Every family that considers a campervan holiday asks the same thing: is it actually cheaper than hotels? The honest answer is sometimes, and the way to find out is to put numbers on both options instead of trusting a feeling. A van looks expensive when you see the daily rate, and hotels look cheap until you count four people, two rooms, breakfast and a car.

So we built a simple comparison. For the van side, we use the real prices from CampervanPlanet’s price index, updated in November 2026, which covers 22 countries and almost 10,000 live offers. For the hotel side we use clearly labelled assumptions, because hotel prices vary wildly between cities and seasons. Treat the result as a method rather than a promise, and plug in your own numbers. If you want background on how rentals work, start with our campervan rental guide.

We write this as a guide, not as a lab test. Where a number is our assumption, we say so.

The real prices behind the question

CampervanPlanet publishes a monthly price index. In November 2026 it shows campervan and motorhome prices from €18 a day in New Zealand (southern winter) up to €157 a day in Croatia, based on 9,938 live offers across 22 countries. Some of the country figures are useful anchors:

• New Zealand: from €18 a day, with typical prices about €71 in low season and €194 in peak
• Australia: from €43 a day, typical about €113 low and €144 peak
• Iceland: from €40 a day, typical about €137 low and €355 peak
• Portugal: from €68 a day, typical about €88 low and €170 peak
• Spain: from €69 a day, typical about €94 low and €155 peak
• Poland: from €91 a day, typical about €128 low and €258 peak

Notice two things. First, the “from” price is a floor, not a quote. Second, the gap between low and peak season is often larger than the gap between countries. Iceland in July costs roughly 2.6 times Iceland in November. That is why timing decides more than destination, and why our post on low season versus peak prices is worth a look.

What a van replaces: bed, car and kitchen

The best way to think about a campervan is that it bundles three things you would otherwise pay for separately: accommodation, transport and, to some degree, a kitchen. A hotel trip needs rooms, a rental car or train tickets, and meals out. A van trip needs the van, fuel and campsite fees, and meals you mostly cook yourself.

For a family of four, the bundling matters because hotels charge per room. Four people often need two rooms, or a family room that costs more. A van sleeps four for the same daily price, provided you pick a four-berth vehicle. The catch is that a four-berth van costs more than a two-berth one, and a family motorhome with a bathroom costs more still.

So when you compare, compare like for like: a four-berth van against two hotel rooms or one family room, and include the rental car in the hotel column, because you will need one to move around in most countries.

A worked example, with our assumptions

Here is a simple example for one week in the shoulder season, with every assumption stated. These are our assumptions, not quotes, so replace them with your own.

• **Van:** a four-berth motorhome at €150 a day, which is close to Poland’s typical shoulder figure in the index (about €146) and above Portugal’s (about €101) and Spain’s (about €98). That is €1,050 for seven days.
• **Campsites:** around €30 a night, a plausible figure for Europe in the shoulder season (the Zadar page, for example, quotes €25 to €35). That is €210.
• **Fuel:** roughly €150 for a relaxed week of 800 to 1,000 km in a motorhome. That is an assumption that depends on the vehicle and the country.
• **Food:** mostly self-catered at, say, €25 per person per day, or €700 for four.

Van total: about €2,110, or about €75 per person per day.

**Hotel alternative:** two rooms at €110 a night each, a rental car at €50 a day, parking and tolls of €10 a day, breakfast included, and lunches and dinners out at €25 per person per day. That is €1,540 for rooms, €350 for the car, €70 for parking and tolls, and €700 for food, so about €2,660, or about €95 per person per day.

In this example the van saves roughly €550. Change any assumption and the answer moves, but the shape is typical.

Where the campervan loses

Honesty matters here, so let us list the cases where the van is not the cheaper option. Short trips: a three-night trip rarely justifies a van, because pick-up, drop-off and the first-night learning curve eat the savings. Peak summer in expensive countries: Iceland in July costs about €355 a day for a typical van, and a hotel plus a small car can be cheaper. Eating out every night: if you are not going to cook, the van saves much less.

Cities are the other weak spot. Big cities have expensive or restricted van parking, and a van is a nuisance to drive in them. Many families do better by combining a hotel for the city part with a van for the countryside part.

Finally, comfort has a price. Some families will pay more for a bed that stays made and a bathroom that is down the corridor, and there is nothing wrong with that. The point of the comparison is to make the choice conscious.

The hidden costs people forget

Whichever way you go, a few costs get forgotten. For vans: the deposit held on your card, one-way fees, extra driver fees, bedding and kitchen kits, gas, toilet chemicals, insurance top-ups and cleaning fees. For hotels: resort fees, city taxes, parking, breakfast and the constant small purchases that come with eating out.

The biggest hidden cost in vans is insurance. A basic cover leaves you with an excess, and reducing that excess can cost a lot per day. Our guide to insurance, deposit and excess explains the options in plain English. Another is one-way fees, covered in our post on one-way campervan fees.

Add a buffer of about 10 to 15 percent to any van budget for the unexpected, and you will rarely be surprised.

Cheap seasons and the cheapest countries

If the goal is to make a van holiday as cheap as possible, the index points the way. New Zealand in the southern winter is the headline bargain at €18 a day. Australia and Southern Europe in low season are also attractive: Portugal and Spain are typically €88 to €94 a day in low season, and the Algarve or the Canary-style coasts of Spain are pleasant in winter. Poland is a cheaper summer alternative to the Alps.

A second lever is the length of the rental. Some companies discount longer hires, and the cost per night often falls as the week count rises. A third is picking up from a less busy depot, and a fourth is booking early for the best vehicles. For ideas, see our posts on first campervan road trip tips and campervan prices compared across 22 countries.

How the answer changes with the number of people

The more people, the better the van looks. A couple can often match a van’s cost with a budget hotel and a small car, especially in cheaper countries. A family of four tips the balance towards the van because hotel costs rise per room while the van’s rate barely moves. A group of five or six, with grandparents or friends, often finds a motorhome is the only sensible way to travel together at a fair price.

The opposite is also true. Solo travellers rarely save money with a van, because the daily rate is spread over one person. If you are alone, a hostel or a budget room and public transport will almost always be cheaper, unless the freedom of a van is the goal.

Age matters too. Young children love vans, but need car seats, which many rental companies supply for a fee, so ask. Teenagers want privacy, so check the sleeping layout carefully, and make sure the beds are long enough for taller travellers.

Run your own numbers in ten minutes

Here is how to do the comparison yourself. First, write down your dates and your group size. Second, open CampervanPlanet’s price index to see which countries are cheap in your month. Third, search live prices for your top two destinations, and note the total including insurance and extras. Fourth, price the hotel version honestly: rooms, car, parking and meals. Fifth, add a 10 to 15 percent buffer to both.

If the van is within about 10 percent of the hotel option, we would take the van for the freedom and the memories. If it is far more expensive, take the hotels and save the van for another season. When you book, enter HUNGRYTRAVELFAMILY20 at checkout for €20 off. The coupon is deducted from our commission, so it costs you nothing extra.