What is the Cost of Off Grid Living? Common 8 Expenditure Categories & Recommended Best Items

What are the things you must need while going off-grid? There are certain tasks that must be done to provide a smooth and effective off-grid living.

As we all know off-grid living is very adventures and allows one to experience the nature. Before starting with off-grid living you need to fulfill all your needs which include shelter, energy, food, water, Security, tools, and other leisure facilities.

So here in the post, we had included the cost of Off grid living with some basic needs and solutions to start building your yurt.

 

The thing you need for Off-Grid living and an idea about Cost of Off Grid Living

Shelter

It is possible to live for a few weeks without proper food and water. However, living without a proper roof or shelter especially in harsh climatic conditions is unbearable. It must be your first priority to keep yourself warm and dry as the weather around changes rapidly and gets extreme with time.

It is quite obvious that you will encounter -40 degree Celsius during winters and +30 degree Celsius in summers. So, consider a good tough, and rigid shelter for your off-grid living tent.

If you don’t have proper building skills then you need to hire a contractor which will cost you around $120,000 to $150,000 for a frame house. If you opt for a motor house then it will cost you approximately $10,000 to $20,000.

Moreover, if your budget doesn’t allow you to invest such an amount then it is better to go with a good quality tent. It will available somewhere near $500 to $600.

If you are in an emergency and with a limited budget then we recommend you go with a temporary shelter option and later with the time you can modify it with a better permanent structure.

Here are some of our recommended products which will provide you a better off grid shelter

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
MASTERCANOPY Ez Pop-up Canopy Tent			$429.95
Dream House Waterproof Cotton Canvas 4 Season Camping Tent for 10 Persons			$669.00
1844 Helko Werk Germany Waxed Canvas Bedroll			$321.00

 

Energy

A proper and adequate source of energy is must needed for your off-grid living. Without having a sound technical knowledge about energy sources, its tools, and other accessories we always end up with incompatible sets of products.

While buying proper off-grid energy products we need to calculate our exact electricity consumption and try to reduce it by using the alternates. A normal human being consumes 660 Kilo Watt-hour of electricity per month but our aim is to reduce it up to 150 Kilo Watt-hour.

In order to keep things under our budget, it’s better to reduce our electricity usage and set up a solar system to match our reduced needs. Spending on solar panels and wind power is a bit expensive. However, it is a one-time investment and will last more than 20 years without any performance issues.

For electricity, you can couple-few portable solar panels and wind turbines with a good quality inverter which will approximately cost you nearly $1000. Later with the time, you can increase the overall capacity up to 5 kilowatts by adding more solar panels and turbines that will extend your budget up to $30,000.

For a complete power system setup, you need to install batteries for backup. A single 12-volt battery will cost you nearly $200 to $300. However, if you want a complete backup with 24 x 7 up time then you need to invest around $7000 on batteries.

Electricity is not the only form of energy as you can use wood as a great source of energy for cooking food and can also be used as a tent heater. Stocking wood should also be on your list while planning for off-grid living. Wood is a very common source of energy that is readily available around us.

Some best products we recommend to solve your need for energy:

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
Jackery SolarSaga 100W Portable Solar Panel Power station			$299.99
Renogy 100-Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel			$99.53
Renogy 700W 12V Pure Sine Wave off GRID Solar Home			$134.99
DuroStar 5500-Watt Portable Electric Start Dual Fuel Propane Generator			$599.00

 

Water

Hope you have done with your off-grid shelter and energy requirements now it’s the turn to sort the need for water. It is one of the toughest issues to solve because hygienic water is very important for long off-grid stay.

We suggest you purchase 125 gallons of water storage tank and get it is filled with treated water from the nearby town or market or city which will hardly cost you a dollar or two.

Sometimes you might be lucky enough to have a nearby natural source of water existing around your tent. It may be a stream, river, lake, pond, or natural springs.

If you don’t have a freshwater source nearby then you need to dig a well which will nearly cost you raging from $1500 to $15,000 depending upon the depth of the well. By the way, this is not the final cost as you need to pay more for electrical work pump installation and plumbing that will add a cost of total $800 to $2000.

Always use home remedies to treat your water before drinking and be specific to monitor the source of water, or you can have a portable water filter. Need for water for a human being is very important as we can live without adequate food for weeks but it’s impossible without drinking water.

Here are some of the best products for you to store water:

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
Class A Customs | T-12500 | One (1) RV Fresh Water 125 Gallon Tank			$269.00
APEC Water filter Systems ROES-50 Essence Series Top Tier 5-Stage Certified			$189.95
HQUA-OWS-12 Ultraviolet Water Purifier Sterilizer Filter			$199.99

 

Food Preservation

While planning to set a true off-grid setup you must hold plenty of food to eat. Mostly every single individual plans to grow and forage the majority of its food while staying off-grid.

Growing your own food will take time nearly about a few weeks to a month. So, you must buy or carry some staples to get you through until your first crop harvest.

You may consider dry food items like rice, oats, beans, etc as good starting food options. There is other home canned and foods like vegetables, jams, jellies, smoked meats, and dried fruits that will last longer.

Packaged sundried organic dried fruits will cost you from $150 to $200. You can also go with good quality nuts like almonds, oats, and rice it will amount nearly $300.

