Average monthly cost for campgrounds

[Phyllen]

We take off to fulltime starting October. We are now working on our budget. On average, can any of you give some type of cost per month for campgrounds?

Thanks in advance.

Phyllis

[Glenn and Lorraine]

As a fulltimer I don't think there is an average monthly cost. Over the years we have stayed in CGs for as little as $8 a night and as hi as $50. It all depends on the area you are in and the length of your stay.
We do use Passport America's 50% discount as much as possible. In lieu of Passport we try to use the Good Sam 10% discount. If possible we try to stay at least 7 nights as most all CGs will give you the 7th night free.
State and Federal campgrounds are also money savers but many do not have full hook ups. To me water and electric are important but if only staying a couple nights sewer is not necessary.

If I were to estimate average nightly cost it would be in the range of $20 to $25 but I am also factoring in $295 per month ($9.83 per night) for our 7 month stay in Florida.

Hope this helps.

[exav8tr]

Phyllis, This is very difficult get a handle on. In the past two years we have averaged $16.56 a night, however, we belong to 1000 Trails (no nightly fee), Passport America, RPI, Good Sam, KOA, Corps of Engineer and the Military Fam camps. Having said this, I would think our figure is a little low. Also, we have not yet made our initial investment back on 1000 Trails yet either, which we tend to discount when doing these exercises. I have paid as little as 0,(1000 Trails), up to $79.00 a night (Cape Hatteras KOA). I guess one could set a rate and try to find a park that meets those figures but this would be very difficult to do. The bottom line is you will pay whatever it costs to stay where you want. We tend to stay at a park near our destination, it is not always the least expensive but rarely the most either, except Cape Hatteras. We have not stayed at many of the State or Federal parks as we do like to stay longer and without sewer this can be a problem, plus many of them cannot accept the bigger rigs. Maybe some others would be willing to post their AVERAGES, if they have kept track as we have. At any rate, you will get a good idea of what it costs once you start fulltiming and stay in some parks, I would recommend several of the discount clubs as the initial fee is easily returned to you after a few nights camping. Good luck and Happy Camping!!!!!!!

[boylanag]

We are not fulltimers but are long timers. We just got back from a 72 day journey and the average cost for us was a little over $16/night. When we were younger and earning, we could afford the initial payment and so joined C2C and ROD. Now the benefits are $10/night at C2C and $0/night at ROD. We also use Passport America for half off and Good Sam for 10% off nightly stays. Many campgrounds also have better rates for longer stays, weekly, monthly, etc. The longer we stay at a park the less fuel we use also and it gives us a better chance of seeing all that we wish to see in any given area. You have our best wishes in your new ventures or adventures.

[richfaa]

As others have said that is hard to come up with. We are long timers. We stay 6 months in Florida and the C.G fee is @ 18.00 per day including electric. When on the road we prefer pull through's, full hook ups, 50 amps. We do have PA and the KOA club. Because of our preferences our per day C.G fee on the road may be higher than some. On our most recent trip May/June we paid as little as 16.00 PA and as high as 42.00 KOA. We budget accordingly. Oh.. We never had overnighted at, Truck stops, rest areas, Box store parking lots, etc.... Free does bring the cost down.

[stiles watson]

I think if I were trying to budget, I would set the rate at $25.00/night. That computes to around $500 per month. As has been stated, the actual will be all over the board depending on the season, popularity, and other factors.

To reduce that number, we use Passport America, Happy Camper, Good Sam Club, etc. to get rate reductions. If you are staying seven days, often you can get 7 for the price of 6. Frequently the CGs have significantly reduced monthly rates. The closer you get to popular tourist spots, the higher the daily rate.

If you don't actually spend the budgeted amount, you are ahead of the game. To under budget can cause stress. I had rather budget high and feel good when I have spent less.

[sreigle]

I budget for $22/night including all utilities. We've pretty much stayed within that budget. We use Passport America for overnight and short stays, Good Sam, Escapees, AARP, whatever discounts they're willing to give.

Weekly is cheaper than daily. Usually that means the 7th night is free. Monthly is much cheaper, on a daily basis rate, by a significant factor. In Branson, the daily rate at the rv park we were in was $34. For 30 days that would be $1020. Our monthly rate was $375, including all utilities, good cable, and wifi at the site. We were at Ozark Country Campground.

We often stay a month at our destination. If your stays are shorter, your costs will be higher.

For overnight stays when on the road, we used to look for a visually appealing park. We got past that when we figured what that costs us and all we did was shower, maybe go out to eat (or eat in), watch tv, and go to bed. So now we look for cheap in those situations, using Passport America when possible. All we care about is the site is big enough for us to not have to unhitch, is reasonably level, is cheap, and we don't feel unsafe.

Good luck on your travels. We've sure enjoyed ours.

[Phyllen]

Wow Steve - what a savings at that site. We are like you. We don't need all the frills. Just a clean, safe place to plant ourselves for a few weeks or a month while we explore the area.

Phyllis

[cmawendy]

We were in a rv park in Mesa, Arizona and it was 380.00 month plus electric which averaged about 30-40 a month depending on the temp. We are in a campground in Charles City, Iowa while my husband is putting up wind generators and we are paying 385.00 a month which includes electric and internet. We did stay in a rv park in Rio Vista California and they charged 600.00 a month which included electric but was very spendy.

[Waynem]

Hmmm! $25 a night times 30 nights equal $500!!!
I like that math. Saves me $250 a month.

[BirdingRVer]

We belong to Passport America, Good Sam & Escapees but, we still budget $30 per night.

Last year we averaged $900 per month. So far this year we are averaging $600 per month.

We seldom stay a month anywhere and only occasionally for a full week.

Where you are makes a huge difference. Quartzsite - free, home in San Jose for the holidays is $800 per month plus electricity, along the California coast $60 - $150 per day. No, we never stayed at the $150 per night sites but they do have them in San Diego. Along the Oregon coast the average has been about $34. In New Mexico we paid $20 per night for full hookups for an overnight stop. In Nevada we paid $13 per night for a one week stay.

If you want to be near a main attraction (Yellowstone, Disneyland, etc.), it will be expensive.

[Okie Guy]

In the Oklahoma City area the range is about $25 per night or anywhere from $375-$550 per month.

[clutch]

In the Colorado River corridor in Az you can expect anything from free on BLM land to over $500 + electricity. It just depends on what you are looking for. Golf courses and swimming pools cost more.