How much income or savings do you need for a great RV van life?

• cannon
• June 17, 2023June 15, 2023
• 0

I’ve been asked this question many times over the years: “How much income do you need to live on the road?” The answer is not as simple as you might think. There are a lot of variables that go into calculating how much money you need, including where you’re going. How long you’ll be there? Who’s going with you and how long they’ll be sticking around? So let’s break it down!

Where you travel

When it comes to deciding how much income you need for RV van life. The first thing to consider is where you plan to travel. The cost of living varies greatly across the country, so where you choose to live will have a major impact on how long your savings will last. For example, if you’re planning on living in Florida or California (two states with notoriously high costs of living), then your monthly expenses will probably be more than double what they would be if you were traveling somewhere like Wisconsin or Nebraska.

However, even within states, there are significant differences between cities and small towns when it comes to housing costs and other expenses such as food and utilities. In fact, some metropolitan areas have such high housing prices that they rank among America’s most expensive places—and yet there are also plenty of small towns where average home values remain well below what they’re worth elsewhere in their state.

How many people you travel with

Your income needs will depend on how many people you’re traveling with. If you’re a single person, you will be able to live much more comfortably and have more freedom than a four-person family.

On average, most full-time RVer families make around $50k per year. This is because they have more expenses as well as two or three jobs that keep them busy during the week. The primary income earner often works outside the home.

Single RVers are less likely to have multiple sources of income and may struggle if they don’t find enough work for their situation. However, there’s no reason why a single person can’t make $50k per year through a combination of working part-time from home projects (e.g., freelancing) and traveling on weekends/vacations after work hours!

How long you travel for

The longer you travel for, the more money you’re going to need. The reason is simple: there are more variables that could go wrong and cause a need for repairs or other expenses like gas. Plus, if your van is your home, it’s going to take up a lot more space than if it were just used as a vehicle.

If you’re planning on living out of your van for just one week or two weeks at most, then $1k per month should be sufficient. But if you plan on living in your van longer term? You may want to start saving up $2k per month instead!

How much money you have saved up to start your adventure

In addition to the monthly cost of living, you’ll also want to think about how much money you’ll need saved up before leaving. This is different for everyone. You may have a large inheritance or some other form of passive income that covers your expenses while traveling. Maybe your family can afford to support your nomadic lifestyle. In general, though, there are two main reasons why someone might save up a significant amount before starting their adventure:

• To buy an RV or van outright
• To pay cash for an RV/van rental (if renting)

A lot of things go into how much money you need to live on the road.

So how much does it cost to travel the United States full-time in an RV? That depends on a lot of factors, including how long you’re planning to stay on the road. What kind of vehicle did you buy and how much money you have saved up to start your adventure?

The longer you decide to travel, the more expensive things will be. If you plan on visiting every national park in existence—and there are 59 of those—you’ll need more than $1 million just for gas alone (and this doesn’t include food or other expenses). Most people don’t need that much money though; I’ve met lots of folks who live out of their vans and don’t spend more than $20 per day (excluding gas) on their living expenses.

Other factors such as where exactly are going with your van play into this too: if it’s warm all year long where would like to spend most time? A hot climate means fewer clothes but higher utility bills due to air conditioning costs. Also, consider whether or not there are any good deals available before buying something by shopping around online instead!

We’ve covered a lot of ground here, and we hope that you have a clearer idea of how much money you need to live in an RV. If you’re still unsure, don’t worry! You’ll figure out what works for your budget as time goes on. The most important thing is making sure that you have enough money saved up so that if something unexpected happens along the way (like needing repairs), it won’t ruin your whole trip.