Average RV Park Rates: How Much Does It Cost To Stay At Campground

RV adventures are rich with memories. The draw of the open road, while being able to take the comforts of home with you is incredibly popular.

If you are about to dip your toe into this exciting new world, you might be wondering about how much does it cost to stay at an RV park?

If you are looking for a basic-to-average RV park then you can expect a price range between $30 to $60 per night. However, a more luxurious facility could cost considerably more.

If you’ve looked at RV park rates online, you might be wondering why they are so high and what you can do to mind your budget?

As you might imagine there are many factors that go into RV park rates, like amenities and employee costs. This includes things like maintaining amenities, as well as proximity to popular attractions.

From low cost public campgrounds to luxury private RV resorts and everything in between, read on to know how much it’s going to cost and tips about how to save money on RV parks and campgrounds.

Average RV Campground Cost Per Night

Here are a few examples of some of the more popular RV parks around the United States and the kind of rates you might expect to pay per night.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the things that influence RV park rates and what you can do to save a little money on your RV adventure.

What Are The Main Factors Making RV Rates So High?

RV vacationing continues to grow in popularity. It’s to the point that there are organizations like Outdoorsy, and RVShare who help RV owners and interested renters to connect.

While this can help you save money on the cost of renting an RV, you will still have to pay for space at an RV park if you want to be able to plug into shore power and other amenities.

RV parks and campgrounds that cater to RV travelers typically based their fees on a number of factors. This includes things like:

Of course, these are just some of the basic services you can expect at an “Average” RV park. There are many other factors that can influence the cost of a site at a private RV campground. This includes things like:

how much does the Private RV Parks cost?

Depending on where you intend to stay things like taxes, and the cost of amenities can vary from state to state.

For example, in certain parts of the west, the cost of water is at a premium, and that gets passed on to the rates and fees the RV park charges you.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that some private RV parks offer luxury sites which may have additional amenities, or they are simply located close to a popular feature like the pool or rec room.

If we define the word “Average” as meaning a relatively normal RV site, with access to reasonably priced electricity, water, and sewer.

If the RV park includes things like a pool, free WiFi access, mini-golf or other amenities, the price might be higher.

The following are examples of the costs to stay at some of the “Average” yet popular RV parks in the United States.

Average RV Campsite Cost Per Night

If you are looking for a basic-to-average RV park then you can expect a price range between $30 to $60 per night. There are also luxury RV resorts like Disney’s Fort. Wilderness where a site might range from $70 to $100 per night. While this might seem a little high to some, many families prize RV parks with entertainment close at hand.

Can I Save Money On Renting A Private RV Site?

There are some private RV parks who offer discounted rates for booking in advance. This also allows them to plan their services ahead of time to make sure they have enough spots open and available.

Some private RV parks will also offer discounts for RV campers who reserve a site for a week or more.

By booking in advance and staying in one RV park as a “Home Base” you could save as much as $15 to $20 a night!

What Is A Public Campgrounds?

Public campgrounds are typically managed by extensions of the Department of Natural Resources or the Bureau of Land Management.

They are typically less expensive than a privately-owned RV park. Yet they most also tend to have very basic access to amenities.

With a limited budget, they typically offer more private, buffered RV sites, and access to natural attractions.

Some are classified using words like “Rustic” which means they might have a few limited sites with access to electricity or shore power. 

While some of them do offer shower houses and bathrooms, there are many that don’t. You shouldn’t be surprised if a “Rustic” public campground has little more than a latrine or outhouse and perhaps a dump station.

If you are considering a Rustic RV campground, that doesn’t have a shower or laundry facility, you might want to call a nearby resort or hotel.

Many of them are aware of this inconvenience and they will offer campers access to their shower and laundry facilities for a reasonable fee. This allows you to enjoy the wild and rugged campsite, yet still be able to keep clean.

RV campers might want to beware the word “Primitive” when looking for a public campground. These tend to be out of the way places with one or two campsites that feature a fire pit and nothing else.

