How much does it cost to Fulltime? 2 great articles.

Great question with not so great answers. I have been living aboard my boat for almost 25 years and can tell you that most replies about it cost what it costs are pretty accurate but also pretty vague.

You food and entertainment should be the same no matter where you live.
Your cell bill probably wont change
Your car/truck maintenance will probably be roughly the same
Your meds will be the same.

About the only things that will change will be rent/mortgage and gas.

If you just live aboard in one place, the only difference will be monthly rent will be between $350 and $500/ month, depending where.
If you are required to pay for electricity, it will probably be a little less than an apt. and a lot less for a house.

If your travel a lot figure about $400-$800/month for transient (overnight) fees which includes some free nights at Walmart and truck stops.
Then figure the additional travel costs of gasoline/diesel while traveling.
Probably additional cost of propane for heater and fridge while on the road
If you have a generator, figure out coat of running it for Heat and AC while 'anchoring out' at Walmart and truck stops.
Also, while traveling, plan for breakdowns of truck and appliances. No logical reason why, but things break down at the most inopportune times.
Traveling can get costly.
These prices will vary with different locations.

My RV experience is very limited and that was almost 15 years ago for a duration of about 1 1/2 years, off and on.
I have, however, been living on my boat for the last 22 or more years and so, that is how I came up with the above conclusions.

Oh, I forgot......add in additional costs for doing the 'tourist thing' while traveling. That and eating out can get quite costly.
Soooooooooooooooo.............Just about everyone above is correct in being vague and non-specific in what it costs. It costs whatever you have to spend.

Hi,

Found this on the web and thought it might add to the how much does it cost question, in order to help people to develop an idea. My costs were less than this so it really depends on how you work things, what you spent on your home on wheels and so forth.

http://heathandalyssa.com/cost-to-travel-america-in-an-rv/

TheNewhalls said:

Thanks for posting. I thought the two articles were informative and the links were to some reputable RVers. I wish I had something like this before we went full-time. RVDream's blog is what sparked our interest five years ago and his spreadsheet was very helpful.
"you make it work with whatever is available to you", is the best answer, but you don't know or understand that until you've taken the leap of faith.

Click to expand...

I also enjoyed the article and found the links helpful - thank you for posting.

herekittykitty said:

A truly excellent answer: One paragraph and you have it all.

I will add one thing from my experience, and that is that reliable internet access is an expensive headache when compared to what it's like obtaining it in a S&B. I found a way around the highway robbery that is Verizon service through a Jetpack (rent my service from a Verizon business line provider), and that helps with the cost.

On the plus side, because my house is on wheels, I was able to reduce my "rent" to less than $100 a month (in annual maintenance fees) by buying 2 park memberships, and I just drive on down the road (3 whole miles) every 2-3 weeks, between them. Not the way most people envision fulltiming it, but I did the snowbird thing already and I want to stay in one town now, and this lets me do that for a fraction of the cost of what everyone else pays for either a mortgage or rent. Not only is my monthly cost dirt cheap, but electric, water, and sewer are included for that price.

But food...I still don't understand the idea that food will somehow cost more living in an RV. You have a kitchen - use it, just like you did in your S&B.

Click to expand...

The park memberships you mentioned, was that a local thing or a national membership?

If you don't get answers soon, I would suggest starting a new topic about national or local memberships. Especially since you are asking a specific question different from the original reason for the topic.  Many or most people don't look at old posts since they figured they already looked at it.