Most people who aren’t living the full-time RVing lifestyle think that we must spend a fortune on fuel costs. However after nearly six years on the road, our fuel costs as a full-time RVer have de-bunked this myth.

We live and work from our Arctic Fox 24′ fifth wheel trailer, pulled by a Dodge Ram 2500 4×4 Cummins pickup that gets anywhere from 12  to 17 mpg depending on what roads we’re traveling. Our rig is small by many RVer’s standards, but our fuel cost savings are one big reason why we prefer to tow our tiny house.

Our Full-time RVing Fuel Costs Versus the Joneses

In 2012, we spent $4,618 on fuel, which equates to $385 a month, or approximately $96 a week.  According to this AAA report, our costs are just slightly more that of the average American household:

In 2012, the average household consumed some 1,140 gallons of gasoline for an annual average cost of $4,112. This was just slightly below the record $4,127 that an average household spent in 2011, when it consumed approximately 1,174 gallons of gasoline.

Although our costs were $506 higher than Joe and Jane America, part of that reason is because diesel is more expensive, and also because we traveled a lot more in 2012 than we normally do.

I cringe whenever we fill our tank, but in the end, I’m fine paying that extra $506, because it took us through 17 states, introduced us to unforgettable people and got us to workamping jobs with amazing office views like this:

$506 for all that? What a deal!

Over the last six years of our travels I’ve discovered that fulltime RVing is so much cheaper than living in a traditional sticks and bricks house. If you learn how to carefully track your expenses and maintain a cost-effective approach toward the lifestyle, I guarantee you’ll have the same experience.