Chickery's Travels

Chickery's Travels logo. A blue-green Earth globe with continents surrounded by dots with an arrow denoting movement or travel and "Chickery's Travels" as part of the dotted circle. Next to this is a photo of their blue and white Arctic Fox 5th Wheel with the awning out.

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Full-Time RV Expenses

In this article we’ll share our expenses for the top three categories of campgrounds, fuel, and entertainment over an entire year of full-time RV travel. We’ll share the average monthly cost of each category and explain what occurred in the high and low months as well.

One question we hear often is, “Can you full-time RV for less than $1,500 a month?” The answer to that is maybe. I say maybe because it really depends on what your full-time travel dream is. If you want to stay at full hook up campgrounds or RV resorts, not likely. If you want to travel a lot of miles, that is going to be difficult as well.

The thing about budgets is that they are very personal. It all comes down to your wants and needs. In this article, we’ll share our expenses based on our preferences. The hope is that they simply provide food for though and help you create your own budget.

Campgrounds

Except for 2 short dry camping stints, we stayed exclusively in full hook-up (water, 50 amp electric, and sewer) campgrounds. We read reviews and try to find campgrounds or RV resorts that have good WiFi (to save on our hotspots), heated pools, and fitness rooms. 

This year we stayed in 18 different campgrounds: 11 Private, 5 Military, 1 Corps of Engineer (COE), and 1 Country Fairgrounds. We post reviews of all our stays on our YouTube channel. We also prefer to travel slowly and take advantage of monthly rates when we can. 

  • Total Campground Expenses: $9,139.13
  • Average Monthly Cost: $762
  • Highest Monthly Cost: $1500
  • This was at Fort Belvoir, VA in the Washington DC metropolitan area. While it was an expensive campground for us, it was worth it to attend our oldest son and daughter-in-law’s wedding! You can see our review of the campground here.
  • Lowest Monthly Cost: $495 We spent the month of July at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL. You can see our review of the campground here.
  • For those who don’t have the option to stay at military campgrounds, we’d like to give you an idea of the cost of campgrounds that anyone can enjoy. Our least expensive was a COE campground. They are federally managed by the Army Corps of Engineers and open to the public. We paid $13 per night at Gunter Hill Campground. On the high end of the spectrum, we stayed at the Tucson Lazy Days KOA for the entire month of December. We paid $821 for the month including our metered electricity.  
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Fuel

We pull a 30’ Fifth Wheel with our Chevy 3500 HD Truck. We typically stay in place 4-6 weeks before moving which helps keep costs down, but the truck is also our only vehicle for local drives. 

  • Total Diesel Expenses: $6,038.28
  • Average Monthly Cost: $503
  • Highest Monthly Cost: $848 This was in June when we drove from Texas to Virginia for our son’s wedding. 
  • Lowest Monthly Cost: $301 This was in April. We were in San Antonio where two of our sons live. We didn’t travel much outside of the area and they often came and picked us up when we went places in the local area.

We also spent $298.28 on propane over the year. We stayed at full hook-up campgrounds in warm climates most of the year and predominantly used propane for cooking (stove top and oven) on a daily basis. A few of the summer months we didn’t have to refill our propane at all. The weather was unseasonably cold in Tucson this winter, so in December we paid $67.66 for propane to run the heater every night. 

Finally, we paid $228.54 for gas for our generator during the year. Normally we only run the generator 1-2 hours per month according to the regular maintenance schedule. However, we had to run it all day every day for a few weeks in May when we were dry camping during an unseasonably hot spring in Texas. 

Entertainment

Entertainment costs include things like museums, movies, parking, etc. Our total entertainment expenses were: $2,663.64. 

  • Average Monthly Cost: $222
  • Highest Monthly Cost: $695
  • Lowest Monthly Cost: $62

Our highest month was in September. We were having work done on the RV and stayed in a resort in Orlando. While there we went to Disney and several other expensive tourist attractions. Our lowest month was in February. We spent some time at the beach in Florida and with the State Parks pass parked for free. Then we traveled to Texas for a conference, so we didn’t have too much additional time for entertainment. 

Total Expenses

Is this the full list of all full-time RV travel expenses? Not for us. There’s maintenance, insurance, internet hot spots, and more.

That is the real catch to full-time RV travel, there are so many other expenses that you don’t hear about from connectivity to maintenance and a million things in between.

It is possible to have a more frugal budget. For example, you can dry camp, travel less miles, find numerous discounts, and employ a multitude of money saving techniques. We share many of them in Full-Time RV Finance and help you develop a realistic budget that you can live with.

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Learn how much it costs to live and travel full-time in an RV. We cover every expense for one full year of RV travel. We also explain variables that apply to motorhomes, fifth wheels, travel trailers and campers.

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Maverick Ranch (Lajitas, Texas)

If you’re looking for a great campground near Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, you’re going to love Maverick Ranch RV Park. This wonderful RV park is the perfect launching point for your Big Bend National Park adventures! We stayed at this campground for two weeks and felt like we only scratched the surface of all the area had to offer.

Watch the short video below to see the highlights.

RV Park and Golf Resort

Maverick Ranch RV Park offers 100 full hook-up sites, including 60 pull-through sites, as well as a swimming pool, community center, and laundry room. On the main road in front of the resort is a General Store. Guests of the Maverick Ranch RV Park also have access to all of the Lajitas Golf Resort amenities and activities including a fitness room, small shopping area, restaurant, and golf course.

