I lived in an RV for 30 days with my family in late summer 2025 and found out what full time RV living costs. The #1 question everyone asked us was: “Was it actually cheaper than rent?”
Spoiler: we spent $2,293 total for four people and a dog — that’s $76 a day — versus $4,000+ back home in Denver. Here’s the real receipt-by-receipt breakdown.
The Rig We Used
Grand Design Reflection 337RLS (bought used for $62,000 cash)
Towed with our existing 2019 Ram 2500 Cummins
Exact 30-Day Costs
Category | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Campgrounds & parking | $687 | State parks, Harvest Hosts, one resort |
Fuel (1,800 miles) | $412 | Diesel averaged $4.29/gal |
Groceries + eating out | $800 | Same as home + a few treat nights |
Propane, dump fees, laundry | $94 | |
Starlink + cell phones | $300 | Unlimited data plan |
Insurance (Roamly full-timer) | $138 | Monthly rate |
Misc (tolls, firewood, etc.) | $80 | |
TOTAL | $2,293 | $76/day for a family of 4 |
We saved $1,707 compared to our old apartment life — and that’s before selling furniture and canceling subscriptions.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Warns You About
- Blown tire on I-70: $420 (covered by Roamly roadside)
- “We forgot this” Amazon orders: $180 first week
- One night of dog boarding: $85 (lesson learned)
The Surprises That Saved Money
- 6 free nights via Harvest Hosts membership
- 4 nights boondocking outside Quartzsite = $0
- Thousand Trails gave us 10 free nights
Eight months later we’re still full-time and our average monthly cost is $2,100 — still beating rent by $1,900 every single month.
Interested in doing the same? Get a full-timer RV Insurance quote from Roamly in 60 seconds (we saved 42%).
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