First I want to go over a few key points on why I want to do this monthly RV cost review.
- I have not found any Full-Time RV living cost breakdowns
- Keep me accountable
- Track my true RV costs
- Show others it might be an option to not only accelerate their FIRE journey but build a more intentional lifestyle.

True Costs
- RV Payment $0
- Paid the RV off
- Truck Payment $0
- Paid the truck off
- RV Insurance Payment $0
- Paid for 12 months in November 2023 $287.
- RV Registration $0
- Truck Registration $0
- Campground Site $926
- Includes water, electricity, sewage, WiFi, pool, dog park, and a small gym
- RV Internet $60
- Propane $0
- Gas $10
- Misc $65
Monthly Total – $1,061
2024 (Starting from April) Total – $1,061
You can find a list of all the RV gear we love here. Let’s not forget our list of RV maintenance supplies here.
RV Lifestyle Thoughts
2024 marks my fifth year as a nomad living in my RV full-time. Up til 2023, I was moving every 30 days mostly in SoCal as I was still working my W2 job. I decided now that I am retired I would like to see how much the RV side of things cost me. Overall my spending has always been roughly around $40K a year even living in HCOL areas.
I have to admit I have thought about ending my RV lifestyle. I enjoy it but the big downside to me is the maintenance, upkeep, and things just seem to break especially the more you move. Now that I am retired I can afford to just pay someone to fix these issues for me. Yet the issue I have been running into is there are not many shops out there that work on RVs. Even when I find ones that do they do a half-ass job for the money. So I find the issue does not get fixed and I just spent money and time to get someone to not fix my issue. This is a big downside of RV life that you don’t see content creators cover. I know owning a house is a lot of work and stuff breaks too. But it seems with regular houses it’s easier to find people to work on it and they do a better job at fixing the issues.
One side of me wants to buy some land and start a homestead-style home base. I could stay there for 6 months of the year and travel the other 6 months a year. But the more I talk to homeowners the more I am off put by how much work a house is. It’s literally like having another job. That is my dislike about the RV life. Now that I am retired I am trying to design a simpler lifestyle one with less work like fixing the RV or upkeeping a home. So the other side of me has thought about just renting an apartment as there is no upkeep at all.
Yet the big downside to this is I also feel if I rent or buy a place I am locked down to that area. With either or I would have to buy furniture and what have you. What I love about the RV life is on a moment’s notice I can pack up and be on the road in less than an hour and travel all over the States!! On top of that with all my travels and all the places I have lived, I have loved so many of them in different ways I can’t seem to choose where I want to plant my roots. I’m a FL resident and have lived in many places in FL and enjoy the beach. I also have loved living in some places like MS with the slow simple living lifestyle there. I also really loved living in San Diego and SoCal because of how many different environments there are within a few hour’s drive. You can drive to the desert to see the snow in the mountains or even be on the beach (though SoCal beaches are not nearly as nice as FL). Also loved how many places and free things there are to do in San Diego. So many cool places to walk around and a short drive away there are tons of great hiking trails. What is great about FL is they don’t tax my pension from the military whereas places like CA would. Which is not the end of the world but it just takes a little money out of my pocket. I loved living in AZ too as there are so many cook hikes and I felt the cost of living was affordable.
So you can see I have a real first-world problem that I can’t seem to tackle. This is why I am still living in the RV and am currently in the Gulf Shores area of AL. Which has been a great place and pretty affordable as you can see by my breakdown. I also have thought about upgrading my RV if I am staying in this lifestyle long term. Maybe a bigger 5th Wheel or an A Class (A Class for easy setup and breakdown). The 5th Wheel just has a bigger inside living area which is nice when the weather is bad multiple days in a row. But I think if I did buy a place or rented an apartment and traveled 6 months a year I would either keep my current rig or downsize to a truck camper. Because if I am only traveling 6 months a year I would not want a big setup. Especially because not all 6 months would I be traveling the States. I want/need to start doing some international travel.
I have decided to book my current spot for the next year here in Gulf Shores AL. Though I can leave anytime I want I am currently waiting on some appointments at the nearby VA hospital so it kind of made sense to just book out for a while. I’m at that point that I am not sure where I want to head to after here. I am leaning toward the TN area. But Louisiana and Texas are also calling my name.
Just another month in the RV adventure life.
In case you missed it here is last month’s breakdown. Keep on the journey and path!