{"id":2794,"date":"2018-02-13T10:00:14","date_gmt":"2018-02-12T21:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travellingk.com\/?p=2794"},"modified":"2018-08-10T18:15:15","modified_gmt":"2018-08-10T06:15:15","slug":"cost-of-living-caravan-rv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/travellingk.com\/cost-of-living-caravan-rv\/","title":{"rendered":"Cost of living in a Caravan \/ RV"},"content":{"rendered":"

My big question before starting the mobile lifestyle was how much living permanently in my caravan was going to cost me in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Would it even be possible to afford?<\/p>\n

Three months into this journey I calculated how much<\/a> I had spent so far. Now I’ve been living in the caravan for over a year<\/a> and have a better grasp of the costs. I am spending less than I did flat sharing in Auckland. Rent has dropped an insane amount.<\/p>\n

I regularly share how much I find this lifestyle – if you’d like to learn more, subscribe<\/a> for my newsletter.<\/p>\n

Note: The prices are all in NZ dollars.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Accomodation Cost<\/h3>\n

Cost for camping spots are all completely different. The highest I’ve paid is $50 per night in Auckland<\/a>. Since getting my solar panel, I’ve started staying at more free freedom camping spots too.<\/p>\n

My current spot is a farmers property<\/a> that has some sites for RV’s. It’s a very basic set-up with one toilet and shower for everyone. I enjoy these types of sites as they feel more homely.<\/p>\n

Auckland was tricky to find a good campground to stay at while working in the city. The closest are crazy expensive and not very nice. The ones in lovely settings by the beach took forever to drive into work. Eventually I found on in Northcote that worked for me.<\/p>\n

Below is a breakdown of the general campground costs per night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Current spot<\/td>\n$10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Best Auckland camping ground I found<\/td>\n$30<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NZMCA parks<\/td>\n$3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Traditional camping grounds<\/td>\n$16-$25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Freedom camping<\/td>\nFree<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
DoC campgrounds<\/td>\nFree-$18<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total spent on Accomodation<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Accomodation for the year<\/p>\n

3147<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Accomodation per day<\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

I was expecting it to be a lot more because of the expensive time in Auckland. But there were a few months with free accomodation when I was staying at friends or family. I’ll be very curious about next years accomodation cost!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Caravan_Ok\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Food<\/h3>\n

I personally find food in New Zealand to be expensive compared to other countries. Which is odd since we grow so much of it here.<\/p>\n

I don’t feel like I spend a crazy amount on food in my day to day shopping. No spending money on top meat, bottles of wine or fresh herbs. My extras would be quick meals, fancy yogurts and buying my lunch occasionally… if there is an option nearby.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total spent on Food<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Food for the year<\/p>\n

6954<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Food per day<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Funnily enough, it’s basically the same as what I worked out a year ago!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Hastings-Markets\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fuel, RUC & Gas Bottles<\/h3>\n

I started adding up all my petrol station visits in my bank receipts then realised this would also include gas bottles I’ve swapped!<\/p>\n

My car is diesel, so I need to pay Road User Chargers on top of my gas cost too.<\/p>\n

I’ve had patches were I’ve driven longer distances and patches when I’ve stayed in the local area.<\/p>\n

When not plugged into the power and using the hot water, I usually need a gas bottle every 2 weeks<\/a>. If I’m not running the hot water, it can last for 3 weeks. The price fluctuates depending on where you fill it up. I’ve also recently been told to take it to proper gas refillers to get better quality gas AND cheaper. I am completely estimating the gas cost per day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Fuel & gas for a year<\/td>\n$2,542<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fuel & gas per day<\/td>\n$7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gas bottles per swap<\/td>\n$35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Road User Chargers (RUC) for the year<\/td>\n$1,181<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Road User Chargers (RUC) per day<\/td>\n$3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total spent on Fuel, RUC & Gas<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fuel, RUC & Gas for a year<\/p>\n

3723<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Fuel, RUC & Gas per day<\/p>\n

10<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

This cost has come at a real surprise. I hadn’t realised I’ve been spending this much. When I travel fast I know I race through the petrol. When I’m towing, the fuel cost suddenly doubles. But looking at my fuel cost from my previous blog post, it has dropped in cost. And I’ve included this time the large RUC bill for those 3 months of racing around the South Island<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"car2\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monthly \/ Yearly Bills<\/p>\n

Monthly Bills<\/h3>\n

These are my usual monthly or yearly bills. Lots of insurance cost and a good chunk toward internet and Adobe software to be able to work on this blog. It’s made me wonder if I really do need to get AA insurance too… another cost.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Car insurance – 3rd party, Fire & Theft (per month)<\/td>\n$24.48<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Caravan insurance (per month)<\/td>\n$68.67<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Phone (per month)<\/td>\n$19<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Internet (per month)<\/td>\n$99<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Health insurance (per month)<\/td>\n$54<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Adobe software (per month)<\/td>\n$96<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NZMCA renewal membership (per year)<\/td>\n$90<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Car Warrant of Fitness (every 6 months)<\/td>\n$45<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Car Registration (per year)<\/td>\n$202<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Caravan Warrant of Fitness (per year)<\/td>\n$35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Caravan Registration (per year)<\/td>\n$35<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total spent on Bills<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bills for the year<\/p>\n

4785<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Bills per day<\/p>\n

13<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

They all add up. I usually find I’m doing ok money-wise then all the big bills will go out of my account at once.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grand Total<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total for the year<\/p>\n

18248<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Total per day<\/p>\n

51<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Total per week<\/p>\n

357<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

What I’ve found I’m doing is spending about $300 a week, then I’ll have a painful bill pop up. From these calculations, I now know I’ve been off by $50!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Caravan & Car Maintenance<\/h3>\n

Then you’ve got the surprise costs for maintaining the caravan and car.<\/p>\n

I’ve spent a lot on my car this year. I guess driving a lot has put more pressure on it than normal and I have been trying to keep it running well as the last thing I want to do is have bad breaks or break down while towing the caravan.<\/p>\n

The biggest mechanic costs have been for checking why the car over-heated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I bought my car for $5,000 and do wonder if it would have been cheaper in the long run if I had spent more on the car with less milage.<\/p>\n

For the caravan maintenance, a large chunk of the cost is getting solar panels<\/a> added. These were double what I was expecting and took a big chunk out of my bank account. But they have been worth it! Not more paying extra for powered sites. More freedom with where I can stay.<\/p>\n

I also have big caravan costs coming soon with adding a grey water tank, awning and getting a better battery.<\/p>\n

I haven’t included the cost for updating my curtains and sofa covers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Fuel table<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Mechanic Bills for the year<\/td>\n$2,854<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Solar Panel added<\/td>\n$3,300<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mitre 10, Bunnings and other car & caravan accessories<\/td>\n$1,066<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Total spent on Caravan & Car Maintenance<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Caravan & Car Maintenance for the year<\/p>\n

7220<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

Caravan & Car Maintenance per day<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

$<\/p>\n

I can’t believe this is more than the fuel & gas! In theory this cost should decrease with time as everything has been fixed in the car and the caravan has all the extras I want.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What do you think of the overall costs? Is it close to what you expected? Is there something you would have more or less? I’d love to read it in the comments below.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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