Is Van Life Actually Cheaper Than Renting an Apartment? Real Costs Compared

Are you considering chucking in the nine-to-five for a life on the road?
One of the biggest questions people ask before making the leap is whether van life is actually cheaper than renting an apartment.

If you’ve found your way here, you’re probably weighing up the costs of van life for yourself. For many people, this question starts after scrolling social media, where #vanlife often looks synonymous with tricked-out Sprinter vans and converted school buses costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you’re trying to understand the real costs — beyond the Instagram version — we can help. We’ve spent years living on the road, and in this article we break down what van life actually costs compared to renting an apartment.

Of course, the answer will always be specific to you. Whether van life is cheaper depends on where you live, what kind of apartment you’d otherwise rent, how much you drive, and the type of van you choose. Still, based on our experience, there are some clear patterns worth understanding when comparing van life to traditional renting.

Is Van Life Cheaper Than Renting an Apartment?

Don’t let Instagram’s version of van life fool you. Van life can be as expensive or as cheap as you make it.

You don’t need a brand-new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter kitted out like a glossy design-magazine spread to live on the road. You can go that route, and while it may increase comfort, it’s far from a requirement — especially if cost is a major factor in your decision to start van life.

Before hitting the road, we were living in Amsterdam and paying around €1,500 per month in rent. We didn’t own a car, and our utilities were relatively low, averaging less than €50 per week.

Once we transitioned to van life, those fixed housing costs were replaced by a different set of expenses: the cost of buying and converting a van, ongoing maintenance and repairs, insurance, and fuel. The real question isn’t whether van life is cheap or expensive in isolation — it’s how these costs compare over time.

So when you stack rent and utilities against van purchase, conversion, running costs, and fuel, how does it actually shake out? Is van life cheaper than renting an apartment — or does it just feel cheaper?

Let’s break it down.

Example 1: Budget Van Life in South America (Our Cheapest Setup)

We started van life in South America with a Suzuki APV, which we purchased for $6,650 USD. We lived and traveled full-time in our trusty “Pablo Van Go” for seven months across six countries (yes, this was fast — van life should definitely be slower than this), before selling the van for $6,000 USD when we left the continent.

Over those seven months, our total vehicle-related costs were:

• Depreciation: $650
• Maintenance: $500
• Insurance: $500
• Paperwork & registration: $350
• Fuel (petrol): ~$3,000

That brings our total cost of van ownership and travel to approximately $5,000 USD for seven months, or roughly $715 USD per month.

By comparison, when we were living in Amsterdam, we were paying around €1,500 per month in rent, plus utilities. Over the same seven-month period, that would have totaled approximately €10,850 EUR — and that’s before factoring in transportation costs, travel, or weekends away.

In this scenario, van life was significantly cheaper than renting, even when accounting for fuel, maintenance, and insurance.

Example 2: Is Van Life Cheaper Than Renting in the United States? DIY Van Conversion in the United States + Travel in Mexico

This second example reflects a mid-range version of van life: buying an unconverted van in the United States, completing a DIY conversion, and then traveling long-distance — including an extended trip through Mexico.

We purchased our second van for $9,500 USD:

• $4,500 for the unconverted vehicle
• $5,000 for DIY conversion materials and equipment

Over eight months on the road, we also spent:

• Maintenance & repairs: $1,960
• Insurance: $300
• Fuel: ~$2,400 (Georgia → Colorado → Mexico)

Total van-related costs

That puts our total spend at $14,160 USD for:

• Vehicle purchase
• Conversion
• Maintenance
• Insurance
• Fuel

We later sold the van for $10,500 USD, leaving us with a net van cost of $3,660 USD over eight months.

In addition, we spent approximately $950 USD on accommodation, laundry, and showers — expenses you would typically avoid if renting an apartment full-time.

Final cost comparison

• Total van life cost: $4,610 USD over eight months
• Average monthly cost: ~$576 USD per month

*Prices below are in USD

Even before accounting for utilities, transportation, or travel expenses, van life was significantly cheaper than renting an apartment in every city we compared.

For context, during the same eight-month period, we would have spent €12,400 EUR on rent alone in Amsterdam — without seeing any of the places we explored across the United States and Mexico.

Example 3: Is Van Life Cheaper Than Renting in Australia? DIY Van Build in Australia + Lap of Australia

Our third home on wheels was a Toyota LandCruiser Troopcarrier, which we used to complete a full lap of Australia. We considered buying a traditional van, but ultimately decided that 4WD capability was non-negotiable for exploring Australia properly.

