I’ve lived on a sailboat for 10ish years. It’s similar, but has its own different issues. I would say that the work I do on my boat to maintain it is similar to a house, in terms of time with yard work etc. RV’s are probably similar.
It’s a freeing life, if you don’t like your neighbor, drive to somewhere else (buy a boat/RV that is capable of moving). You can live cheaply, and save a bunch of money. But if you’re thinking long term, the key is to save/invest that money. Eventually you’ll be too old to live that life, and retirement plan/savings/kids will need to help.
It’s not an investment in the sense of increasing value; land and property will pretty much always increase in value. Your RV will not. Your money going into that life is like rent, it doesn’t help you in the future. Without getting into mortgages front-loading interest, land/property will help you financially in the future.
That being said, I LOVE my life. But it is a lifestyle, it’s not for everybody. I couldn’t imagine living in a house right now.
Only way to know is if you try it. “We feel more comfortable when things are certain, but we feel most alive when they are not.”
What are your other options – and goals and needs?
I’ve been at it for ~6 years – moving around every ~2 weeks. At the time I didn’t see a happy future path in my downtown apartment living and breaking the monotony of the day to day. Happy to answer specifics.
My grandparents did it for about a decade while they traveled the country. That was the happiest I ever knew them to be. It did leave them in a really bad spot financially when they were to old to do it anymore though.
Maintinace sucks, they are designed to look good and be road worthy, not easily worked on or last a long time. That's why the depreciate so fast.
I liked it personally for the short time I did it, but I like my space for gardening and projects. Though not mutually exclusive just harder to find that setup.
Also it depends on where and how you want to live. Climat3 is a bid factor plus space to setup camp.
You have to take them to places that will work on them. I work on a ton of RV'S and I work at a semi truck engine shop. Cost per hour is definitely a lot more though.
I really enjoyed it for a year, living on the road, seeing different sights every week. And then it lost its charm, and while I look back fondly on that wild experience, I have no desire to do it again.
It's a great thing to do when you're young and child-free, or starting your retirement. Just don't expect it to be cheaper than rent and do make sure you understand the basics of keeping your engine in good condition. It is your source of electricity, water, and sewerage. You cannot afford for it to break. Also brush up on your understanding of batteries because you're going to be relying on them, a lot.
If you are asking if an RV is worth living in in terms of that it is less expensive than a house? Absolutely not.
If, however, it is your plan and purpose in life to be mobile and traveling throughout the areas you have access to, and that's a completely different story.
I'm afraid your question is to open-ended to answer.
if you include maintenance and depreciation of a new one, sure. if you bought a used but very well maintained one and were able to do most repairs yourself and get free fuel, then its probably closer.
It can be, parts for RVs can be very expensive. I paid over 400$ for a new water heater for mine. And we were just living in one while we built our house, no engine maintenance required. Also god help you if the onboard AC breaks. Difficult and costly to fix.
Did 3 years in an RV, would not recommend. But beats the hell out of the month in a tent, and most anything beats sleeping in the 2 door car, there was no getting comfy in that things. The car wasn't comfy, the tent was kinda comfy but very humid, the trailer/RV was powered, so less humidity problems, but after a while it's nice to not deal with black water and the limited size (we were in a 27 footer, larger than our apartment kitchen, but not by much)
It depends on what you want out of it. Consider being more specific with your questions. If you love hosting dinner parties or playing ping pong, then no. Source: about 5 years full time RVer 🤨
You just made me giggle at the thought of someone who's so passionate about ping pong that they cancel all of their travel & retirement plans for the rest of their lives 🤣