Quick answer: Site rent is most of it. At Homebound, a full-hookup site costs $525 a month on a Bushnell annual lease, $600 to $700 month-to-month depending on the season, or $595 flat at McAlpin with electric included. Where electric is metered, a Florida RV running air conditioning through summer adds roughly $100 to $160 a month at Bushnell's quoted $0.16 per kilowatt-hour. Taxes and fees sit on top at every park. A realistic all-in for a full-timer at Bushnell is about $625 to $685 a month before propane and the costs of owning the RV; at McAlpin it is $595 plus taxes and fees.
Key takeaways:
- Homebound Bushnell: $35 to $39 a night, $225 to $250 a week, $600 to $700 a month by season, $525 a month on an annual lease plus electric.
- Homebound McAlpin: $39 a night, $250 a week, $595 a month, electric included.
- Electric is the second line. Florida's average residential price was 15.10 cents per kilowatt-hour in June 2026; Bushnell quotes $0.16 on its summer monthly rate.
- Taxes and fees apply at both parks; ask for a sample month's total before you book.
- The park never bills you for the RV itself: loan, insurance, registration, tires and maintenance are yours to add.
Most "cost of RV living" articles give a national range so wide it tells you nothing. This one uses the published rates at two Florida parks and shows the arithmetic, so you can swap in your own numbers.
What are you paying for at an RV park?
The site: a pad with water, sewer and 20/30/50-amp electric connections, and the right to use whatever the park provides around it. At Homebound Bushnell that is an indoor heated pool, a clubhouse and game room, an activity center, laundry and showers, a convenience store and propane, a fenced dog run, a tire inflation station, RV weighing and complimentary Wi-Fi. At Homebound McAlpin it is oversized sites, complimentary Wi-Fi, a fenced dog park and a community gathering area, and deliberately no pool, clubhouse or laundry. The rate reflects the list, which is why two parks under one name publish different numbers.
How much is site rent at an RV park?
Here are Homebound's published rates. Taxes and fees apply on top at both parks, and Veterans, Good Sam, Escapees and Harvest Hosts members can ask about discounts.
| Stay | Bushnell | McAlpin |
|---|---|---|
| Nightly | $39 (Oct–Apr) / $35 (May–Sep), electric included | $39, electric included |
| Weekly | $250 / $225, electric included | $250, electric included |
| Monthly | $700 (Oct–Apr, stays under five months) / $600 (May–Sep, plus electric at $0.16 per kWh) | $595, electric included |
| Winter special | $600 a month, five-month stay required | — |
| Annual lease | $525 a month plus electric, signed lease | Call for long-term rates |
The pattern holds at most parks: the longer the stay, the lower the rate per night. Thirty nights at Bushnell's nightly rate would be $1,050 to $1,170; the monthly rate is $600 to $700, and the annual rate is $525. That is the whole reason monthly and annual rates exist, and the do RV parks have monthly rates guide goes into how they work.
How much is electricity in an RV park?
It depends on whether it is metered. Nightly and weekly guests at both Homebound parks have electric included, as do McAlpin's monthly guests. Bushnell's summer monthly rate and its annual lease are "plus electric," metered at the site and quoted at $0.16 per kilowatt-hour on the summer rate.
For scale, Florida's average residential electricity price was 15.10 cents per kilowatt-hour in June 2026, against a U.S. average of 18.34 cents, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration. An RV running air conditioning through a Florida summer can easily use 600 to 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month; at $0.16 that is $96 to $160. A mild winter month with the air conditioning off will be a fraction of that. Ask any park how the meter is read and when the bill lands.
What else goes on the park bill?
Taxes and fees. Both Homebound parks state that taxes and fees apply. Ask for a sample month with everything on it rather than the headline rate.
Propane. Bushnell sells it on site. Budget for it if your rig heats water, cooks or runs the furnace on gas.
Laundry. On site at Bushnell; the nearest laundromats to McAlpin are in Live Oak, about 20 minutes away.
Internet. Complimentary park-wide Wi-Fi at both Homebound parks. Many parks charge for it, or offer none.
Extras to ask about anywhere: pet fees (none at Homebound), visitor fees, extra-vehicle parking, late payment charges, and what happens to the rate if you leave the RV on site and travel.
What does the park not bill you for?
The RV. If it is financed, the payment is your rent's other half. Insurance, registration, tires, roof and seal maintenance, and the slow depreciation of the rig are all real costs that no park invoice shows. For someone who owns the RV outright, the park bill really is most of the cost of living. For someone buying one in order to move in, add the payment before you compare the total with an apartment.
Three example monthly budgets
- Full-timer on a Bushnell annual lease: $525 site rent + about $130 electric (an 800 kWh month at $0.16) = about $655, plus taxes and fees, plus propane. A one-bedroom apartment in Orlando averaged $1,443 in September 2026 per Zumper, before utilities.
- Snowbird at Bushnell, October to April: $600 a month on the five-month winter special, or $700 month-to-month for a shorter stay. Ask the office whether electric is metered on the winter monthly rate before you budget.
- Long-term guest at McAlpin: $595 a month with electric included, plus taxes and fees. No lease, no meter, one number.
The long-term RV living is cheaper than renting guide sets these against Central Florida rent line by line.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to live in an RV park per month? At Homebound, $525 to $700 in site rent depending on park, season and lease, plus metered electric where it applies, plus taxes and fees. A realistic all-in at Bushnell on an annual lease is about $625 to $685; at McAlpin it is $595 plus taxes and fees.
Is electricity included in RV park rent? Sometimes. At Homebound it is included on nightly and weekly stays at both parks and on McAlpin's monthly rate, and metered on Bushnell's summer monthly and annual rates. Always ask; it is the biggest variable after the site itself.
What is the cheapest way to stay at an RV park long-term? An annual lease, if the park offers one. Bushnell's is $525 a month against $600 to $700 month-to-month. Seasonal specials come next: Bushnell's winter rate is $600 a month for a five-month stay.
Are there hidden fees at RV parks? There should not be, but there are often fees that are not in the headline: taxes, pet and visitor fees, extra vehicles. Ask for a sample month's full total and read the park rules before you book.
Weighing a park against an apartment or a house? Start with the annual lease guide, then the affordable RV living page for the month-by-month comparison.
Sources: Homebound Bushnell and McAlpin published rate tables · U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (June 2026 residential prices) · Zumper, Average Rent in Orlando, FL (updated 2 September 2026). Electric usage figures are illustrative; your meter decides.