We purchased the Troopcarrier for AUD $25,000 and spent an additional AUD $5,800 converting it for full-time living. Over the course of the trip, we also paid:

• Registration (QLD, 1.5 years): $2,000
• Insurance: $1,250
• Maintenance & repairs: $7,250

Before fuel, our total upfront and running costs came to AUD $41,300.

Vehicle resale and net cost

We later sold the Troopcarrier for AUD $25,000 — the same price we paid for it — leaving us with a net vehicle cost of AUD $16,300.

Spread over 17 months, that works out to approximately AUD $958 per month.

We also spent around AUD $1,750 on camping fees, laundry, showers, and the occasional hotel stay (because everyone needs a break from van life sometimes).

Fuel costs (the big Australian expense)

Fuel was our largest additional cost in Australia. Over the course of the trip — which included:

• Brisbane → Cape York
• Brisbane → Tasmania
• Brisbane → Perth via the northern coastline

We covered roughly 40,000 kilometres and spent AUD $8,200 on fuel.

When fuel is included, our total monthly cost to live and travel full-time in Australia came to approximately AUD $1,540 per month.

*Prices below are in AUD

Even with higher vehicle, maintenance, and fuel costs, van life remained cheaper than renting in every major city we compared — though the margin was noticeably slimmer than in other regions.

The Verdict: Is Living in a Van Cheaper Than Renting?

Across each of the real-world examples above, van life came out cheaper than renting.

Compared with our last long-term apartment in Amsterdam — and against average rent and utility costs in major cities across the United States and Australia — living in a van consistently cost us less per month. Even in Australia, where vehicle, maintenance, and fuel costs are significantly higher, van life was still cheaper than renting in every city we compared.

That said, these figures are averages, and your own costs may look very different. Rent varies wildly depending on where you live, how you live, and what you’re willing to compromise on. Before handing over the keys to your apartment, it’s essential to compare van life costs against your own current rental situation, not just national or city averages.

Based on our experience, van life can be cheaper than renting — often significantly so. But once cost is no longer the main question, a more important one emerges:

Is van life actually right for you?

Things to Consider When Deciding if Living in a Van Is Cheaper Than Renting for You

The answer to the question “is van life cheaper than renting an apartment” depends on a lot of things and your van life may or may not be cheaper than renting. We have, however, put together a list of things to consider when deciding if van life is cheaper than renting for you.

Where You Live

It may seem like we are flogging a dead horse but the cost of living varies wildly based on where you live and will be one of the main influences of whether van life is cheaper than renting for you. If you live in San Francisco, New York, Sydney, or any major city in the world, van life is most likely going to be cheaper than renting. If you live in a rural town or outside of a major city, then perhaps van life is more expensive than renting.

The moral of the story is that this question is highly specific and largely depends on where you are living currently.

Your Van and Van Build Aspirations

The type of van you decide to travel in, how old it is, and ultimately what you want your van build to look like will be a deciding factor in the question “is van life cheaper than renting”. Van builds and van conversions can cost upwards of USD $100,000 if you want the latest edition Sprinter van with all of the bells and whistles available to the van dwelling community.

If you are ok going back to the basics, then you can get away with spending as little as a few thousand dollars after you buy and sell your vehicle.

You Can Sell the Van at the End

Unlike renting an apartment, when you are ready to hang up the keys to the van and retire from van life, you will be able to recoup some of your costs. With all three of our converted vans, we were able to sell them to the next vanlifer.

With our first van purchase, we only lost USD $650 selling the car seven months after we bought it. In our second van which we converted ourselves, we turned a profit of USD $1,000. And with the Troopcarrier, we managed to sell it for the purchase price some 40,000 kilometers and 1.5 years later.

You won’t be able to recoup any costs spent on renting, it’s a non-negotiable.

If You Already Have a Car

If you live in most places in the United States and Australia, you likely already have a car. This means you already pay for maintenance costs, insurance, and fuel. Switching your car for a van will likely not have a large impact on your vehicle-related expenses. When I lived back in the United States, I paid approximately USD $600 in insurance every six months for a small sedan. We paid approximately AUD $850 every six months for insurance on our last van in Australia which is roughly the same price (depending on the exchange rate at the time).

Fuel costs increased given that we are constantly on the go, but fuel costs on the road can be largely managed by traveling slower and staying in places longer.

How Often You Plan to Stay in Paid Campgrounds

An easy way to increase costs on the road is staying at paid campgrounds. We tend to seek out free campsites as much as possible in order to keep costs low. We would rather spend money on experiences and activities than spend it in a campground.

Free camping is available everywhere! Check-out apps like iOverlander or Wikicamps to get an idea of the camping available.

That being said, we do stay at a paid campground or hotel occasionally to shower, do laundry, and simply to take a break from van life.