RV Park Price

‍Living in an RV has some expenses, just like living in a house. How much does it cost to use an RV park for a night?

The price for parking an RV depends on a few factors, including the services present at the RV parking place. You can expect to pay anywhere from $17 per night to park your RV all the way up to $90.  Another factor in pricing is location.

We’ve looked up both the prices of RV park services as well as what you are truly paying for. We’ll discuss the idea of an RV park, talk about some commonly offered services, and help you know what to look for in the best combination of location and service.

‍First, what is an RV park?

An RV park isn’t quite a parking lot. While you do park your RV at an RV park, there are some amenities and services that are often available from the national park systems or businesses.  At the absolute most basic level, an RV park provides an oversized lot for you to comfortably park your RV.

Now that we’ve established the basics about an RV park, we can talk about pricing.

RV Parks and their costs

Basics

Let’s start with very basic RV parks. These RV parks offer very little, but tend to only ask for $15-$20 for finding a place to legally park your RV. They are often stationed on the outskirts of a remot area, like a national park with extensive acreage.

The very best part of a RV park with a lower price is that they offer a good, trustworthy place to keep your RV safe if you plan to go hiking at the national park. They also often offer an extra spot for your vehicle so you can take a trip with a more economical vehicle into a national park.

For more off the grid campers, these parks are actually ideal because their location promotes quiet and stargazing. Some even have rules about when you can run your own generators.

The price for one of these sites can go up during peak times of the year, and be as much per night as our next category of RV parks, with some amenities.

RV parks with amenities

The average RV park cost about $50 per night, but offers some more services and amenities you will probably need at some point. Here are a few amenities you might get for $50 per night

• WiFi. Not always the fastest, but you’ll be able to access the Internet on the road
• Dump stations: Your RV has “black water” tanks and gray tanks for waste and drainage. These need to be emptied occasionally.
• Electrical: You can often plug your RV into a power source that will run your electronics and charge your RV’s internal battery
• Water: You can refill your fresh water tank that you use to shower, cook, and drink with

Read the fine print, too. Some RV parks might charge additional fees for some of the above. Some also have convenience or small grocery stores, or even playgrounds for the kids.

Also, not all RV parks have credit card machines for you to swipe with. Consider getting cash and quarters for use in laundry and vending machines.

Luxury RV parks

Yes, RV parks can offer serious amenities. These tend to start at around $80 per night minimum. We can’t quite list all possible services, but know that people on vacation might spend a few extra bucks for convenience.

• The amenities listed previously will be “top shelf” and probably easier to use, and look nice
• Some luxury RV parks include a small golf course
• You’ll often have a great view, especially if parked near a lake or ocean
• Your dog is welcome in some places, including a dog spa and kennels to watch your pets while you are out and about

The best luxury RV parks are in some place special. I recently went on a non-RV vacation to Florida and saw an RV park near the ocean with some outstanding views and easy access to the beach. The place appeals perfectly to travelers who don’t want to stay in a hotel.

Do RV park prices change?

RV park prices tend to raise or lower based on the time of year for travel.  Our suggestion is to research when peak travel times are or just contact RV parks in the area you want to travel. They can tell you if any specific dates tend to result in price increases or decreases.

What about RV parks that don’t post their prices?

Not posting prices is more common amongst RV parks that offer a ton of amenities. Some are nearly like a hotel that will bring a television to your RV if you need one - like room service!

These places tend to not post prices because they would rather have you contact them and ask about amenities so they can sell you on the value of all their services. Their services might be worth it if you have the money and want some seriously nice services and treatment. This is the kind of situation where we can use the quote, “If you have to ask how much it costs, you probably can’t afford it.”

Other nice amenities to have

Most of the amenities we mentioned before impact either the maintenance of your RV, like emptying out waste tanks, or the place and view you experience in your RV. There are other considerations for finding a good RV park that is worth the price. We’ll go over a few of those:

• Extra space between campsites. In part, so you can’t hear or see your neighbors well
• Privacy fences, shrubs, or trees.
• More trees to create additional shade on a hot day
• Laundry spaces
• Pull through spaces. This means that you can pull in and exit the RV park space without having to back up

How do I find an RV park and pricing?

The first suggestion we’ll give is to use the Internet to look up RV parks nearby. Unfortunately, not all RV parks list a lot of info about their amenities, or these change over time.

There are also numerous phone apps out there that provide up to date information about RV parks, including capacity, amenities, and even discounts.

Saving money on an RV park

If you are going to be in the same area frequently, we suggest you consider seeing if RV parks have a subscription. You might be able to pay less for night by paying a monthly or annual fee if you plan to return to a park frequently.

There are plenty of RV park companies that offer multiple campgrounds too. Knowing where they are with your subscription can save you some serious money, whether you live in your RV full time or are a frequent traveler.

Can I live full time at an RV park?

You could live at most RV parks for over a month at a time. The answer actually depends on the RV park itself and isn’t as often decided by contracts or leases. People who want to be on the road more frequently or acknowledge that RV living can be cheaper than an apartment or house can readily travel from park to park.

Here is what you should know: some RV parks won’t let you stay there for months or years at a time. Part of the reason that RV parks don’t allow longer term stays is that the RVs themselves can become difficult to move after a while, and they don’t look good, as they got rusted, faded and beat up. Unfortunately, some RV park owners think that old RVs are not attractive to look at for new customers.