Costs and Budgeting
What RV living really costs, by category. The purchase, depreciation, total cost of ownership, the regular running costs, and the hidden costs that catch people out, with a simple way to build your own honest budget. There are no prices here, on purpose: yours will depend on your RV, your site and your style, and prices change. The questions, though, are the same for everyone.
On this page
Ask questions before you spend
Gary’s camping has taken him from a tent to a 36-foot (about 11 m) fifth wheel on an annual site. His advice on money starts simply:
“Ask questions before you spend all the money.”
Over the years, he’s found that many things he thought were a great idea turned out to be a lousy investment. His fuller advice about knowing what you’re getting, and whether you’ll really use it, is on the Camp gear page. It applies even more to RV living, where the purchases are bigger and the costs keep coming every month.
This page is a list of those questions, organized by category, so you can find the answers for your own situation before you buy.
Why there are no prices here
- They vary enormously. A seasonal site with power by a small-town reservoir and a full-service resort site in the US Sun Belt are completely different budgets. So are a used travel trailer and a new diesel motorhome.
- They change. Fuel, propane, insurance, interest rates, the exchange rate and site fees all move from year to year, sometimes month to month.
- Your style matters more than averages. How far you drive, how long you stay, how much you fix yourself and how you like to live will change your numbers more than any average would.
The best numbers are the ones you collect yourself: quotes from insurers, a campground’s written fee list, a seller’s records, and your own fuel and propane receipts.
The purchase
The price of the RV is only the start. Before you buy, list every one of these:
| Cost | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| The RV | New or used? What does a similar RV of the same age actually sell for, not just what’s asked? What does an independent inspection find? |
| The tow vehicle | Can your current vehicle tow it safely, loaded, with everything you’ll carry? If not, the truck may cost as much as the trailer. See the weight numbers. |
| The hitch | Weight-distributing hitch, sway control or fifth-wheel hitch, installed properly, plus a brake controller and towing mirrors. |
| Taxes and registration | What taxes apply depends on how and where you buy. Ask before you agree on a price. Registration is a yearly cost. |
| Financing | What’s the interest rate and the total interest over the term? What will you owe compared with what the RV is worth in a few years? |
| Setting it up | Hoses, pressure regulator, surge protector, levelling blocks, chocks, sewer gear, tools, kitchen gear, bedding and the rest. It adds up quickly. |
| Immediate repairs | Used RVs almost always need something: tires, batteries, seals, an appliance. Set money aside before the first trip. |
Watch long loans. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada warns that a long-term vehicle loan can mean paying more than twice as much interest as a shorter one, and that it takes longer to get out of “negative equity”, when you owe more than the vehicle is worth. The same thinking applies to an RV loan. Know the total cost, not just the monthly payment.
Depreciation
Depreciation is the value an RV loses as it ages. A house often gains value over the years. An RV, like a car, almost always loses it. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada notes that vehicles lose their value quickly, and RVs are no different.
- It’s a real cost, even though no bill arrives. If you buy an RV and sell it years later for much less, the difference is part of what RV living cost you.
- Buying used lets the first owner absorb the early loss in value. In return, you take on more risk of repairs, and the RV needs a careful inspection.
- Condition and records matter. A clean, dry, well-maintained RV with a full service log is worth more, and sells faster, than a neglected one of the same age. See keep a log.
- Water damage destroys value. A roof leak that’s ignored can make an RV almost worthless. Roof and seal maintenance protects your money as well as your comfort.
- Upgrades rarely pay for themselves at resale. Buy them for your own use, not as an investment.
- Negative equity is the trap: owing more on a loan than the RV is worth. It makes selling, or getting out of RV living, much harder.
What it means for you: before you buy, look at what RVs like the one you want sell for at three, five and ten years old. That tells you roughly how much value yours might lose while you own it.
Regular running costs
These are the costs that come every month or every year while you own the RV, whether you use it a lot or a little.
Site fees
Seasonal or annual fee, nightly or monthly fees on the road, and the extras: metered power, guest and extra-vehicle fees, and winter storage. See what’s included.
Fuel
Towing uses much more fuel than ordinary driving, and a headwind uses more again. Seasonal campers also pay for every town trip.
Propane
Low in summer, high in spring, fall and winter, when the furnace runs. Cylinder requalification or replacement every 10 years.
Insurance
RV, tow vehicle, contents and liability, plus travel health insurance if you leave Alberta. See insurance.
Registration
Yearly registration for the RV and the tow vehicle, and any licence upgrades heavier rigs need.
Maintenance
Roof and seals, bearings and brakes, furnace and appliance service, winterizing and de-winterizing. See maintenance.
