of food in the supermarket and restaurants and everything we buy. Many campgrounds that are experiencing decreasing occupancy rates are increasing their fees to cover the deficit. As the cost of living increases, so does the cost of fulltiming.

Sure, you can save a few bucks by parking overnight at Walmart after you do your shopping, or spend a few days or weeks boondocking in the desert. But, sooner or later, every fulltimer needs to hook up at a comfortable and safe campground. After all, you’re out here to see stuff, right? And, guess what? That’s where the campgrounds are!

Lots of fulltiming folks attribute the biggest savings to trading their sticks and bricks for a rolling home. Well, let’s take a closer look. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median home price is about $170,000. For the same price, you can find an RV that’s comfortable and dependable enough for fulltime living and traveling. After all, most of us want to be out there moving around, right? When you look at it that way, it’s an even trade, or close.

With your house out of the equation, is life as a fulltimer really cheaper? You trade property taxes for campground fees. You’re still buying electricity, gas and fuel. You still need clothes and food. And, with all this new-found time on your hands, you’ll have lots of opportunities to be entertained. Museums, movies, boat rentals and can’t-miss excursions can mean an increase in your entertainment budget, especially compared to when you were working. Then, there’s health care. If you dream of hitting the road before Medicare kicks in, chances are you’ll be on your own for health insurance. What may have once been a nifty benefit will become your responsibility. And, it doesn’t come cheap. Of course, homes that are subjected to earthquake conditions as they roll down the road need to be repaired, and sometimes it’s an emergency. Usually, it’s when you’re miles from civilization! And, while you may have one less vehicle than you once did, you may log twice as many miles or more as you explore all there is to see on your travels.

Plenty of people will give you piles of evidence that life on the road can be cheaper. And, that’s great. We’re all for taking on the challenge of living frugally. It can be a fun game to see how little you can spend on a cart full of essentials at Walmart. But, in our opinion, playing that game is no way to live. When the cost of things is a primary concern, how much fun can you really have?

What does it cost the average American couple to live? According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the current poverty level for a family of two is expenses of $14,570 per year. Assuming that the average fulltime RVers is seeking a more middle-class life, what does that take? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2009 Consumer Expenditure Survey, the average annual expenditures for an American husband and wife household is $56,777. Of that, housing is $18,140. Since we’ve taken housing out of the fulltiming equation, that leaves $38,637. So, if a future fulltimer wants to live a lifestyle on the road that’s similar to, yet very different from, the average life in a “sticks and bricks”, a monthly expense budget of $3,200 a month could be in the ballpark.

Living on the road for around $40,000 a year - or more if the price of fuel, campgrounds, rig maintenance, insurance or any number of other things increases - might be less than the price of pre-fulltiming life. But, you have to agree, it’s not exactly cheap.