One of the benefits of all the tech we have at our fingertips is that it’s easier than ever to book travel. It’s also easier to compare your travel options and pick the best for your group. And all this tech helps us answer the question – is RV travel cheaper than hotels?
Travel prices have changed a lot in recent years, especially since the pandemic. Gas prices fluctuate very frequently, and inflation affects the travel industry as much as it affects everything else. So, is it cheaper to hit the road in an RV, or should you stick to hotels?
Well, to answer that question, we have to look at the likely costs you’ll have on a road trip in an RV versus one where you stay in hotels.
What Impacts the Cost of a Road Trip?
The cost of your road trip will include some of the following:
Lodging
Your lodging expenses will depend on several factors, including the size of your room and the time of year you travel. Here are a few things to think about.
- Size and luxury: A pop-up trailer will be much cheaper than a Class A motorhome that sleeps 10. And a pod-style hotel room will be cheaper than a suite with a living room and kitchen. Similarly, an RV with lots of amenities or a 5-star hotel room will be more expensive than a basic RV or room.
- Location: A hotel room in a city like San Francisco or New York City will cost more than a roadside motel in a small town. RVs in larger cities tend to cost more to rent as well.
- Extra amenities: The campground where you stay will also cost money … maybe. Campgrounds range from free on BLM land, or in other dispersed camping areas, to over $100 a night for some upscale RV resorts. The cheaper your campsite, the fewer amenities like hookups, showers, or planned entertainment you can expect to have. Likewise, hotels with free breakfasts, spa services, pools, and other perks cost more than a basic room with just a bed and bathroom.
- Time of travel: Booking a hotel or RV during peak seasons like summer or spring breaks can lead to higher prices for both kinds of lodging. Booking during a popular event can also raise prices. Renting an RV during a festival like Burning Man or Coachella can cost more, and booking a hotel room during a convention can similarly be more expensive. As a general rule, weekends can also be pricier than weekday stays, although that seems to hold true more for hotels than RV rentals.
Food
One perk of traveling via RV is that you can buy and cook your own food, cutting down on the cost of eating out. This can also be healthier in many cases since many of the easiest food options on the road are fast food.
If you book hotels with a kitchenette, you also have the option of bringing your own food. This can be a little more cumbersome, however. If you’re staying at several hotels on the course of your road trip, you’ll need a cooler and room in the car for food. You’ll need to pack and unpack the cooler each night and bring it back and forth to each hotel room. You’ll also need to replace the ice and make sure food stays cold. It’s certainly manageable, but not as easy as putting everything in an RV fridge and hitting the road. You also won’t have the same options for cooking food in a small hotel kitchenette as you would in an RV with a full kitchen.
Transportation
If you’re driving a car or van on a road trip and staying at hotels, you’ll save money on fuel compared to someone driving a motorhome or trailer. It simply costs a lot less to fuel up a passenger vehicle than it does an RV. If you want to estimate your fuel costs before your trip, the AAA fuel cost calculator can help you determine what gas will cost.
If you’ll be renting a car for your road trip, rental fees and insurance will be an added cost to factor in.
Activities
Activities will be another cost to consider on your road trip. If you’re headed to a national park, you’ll want to budget for park entrance fees, tours, souvenirs, or other activities at or near the park. Amusement parks, rafting and other outdoor guides, shops, fishing licenses, and other activities will all have extra costs.
Similar to lodging, some activities can have different prices at different times of the year. The off-season can be cheaper for some theme parks and other activities. On the other hand, some places are also only open seasonally, so you’ll want to research your options.
Hidden Costs
You’ll also want to look into extra costs. Some hotels or RVs have pet fees. You may need to pay for parking, tolls, resort fees, or other costs.
Cost Comparison: RV vs. Hotel in 2025
RVshare has a helpful RV rental cost breakdown. This can assist you as you determine what kind of RV you might want to rent and what it might cost.
| Cost Category | RV (via RVshare) | Hotel/Car Rental |
| Lodging (avg/night) | $100–$250 | $180–$300 |
| Transportation | Fuel (avg mpg 8–12) | Car rental + fuel (avg mpg 25–35) |
| Food | Groceries + occasional meals | Mostly eating out |
| Extra Fees | Campsites ($35–$70/night), dump station ($5-20) | Pet fees, resort fees, valet, and parking |
Example of Cost Comparison Breakdown for Road Tripping to National Park by Region
Here is a cost breakdown for some popular locations in each region of the country. Along with these costs, you’ll want to consult the above fuel calculator to get a price for fuel to travel from your home. Add that to the costs below, and you’ll have a good idea of what it will cost you to travel from home to these locations.
