Step 1: Build your baseline (the “parked” costs)

Start with the stuff you pay whether you drive or not:

• Insurance: Van insurance varies widely by state/province, driver history, and whether you insure as RV or commercial. A realistic single-van baseline often lands in the low hundreds per month. The Wayward Home—a blog run by journalist Kristin Hanes that covers vanlife, RV living, and alternative housing—showed that you can keep insurance costs as low as around $80/month with providers like Roamly, though it’s important to be cautious with cheaper policies to make sure you’re fully covered.
  
  

• Phone + Internet: Budget both a primary phone plan and a dedicated hotspot or Starlink if you work remotely. Kristin’s breakdown stacked $250 for unlimited hotspot + Starlink and $35–$45 for a phone plan. If you’re not doing heavy uploads, you can nix satellite and rely on dual SIM/hotspot.
  
  

• Subscriptions & Storage: Cloud, streaming, and a small storage unit are easy to forget. In Kristin’s real budget, this was around $125 for storage and $40 for subscriptions.
  
  

These fixed costs create your monthly “idle burn.”

Step 2: Model your movement (the “how fast you travel” costs)

Your travel pace is the single biggest lever:

• Fuel: Gas/diesel explodes when you are constantly on the road. The Wayward Home cited $400–$800/month in fuel depending on pace; slow down and your costs plummet.
  
  

• Camp fees: Kristen Bor of Bearfoot Theory—one of the longest-running outdoor blogs, known for practical gear reviews and vanlife diaries—pegs typical paid campsites at $15–$30/night, which is $450–$900/month if you pay every night. Mix in free public land and this drops dramatically.
  
  

Pro move: Choose anchor weeks. Travel for 3–4 days, then park for 10–14. Your spend on both fuel and campsites falls, and your workflow improves.

Step 3: Food, showers, and “real life” on the road

• Groceries & dining out: Expect a similar grocery bill to house life, with dining-out creep if you’re constantly near tourist towns. Kristin Hanes’ real expenses came to $500–$800 groceries/alcohol and ~$100 restaurants.
  
  

• Showers & gyms: Many vanlifers carry a gym membership for showers, typically $30–$60/month.
  
  

• Laundry: Budget $20–$40 per month if you batch every 1–2 weeks. Long stays at campgrounds with laundry can save here too.
  
  

Step 4: Maintenance & the “van fund” (don’t skip this)

Every mile you drive is amortizing wear. FarOutRide—a Canadian couple’s blog documenting their Promaster build, extensive how-to guides, and yearly cost breakdowns—emphasizes planning for maintenance ahead of time. Tires, oil changes, brakes, and unexpected alternator drama happen. They treat maintenance like rent for your freedom: set aside a sinking fund every month ($50–$200 depending on vehicle age/miles).

Step 5: Reality check—what do people actually spend?

Ranges vary, but most credible, long-running vanlife sources converge around:

• Solo frugal: ~$800–$1,500/month (heavy boondocking, slow travel, basic connectivity).
  
  

• Typical solo: ~$1,000–$2,000/month. Gnomad Home—a family blog that shares complete van conversion tutorials and lifestyle tips—says this is the most realistic “all-in” monthly range.
  
  

• Couple with remote work + faster travel: $2,000–$3,500+/month (more fuel, more data, occasional paid campsites).
  
  

These are recurring living costs, not including your initial van acquisition + build. For the build, expect anything from shoestring DIY to high-end conversions. Gnomad Home’s 2023 guide pegs just the electrical system at ~$1,200–$5,000, and overall build budgets vary by ambition. FarOutRide also publishes detailed conversion cost breakdowns you can benchmark.

Step 6: Your budget template (copy this into Notes)

Fixed (monthly):

• Insurance $ ___
  
  

• Phone/Hotspot/Starlink $ ___
  
  

• Subscriptions/Cloud $ ___
  
  

• Storage unit $ ___
  
  

• Maintenance sinking fund $ ___
  
  

• Health insurance $ ___
  
  

Variable (monthly targets):

• Fuel $ ___ (cap by choosing pace)
  
  

• Camping $ ___ (target: free ≥ 60% of nights)
  
  

• Groceries $ ___
  
  

• Dining/coffee $ ___
  
  

• Laundry/Showers/Gym $ ___
  
  

• Experiences (tours, permits) $ ___
  
  

• Misc/Buffer $ ___
  
  

Add a one-time Emergency Fund equal to two months of your total budget (flat tires won’t ask if it’s a good time).

Step 7: Proven ways to spend less

1. Park more, scroll less maps. Cut your weekly mileage and your budget breathes.
   
   

2. Boondock intelligently. Bearfoot Theory did the math: nightly fees stack to $10k+/year if you pay every night. Public lands save thousands.
   
   

3. Batch errands. Groceries, laundry, propane, dump—try one loop per week.
   
   

4. Right-size power. Don’t overspend on lithium, but don’t underbuild either.
   
   

5. Cook simple, repeatable meals. A five-meal rotation keeps costs (and cleanup) predictable.
   
   

6. Pick a connectivity strategy. The Wayward Home shows how stacking a phone plan with a hotspot is plenty for many; Starlink is a premium add-on.
   
   

7. Track every dollar for 60 days. FarOutRide’s obsessive tracking is why their advice resonates—copy the habit.
   
   

Step 8: Revenue on the road (so your budget isn’t a fixed pie)

Many full-timers blend remote work (freelance, content, seasonal gigs) with modest brand partnerships. Content creators like Eamon & Bec—a Canadian couple who documented their Sprinter build and global travels on YouTube—openly share build costs and income strategies, showing how diversified streams can sustain long-term travel. You don’t need to be an influencer, but you do need dependable Wi-Fi and deliverable skills.

Step 9: Scenario planning (try these “what-ifs”)

• Fuel spikes: Lock in more boondocking weeks and reduce your average miles/week.
  
  

• Big repair month: Pause long distances; park near a friend’s driveway or affordable long-term site.
  
  

• Busy work season: Favor paid campgrounds with reliable power/Wi-Fi for two weeks to maximize output, then offset with free camping later.
  
  

Step 10: Benchmarks to keep you honest

• Fuel ≤ 20–25% of total monthly spend.
  
  

• Paid camping ≤ 30–40% of nights (unless you prefer resort-style parks).
  
  

• Emergency fund = 2+ months of your total budget.
  
  

• Maintenance fund replenished after every big expense.
  
  

The bottom line

When you know your numbers, you decide the pace, the places, and the priorities. Build in safety nets, cut the fluff, and spend where it actually adds value to your life on the road!

And remember: this isn’t just about saving money—it’s about making room for the moments that matter. The mountain passes you’ll cross, the nights under the stars, the freedom to wake up where you want—those experiences are worth every dollar you plan wisely for.