A month on wheels
What does it cost, beside a month of rent?
Try it
These numbers are an example. Put in your own.
The rig
Each month
Each year
To compare
On wheels, out of pocket each month
$2,294
$906 a month more than renting.
| Loan payment | $531 |
|---|---|
| Truck | $0 |
| Site and electricity | $975 |
| Fuel | $388 |
| Rest: insurance, upkeep, internet | $400 |
| On wheels | $2,294 |
| Renting | $1,388 |
In five years you would still owe $40,536 on a rig worth about $35,429, at your guess. That is $5,107 more owed than it is worth. Interest over the whole loan: $45,616. Fuel is not counted yet: put in miles to the gallon.
What just happened
Three things the sum shows
A long loan is a small payment and a large bill. With the example numbers, $50,000 borrowed over 15 years costs $45,616 in interest. Stretch a loan and the payment falls while the bill grows.
The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender.
Proverbs 22:7In context. A plain observation of how things work: the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower serves the lender.
The rig loses value while you still owe on it. Read the last line of the answer again. If the rig is worth less than the loan, selling it does not set you free: you would have to find the difference.
Staying put is the cheap way. Set the miles to zero. Then set them to 2,000. Fuel is the part of this life that moves most with how you live it.
To keep the comparison fair, add your own electricity and internet to the rent figure, since the wheels side counts them.
Read the loan’s own rules
The lender whose rate we used says on the same page: “Recreational vehicles must be used for recreational purposes only” (Navy Federal Credit Union). If you mean to live in the rig, tell the lender and the insurer so, and get their answer in writing.
The price on the window is not the price
On October 13, 2026 we read 20 new trailers on one large dealer’s site. Each showed the dealer’s price beside the maker’s list price. The two newest, 2027 models, were advertised 27% under list. Sixteen left over from 2025 were 33% to 52% under (General RV). The dealer changes what it shows, so you will see different trailers. Take it as a sign and not a rule: the list price is where the talking starts.
Where the starting numbers come from
| Number | What we read | Where, and when |
|---|---|---|
| Loan rate | 9.80% a year, “as low as”, for loans longer than 5 years and up to 15. Shorter loans were 7.45%. | Navy Federal Credit Union, October 13, 2026 |
| A dealer’s ad | 7.99% over 20 years on more than $50,000 borrowed, with 20% down | General RV, October 13, 2026 |
| Site rent | From $875 a month plus metered electricity, November to April, in North Carolina. $899 a month plus electricity in Texas. | Asheville West KOA and Fredericksburg KOA, October 13, 2026 |
| Fuel | Diesel $6.20 a gallon, regular gas $4.35, United States average | US Energy Information Administration, week of October 5, 2026 |
| Rent | $1,388 a month, the middle rent across the United States | Apartment List, September 2026 |
The price of the rig, miles to the gallon, insurance, upkeep and the value lost each year are our guesses, there to be replaced. For insurance, ask for a written quote on the rig you mean to buy, and ask what it pays if the rig is destroyed.
What sellers ask for a used one
The middle asking price by kind, from about 850 used listings we read on RV Trader on October 13, 2026. Asking is not paying: a seller may take less.
| Kind | Middle asking price | Listings read |
|---|---|---|
| Pop-up camper | $11,995 | 84 |
| Travel trailer | $22,999 | 115 |
| Truck camper | $27,400 | 82 |
| Toy hauler | $38,588 | 119 |
| Fifth wheel | $44,950 | 122 |
| Class C motorhome | $77,995 | 123 |
| Class B van | $92,243 | 82 |
| Class A motorhome | $106,743 | 120 |
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