Many people wonder just how much it costs to be living full time on the road here in Australia. You can live as luxurious or as cheap as you want according to your chosen lifestyle and/or your means but today, I’m here to show you how cheap I do it which I have to say is pretty cheap, well for a motorhome / RV'er or / van lifer anyway.
In this vlog/blog I cover my monthly living expenses (which are after initial set up costs) and include accommodation, food, utilities, vehicle costs, phone/internet and recreation. Please note, these are my expenses and yours will vary according to multiple factors but read on until the end to see what the final tally is to see how you might be able to use this as your GO TO guide.
But before we move onto these expenses, what do you think the monthly costs would be for a solo female traveler? Take a moment to reflect on this!
Accommodation
There are loads of accommodation options out there for not only an RV'er but also a bus, van, car, tent etc. There are paid camps and caravan parks, ones that ask for a donation, those that require a booking fee, stealth camping which is camping out illegally as well as wolfing types where you work for the accommodation. The option I choose is free. This is for multiple reasons. 1 I am on a limited budget and 2 I prefer free camping with its open spaces and front door access to nature. I have occasionally stayed at paid campsites however haven’t done so for some time. Apps like wiki camps provide loads of options in regards to accommodation costs.
Here’s a rundown of accommodation costs
Paid - $10 upwards
Donation – usually $5 upwards
Booking Fee - $6 upwards
Stealth – Free however illegal
Work for accommodation – Will vary place to place
My monthly Costs
Free camps - $0
Accommodation $0
Utilities
I have a 250-wat solar on the roof and a 120-wat solar blanket this covers most of my electricity needs of laptop and phone charge as well as my blender each morning however my fridge, stove and hot water is run on gas so I use the little 3.7 kilo gas bottles which last me around 10 days with very basic use. Everyone’s basic use is different however mine is a very short warm shower roughly 4 days per week, and stove usage at least four times per day. These are quite cheap to fill at the service station which only costs $12 each refill. I have a generator which I have only used a handful of times and this has only been for extreme heat. I have probably filled it with about $30 of fuel in seven months. I also have a diesel heater which is linked into my fuel tank and extremely cost effective. For an idea on set up ‘free camp link”.
My monthly Costs
Gas - $36
Petrol/Diesel - $ 6 approx.
Utilities - $42
Food
In this area I cover all of my shopping needs ie food, cleaning, personal hygiene/care, cat food and litter as well as the odd bottle of wine here or there etc which is all pretty basic. I try to shop at Aldi which is a lot cheaper when I’m in Sydney and purchase the specials from larger chain supermarkets for vegan and any other specialty items. I try to buy organic and shop at farmers markets when I can however, I’m not always in a place where organic produce is available. I have a good stocked pantry and my cleaning products as well as personal care/hygiene are simple and home made with natural oils and bicarb or vinegar.
I also want to mention here that I fill up with water at camp places and/or Families houses which makes it free for me.
My monthly Costs
Food - $280
Food - $280
Is your monthly budget estimate around the same as mine? Keep reading to find out more of the costs.
Vehicle costs
RV living has loads of luxury however also costs much more than a van, car or even a bus, if you’re talking repairs and maintenance. I have decided to just add the running diesel costs here as the upkeep can vary so much from the type of vehicle. I travel anywhere from 200-800 kilometers per week depending on work however mainly stick to around 300-400 kilometers so as an average I’m going to say around $320.
I will just note that some of the other costs regarding vehicle you may need to keep in mind are:
Comprehensive insurance
Green slip
Registration
Services
Repairs and maintenance
My Monthly Costs
Diesel average - $320
Diesel - $320
Phone/Internet
I am with Telstra which has better coverage for the places I visit ensuring I feel safer when on the road solo. I’m on a $98 plan which includes the cost of my handset as well as covers my internet for personal and business use which I hot spot to my laptop.
My Monthly Costs
Phone/internet $98
Phone/internet $98
Entertainment
Now many of you out there may love to get out for dinners and paid entertainment however most of my entertainment is free. I enjoy the simple things in life and I am passionate about spiritual practices, creating and weaving magic, reading, watching a little Netflix here and there thanks to Family. I am also a nature-based lover who spends time watching wildlife and I very rarely venture out to pay for entertainment.
My monthly Costs
Nature and wildlife - $0
Entertainment $0
Drum roll please
So, the total monthly running costs as a full time solo RV'er van lifer motorhome dweller here in Australia come to :
Monthly total of $740
Weekly costings are $185
I’m wondering if anyone was on the money? If you had a good estimate of what the costs would be for a solo female? If so would love to hear what you thought it would costs in the comments below! What do you think it would cost you?
Again, this is just a guide for you to have a better idea of what it costs to be on the road, there are many other things you may need to factor into your budget such as subscriptions, medications, memberships, clothing, haircuts, birthday gifts and any other personal items. I personally cancelled all of my subscriptions and memberships when going on the road due to my budget as I’m a very small business who started up in the midst of Covid.
I would suggest that if you had a budget you needed to stick to, work out your budget according to essentials first and try to look at as many free options as possible.
These vlogs are designed to support you wanting to live the on the road journey and while I do love creating them (minus the ongoing tech issues) they require loads of love, passion and energy. So, if you get something out of this vlog or blog please give it a like and share to anyone who may benefit and if you like the content on my YouTube channel subscribe and tick the notification bell to get regular updates. If you want to show even more support, I have added my KO-FI page below where you can SHOUT ME A COFFEE https://ko-fi.com/tamsun for as little as $3 so I can continue these vlogs fully caffeinated.
Comments