In Canada, many of the smaller towns will operate low cost campgrounds. Some places will have campgrounds run by service organizations, such as Lions, Kiwanis, Rotary, local Possum Lodge, etc. then there are the provincial and territorial campgrounds, most are well maintained, in great locations, and reasonable in cost. In recent years more of the government campgrounds are being turned over to concessionaires, which seems to about double the cost of when the CG was operated by the government agency in charge of it. The same idea is becoming popular in the US as well.
Many of the places I have boon docked at in the past are being gated off from overnight camping in places. Suspect too many campers were trashing the places. But there are still many places to pull off for the night, just don't plan on being alone at all of them. Plenty of impromptu overnight spots along lakes, streams, and rivers, etc.
Cost of commercial campgrounds is all relative. If you are used to camping in Florida and paying Florida prices, then you may feel the CGs in Canada and Alaska are almost free. Commercial campgrounds in the north country run between $25 usd to about $85 at one in Homer. That compares to about $45usd to $109 + lodging taxes! here in Florida.
I have made trips to Alaska, where I didn't spend a dollar for camping at night. Just pull over, throw my tarp on the ground, a sleeping pad and sleeping bag and I was good for the night. In the 1960s there were still many of the old abandoned buildings that had been used, during the construction days of building the Alaska Highway. These made great places to sleep at night, a chance to meet new and interesting people, LOL.
But then I got married to a city girl in 1973 and she didn't exactly approve of my style of sleeping out. Her idea of roughing it, was slow room service. So we compromised and did it her way, motels and in 1974 bought "our" first RV, a truck camper. I had owned a couple of rigs earlier in life.
So a person can stay for as little as they wish or be plugged in every evening, just your choice. We now probably split our nightly stays, about half and half, between boon docking and designated campgrounds, private and governmental. Here in the SE part of the US, we are plugged in most nights due to the heat, but the farther north we are, the more we boon dock or use campgrounds with dry sites.
