Everyone wants a single number for what full-time caravan life costs. We wanted one too, before we went full-time — and the honest answer is that the number matters less than the categories that make it up. Two couples in the same size van, doing the same laps, can spend very different amounts depending on how much they camp for free, how far they drive, and what they were already paying for at home.
Rather than quote you a figure that won't match your situation, here's how we actually break it down — the categories that make up a full-time budget, what tends to move the needle, and where people get caught out.
Start with what doesn't stop when you leave
The biggest mistake we see is people budgeting only for the "on the road" costs and forgetting that home life doesn't pause. If you still own a house, the mortgage or rates don't take a holiday. Insurance, phone plans, subscriptions, and anything on direct debit keep coming out whether you're parked in your driveway or a thousand kilometres away.
Before you touch a travel budget at all, list every bill that still exists once you leave. For a lot of full-timers this is the single biggest line item — bigger than fuel, bigger than camp fees.
Fuel: the cost that moves the most
Fuel is the easiest cost to estimate badly, because it depends entirely on how you travel. A couple doing slow loops around one region uses a fraction of the fuel of a couple chasing the whole continent in a year. Your tow vehicle's fuel economy loaded, your van's weight and shape, and how much remote and unsealed driving you do all change the number.
The only reliable way to budget for fuel is to work from your own vehicle's actual loaded fuel economy (not the brochure figure) and a realistic estimate of how many kilometres you'll actually cover — not the ambitious "we'll see everything" number, the one you'd put money on.
Camp fees: this is where the range gets huge
This is the category with the widest spread. Free and low-cost camping — national park sites, rest areas, station stays, community grounds — can bring your accommodation cost close to nothing some weeks. Paid caravan parks in peak season, especially in popular coastal or outback destinations, can be the most expensive line in your whole budget.
Most full-timers land somewhere in between: a mix of free camps to keep costs down and paid parks when they want powered sites, laundry, or to be near town for a few days. Decide roughly what split you're aiming for before you leave, because it's the single biggest lever you control.
Food, and the remote-town markup
Groceries cost more the further you get from a major town, and it catches people out every time. Budgeting your normal at-home grocery spend and assuming it'll hold up in the Kimberley or western Queensland is how people blow their food budget in the first few months. Build in a buffer for remote-area pricing, and factor in that eating out becomes more tempting — and sometimes unavoidable — when you're travelling.
Vehicle and van running costs
Servicing, tyres, and general wear happen faster when you're covering serious kilometres, especially on dirt and gravel. Set aside a running-cost reserve separate from your day-to-day budget, and don't assume your annual service schedule at home will match what a full-time touring year actually needs. The same goes for the van — annexes, awnings, and appliances all get more use than they would sitting in a driveway.
Insurance, admin and the boring stuff
Comprehensive cover for both vehicle and van, registration, and often a change to how your mail, banking, and Medicare details are set up while you're not at a fixed address — these are easy to underestimate because they're not exciting to think about. None of them are optional, and most of them are yearly or recurring costs you should build into the plan from day one, not work out after you've already left.
Building your own number
Rather than guess, work through each category above with your own figures — what you'll actually keep paying at home, your vehicle's real fuel use, the camp-fee split you're aiming for, and a realistic running-cost buffer. That's the process behind our Full-Time Living Master Pack, which includes a dedicated full-time budget planner alongside the transition, downsizing and admin guides for going full-time in Australia. If you're still deciding whether the road-life move stacks up financially at all, that's exactly what the pack is built to help you work through.
The bottom line
There isn't a single "full-time caravan cost" that applies to everyone, and anyone who gives you one number without asking about your van, your vehicle, and your camping style is guessing. Build your budget from the categories, be honest about your own habits, and leave room for the months that go over — because some will.
General info only — every household's situation is different. Use this as a starting framework, not a guaranteed figure, and adjust it against your own bank statements as you go.