High Plains Drifter

People that are full timing for say $25k and less likely have subsidized healthcare (if below 65 yrs old...ACA subsidies or medicaid because their income is so low), do not travel that much so low gas, boondock mostly, workcamp, live in a van or very small rig, etc... It is difficult to do a comfortable full time RV lifestyle for that amount of money. And it is not that easy for everyone to boondock all the time. When you have gas, lots of repairs (possibly of two vehicles), campground fees, food, phone, RV and car insurance, upgrades to RV, vehicle registration, entertainment, out of pocket health care costs on top of monthly premiums, mail forwarding, netflix, etc.... it adds up. Even if you eat at home every single night and have entertainment being free (hiking, reading, etc...) it's tough to keep it that low. Plus things come up, you might have to fly to see family, major repairs, your want to change your rig, etc... I know that the OP did not want to include rig cost....but one thing that makes me different than others in RV budgeting is I add the estimated depreciation of all my vehicles (RV and tow vehicle or toad) into my monthly overhead. I always did this with my cars in my budget even before I thought of RVing. If I pay cash for a RV for say $80k and 5 years later after all the mileage, wear and tear, etc... it is worth $40k, that is $40k I am now lighter in the wallet. That works out to be $666/mo. This is a cost you would not have in a S&B lifestyle without an RV. I know this is technically not cash flow that goes out monthly, but for me I still look at that way. I am still $40k poorer 5 years later due to the high depreciation rates of RV's and that money has to be accounted for. I think many really overlook this or choose to not think of it. If you want to get really nitty gritty there is the lost opportunity cost of the cash paid for the RV. If you paid $100k for an RV, and you could get 8% return on this money, that is another $8,000 a year or $666/mo that you lose having that $100k sunk into the RV. I am just a stickler for this stuff I like to look at the TOTAL cost of ownership for everything. And depreciation and opportunity cost are part of the the total cost of ownership of the RV lifestyle. So when I add in depreciation and opportunity cost, there is not much difference in cost to a S&B vs. a RV lifestyle for me. Of course if you lived in a really expensive part of the county and had a really high house payment or rent, RV-ing full time could be cheaper. Of course one could also go for a smaller used rig and lessen depreciation (but possibly increase repair/hassle costs). Of course RV-ing is not just about a budget, it is also about having FUN and living your life to the limit. But I always like to go in eyes wide open, look at true costs and not delude myself.