What is the average daily cost to maintain an RV.

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researcher49

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Sep 16, 2005
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I have a friend who dreams of becoming a "fulltimer" and wants
a 40 footer with all the amenities. Generally these class A vehicles
start arround 200K (new).

What I want to know is the expected cost on a daily or monthly basis,
for example: Propane $5 a day for refrig and stove $15 a day for funance/AC

fuel for generator.
Water, waste disposal, chemicals
Propane.
Insurance.
miscellanous (things that are often overlooked)
satellite and cellular phone.
internet, mailboxes
legal costs, permits, any special taxes imposed on RV'ers

Camp sites or trailer parks that provide services
 
What I want to know is the expected cost on a daily or monthly basis,
for example: Propane $5 a day for refrig and stove $15 a day for funance/AC

fuel for generator.
Water, waste disposal, chemicals
Propane.
Insurance.
miscellanous (things that are often overlooked)
satellite and cellular phone.
internet, mailboxes
legal costs, permits, any special taxes imposed on RV'ers

Camp sites or trailer parks that provide services

How much does it cost to live in a house?  Or own a car? Obviously the answers depends on the house/car and the lifestyle of the people living/using in it. Same thing here.

Here are some clues, though:

Propane cost: Negligible for cooking and fridge or even heating hot water. Pennies per day and most days the fridge and water will use electricity rather than LP.

Title, Registration & taxes: Depends on your state of residence, which may be something you can choose to your advantage  if you live in the Rv full time. Annual costs can be anywhere from $50 (e.g. Florida) to many thousands (CA & WA).  Sales/use tax (one time) also varies by state, typically 5%-8%.

Insurance: Depends on a lot of factors (including state of registration), but a large motorhome probably runs $800-$1500 annually.

Generator fuel: How often do you use the generator?  And for what? Most people don't use it much, but if you spend a lot of time "boondocking" (no electric hook-ups) you will use it more. Even then, at todays prices, we are probably talking $3-5 per day of actual use.

Water, waste and chemicals: Typically zero.  You generally get water and dump waste at campgrounds, where it is included in the camping fee.  And many of us use no chemicals whatsoever, but even if you like them it isn't much. A few dollars a month?

Cell phone: How much do you talk?  450 minutes for about $45/month?  1200 or more for maybe $75/month? Prepaid plans for as little as $10-15/month.

Internet: Maybe $10/month for an ISP and zero additional (use campground facilities and dial in), or use a cell phone carrier as your ISP and buy equipment to use your cell phone (may cost zero extra for limited use or $50-75/month for unlimited use). Wi-fi in campgrounds may be free or as much as $5/day - depends on where you go.  Or add satellite internet to your rig for a few thousand $ up front and around $60-70/month?  How much do you need and what are ytou willing to pay for sped and convenience.
 
For the detailed expenses of one of our fulltiming members click the Library button above, select Fulltiming issues, then click on Fulltiming expenses. The data is a few years old, but it will give you some idea.
 
Interesting

Ken Tarkin says 37,957 per year total full time expenses.  Vague memory is that that is consistant with other inputs.  His numbers include maintaining and using plus things like medical care that we all have independant of rving. Doesn't include ownership costs.

I kept good records of our out of pocket expenses on our 7 week trip this summer - $104/day.  That's "using" and not "maintaining".  Doesn't include things like the cell phone bill. The big three of course were food, fuel and campgrounds.

My thinking before looking at Ken's numbers was that maintaining was probably insignificant compared to buying and using.  That still seems reasonable.
 
I enjoyed looking at the costs for full-timing in 1999. I even copied the list and am busy filling in our own amounts. Most of the amounts I can fill in for us based on what we pay now....cell phone, Dish Network, MH payment, etc. But I  do have a couple of questions.

Satellite service? Can't go without Internet access.

Laundry? The list shows $94 which seems awfully low to me. How much do those of you who use laundromats pay? Last time I used a laundromat was in Pahrump, NV, and I think it was close to $3 per load with wash plus dry.

Mail forwarding?

Is $10-12 per night reasonable to budget for overnighting? Between relatives, friends, campgrounds, and Wal-Mart?

Propane? I know it depends on boondocking vs. hookups, cold vs. warm locations, personal preference in temperature of motorhome, etc. but any guess on average annual cost?

Storage? Do most full-timers keep some of their 'stuff' stored somewhere?

Thanks for helping me fill in the blanks on my budget.

Wendy
 
I can tell you that over the last 8+ years, our motorhome has cost $39/day or $1.46/mile to own.  That is fulltiming and includes depreciation, all repairs, maintenance, fuel, insurance, tires, registration fees.  Operating cost, which excludes depreciation and accessories, is ~$15/day or $.55/mile.  3078 days and 82,000 miles in that 8+ years.

Camping expenses have averaged $13-15/night over the same period.  This is a mix of private campgrounds, government campgrounds (COE, national parks, etc.), free camping at friends and boondocking.

Other expenses are about the same as living in a house or condo.  We do use laundramats, but I can't give you a cost for those.
 
wendycoke said:
Satellite service? Can't go without Internet access.

Hi Wendy. IIRC the DW service costs $49/month. If you buy the Datastorm system, you pay for the $100/month service.
 
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