The cost of van life

Living in a van and travelling maybe cheaper than living within bricks and mortar but there are many costs involved, some of which you might not consider. It's not as cheap as you may think.

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No two cases are the same but here is ours:

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The cost of the van

Some prefer to purchase a normal van and convert it themselves into a camper. You will need to set a budget and stick to it and the budget will dictate the quality and what facilities you have onboard. We have, in the past undertaken two such projects, both costing around £17,000 including the van. They were perfectly adequate for van life. You could also purchase a ready to go, second-hand van.

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Our latest van (Autosleepers Kingham) was purchased new and ready to go. The cost including a few optional upgrades was around £80,000. We hope it will last us for many years. The reasoning behind purchasing a new van were:

• A long warranty period

• Hopefully more reliable than an older, used van and mechanically sound

• 3 years without the need for an MOT

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Fuel

If you are travelling around in your van, fuel will be one of your largest expenses. This is controlled by how long you stay in one place. Although we will be covering many countries, we will be staying in some locations for several weeks. Some van lifers make a base and hardly ever move. Their fuel costs will be low. You may also have to factor in the cost of any toll roads if used.

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Insurance

A vital element of van life and the costs will obviously depend on your van and whether your life includes overseas travel. Ours is around £900 per year, including travel overseas for 364 days per year.4

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Heathcare

Again, impossible​ to put an exact price on this but if you are travelling overseas, travel and healthcare insurance is vital. Treatment in foreign countries could cost you dearly. Good, all year round health insurance is not cheap and depends on your age(s). Ours costs several thousand pounds per year. The policy has to be taken out before you leave the UK.

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Maintenance

This will depend on your van and a lot of luck. Even new vehicles can suffer problems and breakdowns and all vehicles will require regular maintenance such as oil changes. We took out European breakdown cover for the bulk of our trip. The AA package cost us £155 for the year. Our van had a full service before departure, including an oil change. Total cost around £250. We also carry spare oil, just in case.

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General living costs

Our weekly shopping bill, we estimate to be £50 per week and that will be living quite well. We have set a budget of £100 per week, any surplus remaining in our emergency fund. We hope to keep our emergency fund at £10,000 minimum. Whilst by not living in a house, we won't have the general household bills such as council tax, gas, water and electricity, we will have gas (LPG) at around £10 per month. Our water will be free and our electricity will be all solar generated.

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Campsites

We will only be using campsites in emergencies and maybe once every 14 days or so. This is a personal preference. Some van lifers prefer to always be on a campsite, others never use them. Our van is pretty much self-sufficient so we would have little to gain on a campsite.

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Unexpected costs

Everything in life has these and I am sure we will encounter some along the way. Depending on country, these could include:

• Breakdown of any equipment in the van such as plumbing, toilet or electrical

• Fines (official or not). In some countries you can encounter corrupt police who will take cash off you for no reason. In most cases it is not worth arguing with

• Medication if one of us becomes unwell and it's not covered on our health insurance

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