Here we recommend some best packaged food items you can consider:

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
Traina Home Grown Fruitons California Sun Dried Summer Blend Fruit Mix			$17.99
Wild Soil Almonds - Distinct and Superior to Organic Survival Food			$22.99
Quaker Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, USDA Organic (Pack of 4)			$16.99
Iberia Jasmine Rice, 5 lbs Long Grain Naturally Fragrant Enriched Jasmine Rice			$7.52

 

Seeds and livestock

If you want to start growing food in your garden then you must have a good quality of seeds. The whole process is very cost-effective and hardly costs you $100 for a good start with lots of varieties.

You may also arrange some best quality seeds from your friends and relatives. Moreover, the average harvest time for certain popular crops will range from 60 to 90 days. However, some may even take longer and some shorted for their proper growth.

Opting livestock like pigs, cows, and chickens are good source of food. The meat you get from them are ready to eat and doesn’t even need to be harvested and are the best source of protein. You can’t get anything fresher than this. However, preserving the leftover meat will be an issue for you as it requires energy to freeze them.

Don’t include all the options at a time it’s better to start with chickens. It is a good source of eggs and meat, and they demand very little effort to keep them healthy and fit.

If you have already done with your system including fish, vegetables, and other livestock. Then you need to invest in their feeding which will nearly cost you around $500 to $1000 for a year depending upon the size of the system.

While considering chickens you have to invest approximately $5 to $10 for a bird and $2 for feeding one bird a month. For breading pigs and cows, you need to spend around $3000 to $4000.

Here are some best options for your garden you can choose from:

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
Set of 35 Assorted Vegetable & Herb Seeds 35 Varietie			$19.99
Heirloom Vegetable Seeds -10 Variety			$18.99
FLYGRUBS Superior to Dried Mealworms for Chickens (5 lbs)			$34.95

 

Security

The off-grid living comes with lots of new experiences including fun and excitement to deal with nature in its purest form. Meanwhile, it comes with certain security issues too like theft and wild animal attacks, etc.

There are multiple ways to limit these issues up to an extent but we recommend you to have a pet especially a well-trained dog. If you already have one then it will serve you the best however if you don’t then it’s better to have a puppy.

It the beginning it might not provide you security assistance but over time will surely keep all the predators away from your yard and also protects your chickens and cows.

Maintaining a dog will cost you around $600 for its food and vaccination. You also have to invest one-time charges in fencing and other security gadgets including infrared cameras which will add up to $1000 depending on your need.

Here are some tools and accessories you should consider to safeguard your property

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
MOCOTONO Inflatable Life Jacket			$74.99
Hopkins Medical Products Original Home Health Shoulder Bag			$36.95

 

Tools and Equipment

A successful off-grid living must require a good set of tools and pieces of equipment. The tools will help you to build your own off-grid on-site cabin if you’re lucky to hold land with full of unclaimed timber. It not only saves your money but also offers a handful of experience to an impressive off grip housing structure.

Some of the main tools include a portable sawmill, hammers, pliers, hacksaw, plow, welder, cutting torch, grinder, knives, a hole digger, and much more.

A good quality cordless circular saw will cost around $70 to $100. You have to include some essentials tools like a hand saw, hammed knives, etc by spending an amount of $100. Apart from the tools, you must consider some cooking utensils like cooktop, clay pot, stove, and much more by an additional investment of $500 to $600.

Let’s check out some of the best tools and equipment that you must carry with you.

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
GALAX PRO 20V 4-1/2" Cordless Circular Saw			$68.99
Mexican Handmade Cooking Pot (5 QT) Made of Clay Terra Cotta			$54.99
7V Portable Camping Shower Pump			$39.95

 

Leisure Facilities

Off-grid living demands a lot of self-labor, preparation, time, money, and effective planning. But most importantly you need to put 100% commitment. A serious commitment will lower down your off-grid hassles and burdens.

On your first off-grid living don’t expect that you will be getting all the luxurious leisure facilities at your doorstep. However, with time and effort, you can manage things well and get used to the off-gridding lifestyle.

A mini freezer is very essential for preserving leftover food and keep veggies fresh it will cost around $400. For hygiene and privacy, you can include a portable toilet and a changing room privacy tent will cost you $200 to $300. For comfort and relaxation, you may add a hammock or an Inflatable Lounger Air Sofa Hammock by spending $50 to $100.

However, it is not mandatory to lead a compromised lifestyle throughout your off-grid living. All you need to put effort, money, and energy to implement all luxurious leisure facilities one by one with time.

Arrange and choose the best cost-effective facilities to meet your needs and fulfill your responsibilities for your families like paying bills, jobs, and other expenses.

Here are some best household things you can include at your off-grid yurt.

Product Name	Image	Editor's Rating	Price	Product URL
Whynter CUF-210SS Energy Star Freezer			$228.09
Alpcour Portable Toilet – Compact Indoor & Outdoor Commode			$132.00
Wekapo Inflatable Lounger Air Sofa Hammock			$46.98

 

Conclusion

Off-Grid living is a journey where there is always something new, we experience that we had never done before. The whole journey keeps us energetic and motivated and offers us to test and implement new ideas.

An off-gridding allows you to check your efficiency or to build new things by your own hands rather than buying it from local stores. However, for a beginner, we require some sort of tools and assistance to start our journey and later we develop our self-sustainability qualities.

The total cost for off gridding will be approximately around $50,000 to $100,000 depending upon your size and needs you include in your off-grid setup.

We had mentioned some essential things, tools, and equipment that you must carry before going for off-grid living.