The roads or trails that lead to most primitive campgrounds don’t easily accommodate Fifth Wheel, Class A, or Class B motorhomes.

How Much Does It Cost To Stay At A Public Campgrounds?

The prices can vary depending on the amenities the campground offers, as well as the cost of municipally provided services.

A site with full hookups and an RV dump station near a popular attraction might cost as much as $45 to $50 per night. A site at a campground that only offers basic shore power electricity and water might range between $20 to $35 per night. This amount might be higher in parts of the west where long-term drought is a problem.

A “Dry Camping” site, that doesn’t offer water and power, might be as little as $15 to $25 per night. Some of them also offer firewood at cheap prices, to keep campers from decimating the surrounding natural wilderness.

If you are planning to stay at a single site for an extended amount of time, you may need to book two reservations.

Most federally managed sites and public land limit the amount of time you can camp at one site to a maximum of two weeks. If you are planning to stay for a full month, they might require you to make two reservations.

Also, keep in mind that public campgrounds tend to fill reservations fast. Especially those with prime spots close to water access, shower houses, and other amenities.

With some of the more popular ones, you may need to book your site as much as six months in advance.

How Much Does It Cost To Live In A RV Park Per Month?

There are some people who like to go on month-long or even summer-long RV vacations. There are many RV parks who recognize this and will offer discounted monthly rates for renting a spot of a campsite.

The cost can vary depending on the size of the site you want as well as the amenities the park offers. The general range typically lands between $1,300 to $3,000 per month. This also includes the cost of living while you are there, such as electric, water and dumpsite use.

Are There Other Discounts To Help Save Money On An RV Campsite?

With the popularity of RV vacationing on the rise, there are many campgrounds and RV parks who offer extra discounts to help attract new guests.

RV Park Discounts For Seniors

Senior Discounts are relatively common, for RV enthusiasts who are retired or semi-retired and enjoy traveling.

Even if you are traveling as a family with wide age ranges, you might want to secure your reservation using Grandma or Grandpa’s information.

Active Military and Veteran Discounts are also relatively popular. They can vary from one state to next.

Military and Veteran Discounts are also more common in public campgrounds. There are even some areas where military members can stay for free for a day.

Get A Lifetime Senior National Park Pass

A Lifetime Senior Access Pass might also be something to consider investing in. It’s provided through the Bureau of Land Management for around $80.

It’s available to anyone over 62 years of age. It provides members with free entrance to all the national parks as well as half-priced campsite fees.

Just keep in mind that these discounts only apply to access and site fees. Other things like electricity, water, and use of the dump stations will still apply.

Join RV Membership Clubs

RV Clubs are also a popular way to save a little money on camping and RV park fees. There are many out there to consider, each offers their own little discounts and affiliated networks.

For example, the “Good Sam RV Club” offers its members a 10% discount at over 2,000 campgrounds and RV parks around the United States.

Members also enjoy other benefits such as 5¢ off a gallon of gasoline or 8¢ off per gallon on diesel at all Pilot Flying J locations.

This also includes 5¢r discount per gallon to fill a propane tank. It also includes a 10% discount on most purchases at Camping World.

KOA Value Kard Reward

The KOA Value Kard Rewardshelps you save 10% off daily rates at over 500 KOA campgrounds throughout the United States and Canada.

A year-long membership only costs $30, which can pay for itself in a single vacation.

There are also reward points in the program, that comes with each booking, which can be redeemed for future KOA stays.

KOA also offers a special smartphone app that makes it easy to find and book reservations throughout its expansive network.

Reserving a spot in advance or for a longer period of time can also help reduce the per night rate.

In Conclusion

RV camping does come with some extra costs. Booking sites in advance, debating public campgrounds versus privately owned RV parks, can help you save money on your per night site rental costs.

If you frequently travel with your RV, you might want to join one or more RV clubs to help further shave down some of the costs.