We spent £1,840 last month across twelve countries. Here is exactly where every penny went.

Every time we post about full-time vanlife somebody asks us: but how do you afford it? The honest answer is that we spend considerably less than we did when we had an apartment in south London. No rent, no council tax, no commute, fewer impulse purchases. The van is not free — but it is cheaper than most people assume.

The Real Numbers

This is our actual spending for September 2024. We were in France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco (brief), back to Spain, then through to Turkey via the Balkans. Two adults. One 2019 Volkswagen Crafter.

Where We Save

Wild camping eliminates the accommodation cost almost entirely in the UK and increasingly across Europe. We cook ninety percent of our meals in the van — a proper two-burner propane stove and a small fridge make this genuinely pleasant rather than a hardship. We buy vegetables and eggs from roadside stalls and local markets rather than supermarkets wherever possible. In Turkey and Morocco this reduces the grocery bill to almost nothing.

Fuel is our largest single cost and the hardest to control. We have learned to drive more slowly — our average speed has dropped from 90km/h to 80km/h and the fuel consumption improvement is significant. We also plan routes to avoid toll roads where the time saving does not justify the cost.