Location

Maverick Ranch RV Park and the Lajitas Golf Resort are situated on Highway FM 170 between Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park on the banks of the Rio Grande.

Big Bend Ranch State Park

Big Bend Ranch is the largest state park in Texas. Portions of it border the resort. The park has 238 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. You can walk straight from your campsite to some of its trails.

Big Bend Ranch is the largest state park in Texas. Portions of it border the resort. The park has 238 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. You can walk straight from your campsite to some of its trails.

Big Bend National Park

You have to drive about 40 minutes to reach the national park’s visitor centers and most of the trails. However, you can access the Mesa de Anguilla trail directly across the street from Maverick Ranch. We really enjoyed this trail that provides a view of the “big bend” of the Rio Grande.

Within the national park, there are more than 150 miles of trails. Elevations range from 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande to 7,832 feet on Emory Peak in the Chisos Mountains. Elevation changes produce an exceptional variety of plants, animals, and scenic vistas.

Within in Big Bend National Park, there are more than 150 miles of trails. Elevations range from 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande to 7,832 feet on Emory Peak in the Chisos Mountains. Elevation changes produce an exception variety of plants, animals, and scenic vistas.

Camping in Big Bend

If you don’t need hookups, you can also camp inside Big Bend National Park at one of three campgrounds.

The Rio Grande Village Campground is the largest and has 100 campsites that range in size from small tent sites to large pull-through sites that can fit RVs up to 40′.

Another option for tent campers, trailers under 19′, or RVs under 24′ is the Chisos Basin Campground. It is located high in the rugged Chisos Mountains at an altitude of 5,400 ft. Please note: The road to the campground is steep and winding with sharp hairpin turns. Trailers over 19 feet and RVs over 24 feet are not recommended.

The Cottonwood Campground is a quiet, shady desert oasis located between the Castolon Historic District and scenic Santa Elena Canyon. It has 24 sites for RVs under 24′.

Star Gazing Opportunities

Both parks have earned the International Dark Sky designation. We were able to view the Milky Way almost every evening right from our campsite.

Situated in an International Dark Sky community, the star gazing at Maverick Ranch RV Park is not to be missed! We could see the Milky Way right from our picnic table.

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Learn about the best places to camp near Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park. We enjoyed the full hook ups and swimming pool at Maverick Ranch RV Park, but there is also primitive camping within the national park. No mater what type of RV, motorhome, fifth wheel, or camper you have, there is a spot for you.
Located between Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park, Maverick Ranch RV Park offers 100 full hook-up sites, including 60 pull-through sites, as well as a swimming pool, community center, and laundry room.

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Oklahoma City East KOA (Choctaw, Oklahoma)

The Oklahoma City KOA was a terrific location for us to visit Oklahoma City and family north of the city. We appreciated it being close enough to visit the city, without being too busy.

Location

This KOAs easy access to I-40 was one of the primary reasons we choose it. It was less than a mile from the interstate, but far enough away we couldn’t hear the traffic. We were also visiting family north of Oklahoma City, so it was a great base for us.

Campground

This was a smaller KOA with only about 50 full hook up sites. The interior roads were paved and the outer roads on each side were gravel and appeared to have more seasonal or long term stay campers. Most of the sites were also gravel with just a picnic table. However, there there were a few deluxe sites with outdoor furniture and fire pits.

These deluxe sites are located at the Oklahoma City KOA. With just about 50 full hook up RV sites, this is a smaller campground. The interior roads were paved and the outer roads on each side were gravel and appeared to have more seasonal or long term stay campers. Most of the sites were also gravel with just a picnic table. However, there there were a few deluxe sites with outdoor furniture and fire pits.

We had a nice long gravel pull through spot that our 44′ fifth wheel and truck fit into nicely. However, although the campground website indicates they have cable, we learned the hard way it did not extend to our row.

In addition to RV sites, the campground also had park models, cabins, and tent sites.

Amenities

This park seemed a little older than most KOAs we’ve stayed it, but it had a all the amenities you expect from the franchise including a playground, nature trail, dog park, and laundry room. We were disappointed that the pool was seasonal and already closed in early October. I did really enjoy the 1-mile nature trail through the woods that circled the campground.

Most importantly for a campground in Oklahoma, the campground had two storm shelters.

Oklahoma City

While there, we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Located in downtown Oklahoma City, the museum is adjacent to the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which was destroyed in the 1995 bombing. The museum and memorial honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing. It was very moving and we encourage anyone in the area to take the time to visit.

The outdoor memorial can be visited 24-hours per day. A particularly poignant part of it is the Field of Empty Chairs. The 168 empty chairs were hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone. They sit on the site where the Murrah Building once stood and represent those who lost their lives. Three unborn children died along with their mothers, and they are listed on their mothers’ chairs beneath their mothers’ names. The 19 smaller chairs represent the children killed in the bombing.

If you are in the area, be sure to visit the Oklahoma City Museum and Memorial. The outdoor memorial can be visited 24-hours per day. A particularly poignant part of it is the Field of Empty Chairs. The 168 empty chairs were hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone. They sit on the site where the Murrah Building once stood and represent those who lost their lives.

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Oklahoma City East KOA is located in Choctaw, Oklahoma and offers great camping sites! This KOA campground offers RV sites, tent camping, and cabins in a quiet, shaded country setting just 15 minutes from the heart of downtown Oklahoma City.

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