Tires and batteries
Trailer tires can age out before they wear out. House batteries wear out on their own schedule. Both are big, predictable costs.
Phone and internet
Data plans, a US travel plan or a second plan, and any satellite service. See internet and phone.
Daily living
Laundry, groceries, drinking water, dump station fees, and the restock trips that come with a seasonal site. See the routine.
Our weather shows up in the budget too. A day of strong west wind on the drive home means more fuel. Hail can mean an insurance claim and a deductible. A cold fall means more propane. Checking the forecast before you hitch up, and timing trips around the wind, saves money as well as stress.
Insurance
Insurance is one of the biggest running costs, and one of the easiest to get wrong. The types of coverage to ask about are explained on Full-time RVing. For budgeting:
- Get quotes before you buy the RV. The cost to insure an RV, a tow vehicle and a seasonal site can change the math.
- Ask how use changes the cost: seasonal, full-time, parked all winter, or travelling in the US.
- Know your deductibles, and keep enough set aside to pay one.
- Check what the campground requires for liability on a seasonal site.
- Travel health insurance for snowbirds can be a large cost, and depends on age, health and trip length. Get real quotes. See choosing travel health insurance.
- Your house insurance may have conditions while you’re away. Ask.
Total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership is the full cost of owning the RV for as long as you keep it, not just what you paid for it. A simple way to work it out:
- Start with what you pay up front: the RV, any tow vehicle and hitch, taxes and setting it up.
- Add the financing: all the interest over the loan, if you borrow.
- Add the running costs for each year you’ll own it: sites, fuel, propane, insurance, registration, maintenance, tires and batteries.
- Add the repairs. Set a realistic yearly amount, and more as the RV ages.
- Subtract what you expect to sell it for at the end, using real prices for similar older RVs.
- Divide by the years, then by the nights you’ll actually use it.
That last number, the cost per night, is the honest one. It lets you compare RV living with renting an RV, renting a cabin, staying in motels or keeping a seasonal site with an older, cheaper RV. Sometimes the RV wins easily. Sometimes it doesn’t, and it’s still worth it for the lifestyle. Either way, you’ll know.
Build your own budget
- Track a trial season. If you can, keep every receipt for a season of camping, or a few weeks of renting, before you commit.
- Get real quotes: insurance, site fees in writing, propane and storage.
- List fixed costs (site, insurance, registration, storage, phone) by month.
- List variable costs (fuel, propane, groceries, laundry, dump fees, fun) by month, with a higher figure for cold months.
- Add a repair fund every month, even when nothing is broken. Something will be.
- Add an emergency fund for the big surprises: a major repair, a medical trip home, or a tow.
- Review it every few months against what you actually spend, and adjust.
What it means for you: two easy budget mistakes are leaving out the repair fund and forgetting that the house still costs money while you’re away. Put both in first.
Is it cheaper than a house?
Sometimes, and often not. RV living can cost less than owning a house, especially for someone who stays put on a modest site, does their own repairs and drives little. It can also cost more, especially for someone who travels a lot, buys new and finances it, or keeps a house as well.
The bigger difference is in the long run. A house is often an asset that holds or grows its value. An RV is an asset that shrinks. If you sell a house to buy an RV, think carefully about how you’d get back into housing later, and talk to a financial adviser you trust.
Many people who love RV living aren’t doing it to save money. They do it for the quiet, the outdoors and the people. That’s a perfectly good reason, as long as the budget is honest.
Selling and getting out
- Selling takes time, and demand can be stronger in spring than in late fall. Plan ahead if you need the money by a certain date.
- Records sell RVs. A maintenance log, receipts and a clean roof inspection help a buyer trust you.
- Know what you owe compared with what it will sell for, especially with a long loan.
- Selling costs money too: repairs to make it saleable, cleaning, advertising, and possibly storage while it sells.
- Have a plan for where you’ll live before the RV is gone, if it’s your only home.
Sources
- Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Financial risks when buying a car (long-term loans, interest, negative equity, depreciation): canada.ca
- Canada Safety Council, Fuel for summer activities (propane cylinders requalified or replaced every 10 years): canadasafetycouncil.org
- Canada Border Services Agency, I Declare: A guide for residents returning to Canada (duties and taxes on goods): cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
- Government of Alberta, Health care coverage outside Canada (why travel insurance is strongly recommended): alberta.ca
- Gary’s advice comes from his interview for this site (November 2026). His fuller advice is on the Camp gear page.
- Prices are left out on purpose. Get current figures from insurers, campgrounds, registry agents and sellers.