In the cases where the cost savings is minimal, you’ll want to consider which form of travel is more suitable for you and your group. Traveling by RV and staying in hotels both have advantages and disadvantages. We take a look at those in more detail below.
| Region | Destination Example | Avg. Hotel Stay + Car Rental | Avg. RV Rental + Campsites | Savings potential for a one-week trip |
| West | Yellowstone / Yosemite | hotel: $150-200/night; car: $30-40+/day | RV: $230/day + campsite: $30-55/night | $425+ for RV camping |
| Southwest | Grand Canyon/Zion | hotel: $150-200/night; car: $43–46/day | RV: $130-160/day + campsite: $40/night | Grand Canyon: $25 for RV; Zion: $145 for RV |
| Midwest | Badlands/Ozarks | hotel: $145-175/night; car: $55-90/day | RV: $150-200/day + campsite: $30-45/night | Badlands: $100 for RV; Ozarks: about the same |
| Southeast | Great Smoky Mts/Everglades | hotel: $150-170/night; car: $20-71/day | RV: $150-180/day + campsite: $30-45/night | Great Smokey Mts: about the same; Everglades: $200 for hotel + car |
| Northeast | Acadia/White Mts | hotel: $150-180/night; car: $85-100/day | RV: $150-180/day + campsite: $40-50/night | $214+ for RV |
RV Travel: What You Get Beyond Cost
Although cost is usually a factor when you decide how to travel, traveling by RV can offer other advantages. RV camping provides more flexibility than a hotel. There are rarely check-in and check-out times, and at campgrounds where there are, the window is usually more generous.
RV camping can also be a great option for exploring national and state parks because you can wake up each morning already inside the park. You don’t need to plan extra time to drive there each morning or reserve energy to drive back to the hotel at night. At some parks, like Yosemite, the drive from sightseeing to nearby hotels can be quite long. There’s also the added benefit of walking out your door and being immersed in the nature you traveled to visit. Campgrounds like those at Great Sand Dunes National Park, Arches National Park, and Yosemite have amazing views of the parks’ natural wonders that you can see right from your campsite.
You also have the added flexibility of being able to cook your own meals. You can keep food on hand for easy breakfasts and lunches that you can pack to take with you while you’re exploring. With many RVs, you can also choose from a variety of ways to cook hot food, from grilling outside to cooking over the stove to making meals in an Instant Pot.
RVs are great for families or pet owners. You have more room to bring along all the equipment, toys, and other things that make road trips with kids easier. And both pets and kids can go to bed each night in a place that’s familiar to them, instead of unpacking in new hotel rooms and adjusting each night.
You’ll get some of the same perks (but not all of them!) by tent camping. Be sure to check out our article on the pros and cons of tent camping vs. RV camping to get an even better breakdown of the advantages of both.
When a Hotel Might Be Better
But while RVs are more convenient and comfortable for a lot of road trips, there are some times when a hotel might be a better option. You might prefer a hotel if you’re taking a quick trip with limited stops, where you don’t need to pack and unpack at a different hotel each day for several days. You might also prefer a hotel if you’re traveling to big cities where driving and parking an RV in a crowded urban area is a challenge.
Travelers who aren’t comfortable driving larger vehicles might prefer a hotel as well. But also remember that not every RV is massively oversized. You might try a Class B campervan or a lightweight pop-up trailer if you’re nervous with a larger vehicle.
Which Is Cheaper (and Better) for You?
Your decision on whether to book an RV or a hotel will depend on several factors. You’ll likely even go back and forth between hotel and RV travel, depending on the particular trip.
When you’re deciding between an RV and a hotel, it’s good to keep the cost in mind, of course. But it’s also a good idea to consider the other benefits of each form of travel. The flexibility of RV travel and the experience of camping might mean that an RV is a better choice even if it’s the more expensive option. And, in some cases, the ease of checking into a hotel might be the better option.
If you’re curious about how much you could save on an RV road trip, browse RV rentals near you on RVshare. And if you’re planning an RV road trip, be sure to check out our tips for creating a road trip itinerary.
