The Cost of Vandwelling

When planning to live in a van costs are one of the first questions that come up. It's easy to get caught up in the how. How will I do this? How much will it cost? How will I live? All the how's can get awfully scary as they all pile up together. But once it's all broken down, living in a van isn't as expensive as you fear, and it is more rewarding then you can imagine. 

On average, most people budget and use about $1,000 a month when living in a van. Like all things, this can vary and be either less or more for your own personal travel life. With the $1,000 average monthly spending  living expenses take up 75% of this. On average insurance will cost between $100 and $150 a month in the United States. The average person will eat about $300 worth of food a month. The biggest variable in VanLife is gas. The average person spends $250 to $300 a month in gas, but living in your van this can get much more, or much less expensive, depending on your own choices. Staying in one city and parking close to a job every day of course will lower the cost of gas prices, where traveling from the east coast to the west once a month will raise the cost of gas. However, the average will be around $250 to $300. These three things make up the total of your must have living expenses for van life, and the things you can't safely live without. 

Beyond that is your other expenses. Portable internet can range from $50 to $80, a gym membership to give you clean showers runs about $20 a month, phone bills can be from $30-$70 on average, and the average cost for van repairs and maintenance will be about $50-$100 a month. 

It's also important to remember that unexpected expenses will come up, so beyond your $1,000 a month base, it is important to also have extra savings to bail you out of a scary van situation.

Van life isn't all about the costs though. Living on $1,000 a month gives you infinite possibilities of travel, and adventure. There is so much excitement and joy in this life of open roads, and the people you will meet while traveling are guaranteed to be life changing. 

Plan carefully, have the money you need, and take the plunge. There are many ways to live, and you can live them.