A realistic Starlink budget for the road: $199–$599 once for the dish, then roughly $50–$165+ per month for Roam depending on how much data you need — and $0 in the months you pause it. That pause button is the detail most cost guides miss, and it changes the math completely for seasonal travelers. Here's the full breakdown.
The three costs that matter
- The kit — one-time hardware purchase
- The Roam plan — monthly, pausable
- Power — the cost nobody budgets for in a van
1. Kit: Mini vs Standard vs in-motion hardware
| Kit | Rough price range | Power draw | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini | Low-to-mid hundreds | ~20–40W | Vans, small RVs, boondocking |
| Standard | Low-to-mid hundreds | ~75–100W | Large RVs with shore power |
| Flat High Performance | $1,000+ | ~100–150W | Internet while driving |
For most vanlifers the Mini wins on power draw alone — it can run all day off a modest battery bank. The Flat High Performance dish is the only hardware officially rated for use in motion, but between the price and the draw, it only makes sense if working from the passenger seat at highway speed is genuinely your use case.
Kit prices differ sharply between countries and promo windows. Check live prices for your country before assuming the US number.
2. Plan: Roam tiers and the pause trick
Roam is the plan built for movement — it works across your home region and can be paused month to month (full Roam vs Residential comparison here).
The two decisions:
- Data allowance vs unlimited. Entry Roam tiers include a monthly data allowance (fine for navigation, email, and evening streaming); unlimited tiers cost roughly 3× more and suit full-time remote workers.
- Pause months are free months. Travel May–September? You pay five months a year, not twelve. The effective annual cost of "expensive" Roam often lands below a year-round plan you don't use.
3. Power: the vanlife line item
At 12V, the Mini draws roughly 2–3.5 Ah per hour — call it 25–40 Ah for a full waking day. That fits comfortably in a 200 Ah lithium setup with solar. A Standard dish roughly triples that, which is why it belongs in RVs with hookups, not off-grid vans.
Realistic monthly budgets
| Traveler | Setup | Monthly cost while traveling |
|---|---|---|
| Weekender | Mini + entry Roam, paused off-season | Entry-tier Roam only in active months |
| Seasonal full-timer | Mini + entry Roam, upgraded when working | Entry tier, occasional unlimited months |
| Full-time remote worker | Mini or Standard + unlimited Roam | Unlimited tier, year-round |
| Working while driving | Flat HP + mobility-grade plan | Premium hardware amortized + high tier |
Crossing borders with your rig
Roam covers your home region, and short international trips generally work — but extended time outside your home country (around two months) means updating your account country, and with it, your billing. Prices differ a lot between neighboring countries, which can work for or against you. The details are in our guide to taking Starlink abroad.
What real owners pay
Official prices are only half the story — promos, congestion-based pricing, and regional differences mean two owners with the same dish can pay very different bills. That's exactly what we track: owners on Starlink Prices add their kit, plan, and real monthly price to their profile, so you can see what people actually pay, not just the sticker. If you're already on the road with Starlink, add yours — it takes about 30 seconds.