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Gary RVRoamer · 02-08-2021, 01:58 PM

Agree with all the others. It's not cheaper because its an RV; it's cheaper because you downsized your home to a tiny studio apartment in a crowded neighborhood. Maybe sold one of the cars too. If you make all those things more upscale, it may not be much cheaper, if any at all. But sure, you can live relatively inexpensively in an RV, especially if you choose a lower-priced part of the country. There are no cheap RV parks in Los Angeles or NYC!

OTOH, there are plenty of areas in the country where you can live in a decent 2 BR apartment or perhaps a duplex/triplex for $1000/month (+utilities), so an RV isn't the only way to get costs down.

keymastr · 02-08-2021, 06:36 PM

In my case, a one bedroom apartment where I am is $2600 a month plus utilities and parking. My park rent with utilities is just under $1000 a month. Most of my coworkers drive 45 minutes to work because home prices anywhere near here are an average of $800,000 for the same house they get for $500,000 or less. I own my "home", save a bunch of money a month and have an 8 minute commute. Your mileage may vary.

Old-Biscuit · 02-08-2021, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Agree with all the others. It's not cheaper because its an RV; it's cheaper because you downsized your home to a tiny studio apartment in a crowded neighborhood. Maybe sold one of the cars too. If you make all those things more upscale, it may not be much cheaper, if any at all. But sure, you can live relatively inexpensively in an RV, especially if you choose a lower-priced part of the country. There are no cheap RV parks in Los Angeles or NYC!

OTOH, there are plenty of areas in the country where you can live in a decent 2 BR apartment or perhaps a duplex/triplex for $1000/month (+utilities), so an RV isn't the only way to get costs down.

And in those places were rent is $1000/month---RV Park is probably $500/month

1 bedroom 640 sq/ft-----$975/month with small yard
RV CG Site with view of the Red Rocks -----$475/month with small yard

Trapper2022 · 02-09-2021, 07:20 AM

It clearly must be cheaper since at least 50% of the RVs in parks are not moving and being lived in full time. We saw this all over the country while full timing. Everybody has to live somewhere and if this works for them I understand. Lots of reasons why people go this route. Not for me but to each there own. Safe travels

Enjoy the journey

Jpony56hd · 02-15-2021, 05:17 PM

I've worked in the Aircraft Industry for around 30 Years, sometimes for Major companies and sometimes as a Contract worker. I do a lot of R&D and Repair work so I move a lot. Early on I found an RV to be essential and have spent a lot of time living in RV's. How well your experience goes depends a lot on your choices. I spent 1.1/2 years on a job at the Santa Barbara / Goleta Airport. I had a wife and two small children and could have stayed at a park in town close to work. Instead we went 15 mile north at a park close to the beach and foothills. We obviously had a much better time their that in the middle of the city. The best part of RV living is; If you don't like your surroundings, You can always move.

RoadEyePie · 02-15-2021, 09:03 PM

For sure there are a lot of people living in RV parks in an RV that is stationary. Even more living in an "RV" park in Park Models. Then there are a lot of seasonal RV'er. Here 6 months then gone, then back in the same spot same time next year. But I have also noticed (in some parks) a lot of RVs that are stationary that the owner's family just come out to stay for summer vacations. It seems that for many, it goes like this. Buy the RV and travel until they no longer are able to / or want to do all the traveling, hooking and unhooking, so they find a park and park it. Either live there FT or seasonally. Then build a roof over it so they don't have to maintain it. Of course the deck, shrubs and flowers are soon to follow. Finally followed by a vacant RV with a For Sale sign driven in the front yard. I think of it as the evolution of an RV'er.

Down South · 02-15-2021, 09:45 PM

I spent 9 years full time and stationary in my fifth wheel. One year in New Orleans and 8 years in Houston.
My fiver was a full time RV., Jayco Legacy 37'.
I saved A lot of money. My 8 years in Houston, I spent about $750 a month for site and electricity. I was less than 10 miles from my office downtown.
The park was upscale and well kept. I had a large pad and side yard.
A half decent apartment would have cost me at least $1,200-$1,500 per month, utilities plus a yearly lease agreement.

Did this turn me off to RVing? No. I retired, sold the fiver and bought a motorhome.

But that being said, It was only my wife, about 120 lbs soaking wet and myself. We still owned a what everybody here calls a sticks and bricks in Louisiana.
We came home a couple times a month. So I can assume that broke some of the monotony.

IMHO, you can save money.

PS56 · 02-16-2021, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Down South

I spent 9 years full time and stationary in my fifth wheel. One year in New Orleans and 8 years in Houston.
My fiver was a full time RV., Jayco Legacy 37'.
I saved A lot of money. My 8 years in Houston, I spent about $750 a month for site and electricity. I was less than 10 miles from my office downtown.
The park was upscale and well kept. I had a large pad and side yard.
A half decent apartment would have cost me at least $1,200-$1,500 per month, utilities plus a yearly lease agreement.

Did this turn me off to RVing? No. I retired, sold the fiver and bought a motorhome.

But that being said, It was only my wife, about 120 lbs soaking wet and myself. We still owned a what everybody here calls a sticks and bricks in Louisiana.
We came home a couple times a month. So I can assume that broke some of the monotony.

IMHO, you can save money.

What about if you would have bought a house in Houston and then sold it after 8 years. Wouldn't you have made money?

Down South · 02-16-2021, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PS56

What about if you would have bought a house in Houston and then sold it after 8 years. Wouldn't you have made money?

Yes and I wish that I had. When my company moved me to Houston, I figured that I'd be gone within 2 years.
I almost said this about purchasing in my previous reply.

**Spdracr39** · 02-18-2021, 08:44 AM

We bought our DP with the idea of travelling. Things changed that delayed that so we sold our house anyway while the market was happy. Used some equity to put in a FHU pad at the kids place and alternate between there and the COE campground every two weeks. I don't want to sit in one spot but do save a ton of money while still working and hope to bank a bunch over the next year or two in prepararion for retirement. At that point we will hit the road with a place to land if needed. We still call it Full Timing even though some will disagree. We did look at renting a space in a mobile home park but it wasn't that appealing when the space for a pad at my son's house became available.

ls1ashley · 02-18-2021, 12:10 PM

I put a serious pencil to paper on this for my situation. I considered depreciation and taxes.

The bottom line is like what has been mentioned before. It depends on what RV are you considering and in what location. If they’re used to or need a four bedroom house in a nice subdivision they may not be okay going “down” to a modest enough RV and park to make it financially better than a simple apartment.

Of course it CAN be cheaper. But will the choices be made to make it so?