Snowbirding - What is typical monthly rent by region?

We enjoyed off road riding around Quartzite Arizona last winter but the Covid thing is causing us to rethink where to winter this year. There may be more people boon-docking in that area and events like the Quartzfest are already cancelled for January 2021. New Mexico is closed down so we may go to lower elevations in southern Utah where the weather is temperate and the off road riding is good.

You can find rates from $250 to $1,000 in any of the regions. Depends on where you want to be , how popular the area is and how exclusive the park is.

First year out we met a group of people who also "Graduated to Full-time" in '06 at Quartzite. We spent 6 days in the desert, been there, done that, and never have gone back again. I know there are people who love to be all alone out in the middle of nowhere contemplating something, we're just not that time of people. We bounced around Arizona, 2 weeks at a time, all over the desert in the winter for several years and really enjoyed it, but gradually did longer and longer stays in Mesa area and eventually bought a park model so if something happened to either one of us we would have somewhere to go and take refuge for awhile - which is what we are doing this summer. Love the arts center all over the valley, great restaurants, great shopping and Spring Training, plus 20 minutes and we be up into the mountains. This is our idea of how to spend our 'slow down' years.

It's not hard to find fault with Quartzsite IMHO! There was a time when "The Big Tent" was a great reason to visit. That's long gone with the rent that is being charged. There are no longer any worthwhile deals during the Jan/Feb event. Substantially better deals are available in Yuma during the same time period. Considering that you are in the middle of nowhere with so few services and so few restaurants (all of which over charge) I stand by the fact that there are much better choices in AZ than Quartzsite! I love AZ and I have spent many years in QZ as a vendor. I still love AZ but I still HATE QZ!

philh wrote:

What's wrong with quartzsite?

Some people live to find fault with anything. They have a hard time realizing that not everyone likes the same things. To each his own imo.

According to neighborhoodscout.com Quartzsite has a crime rate that is higher than 78% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes. FWIW

DallasSteve wrote:
I'm still heading North, but I'm starting to plan for heading South in October. The obvious candidates are (left to right) California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. I don't know about Las Vegas or anywhere else. Maybe?

What I'm wondering is how much will it cost to make reservations by month during Winter in those areas - meaning the Southern/warm part of those states and maybe the middle part of Florida - at this late date?

I'm new at this and I'm just trying to decide if I should even consider Florida. Cost is not the only factor, but it is a factor. I know there are a lot of variables and a nice park will cost more than a lousy park, but I'm just asking in general. Can anyone who's done this give me a general idea?

You really should be asking this in the Snow Bird section - - way more information there.

wapiticountry wrote:
What are you looking for in the way of amenities and location? In California there are places where $300 a month plus electric will get you a site. There are other places where that $300.00 will pay for a couple of days, max. Same with Florida. Texas and Arizona will have lower rates as a rule in the places you might want to stay. But your wants and needs should come into play. If you want to fish and go to the beach, the Arizona Desert probably isn't going to meet your needs. In one way or another you tend to get what you pay for.

I know most of that. It's supply and demand economics. What I don't know is general prices for the regions, but I'm learning.

Here's what I'm looking for. As a minimum something no colder than Tampa in the winter but warmer would be better. It looks like far South Texas is about equal to Tampa in temps. Maybe far South California, too. Being near the ocean would be nice, but it's winter anyway so we won't use the beach much even if we are there. So I can take something inland to save money. If the park is well kept and has a few amenities like games to play, great. If we have to run around town to find activities I will have a Jeep and we can do that.

So in summary, we don't need much in amenities; it's mainly the weather and the price and that it not be in a dangerous area or far away from a city with some activities. And it's more likely to be Texas if it's not Florida. I'm probably not ready to drive out West this year.

What are you looking for in the way of amenities and location? In California there are places where $300 a month plus electric will get you a site. There are other places where that $300.00 will pay for a couple of days, max. Same with Florida. Texas and Arizona will have lower rates as a rule in the places you might want to stay. But your wants and needs should come into play. If you want to fish and go to the beach, the Arizona Desert probably isn't going to meet your needs. In one way or another you tend to get what you pay for.

A1RVTraveler wrote:
There are many places in Mission, TX for $250 to $400 per month plus electric.

Tell me more! Actually, don't do any extra work for me. I can Google and search around there. That may be where I'm headed. I checked rates in Florida around the Fort Myers area and rates start at about $1,000 per month. I can rent an apartment where I am now for $600 per month and they throw in a roof, walls, plumbing, all kinds of extras. I would buy some cheap furniture and do that for a few months before I will pay $1,000 for an RV space (some wanted $3,000 - who do they think I am? Donald Trump?)

Anyway, Mission could work and $400 per month is reasonable. Are things reasonably safe in the Rio Grande Valley now? No Mexican cartel violence on our side of the border? I might even be able to accept the Corpus Christi area, but no further North than that. South Texas is also good because I want to keep my Texas citizenship (I think it's called domicile, but I'm a proud Texan).

Thanks to everyone, Steve