How much does a man camp cost per bed?
Last updated 2026-10-19 · Sources listed at the bottom
“Cost per bed” means two different things
When you rent, cost per bed is a nightly or monthly rate: hotel rooms, per diem, a camp operator’s bed-night price, or an RV site. When you own, it is a one-time capital number: what you spent to put one bed on the ground, before operating costs. AI answers and sales sheets often mix the two. The $80–$150+ a night figures that come up for Texas camps are lodging rates, not purchase prices.
This page is about the ownership number, then compares it with the rent side so you can see when owning pays.
The formula
Cost per bed = (units × (unit price + freight and set) + site work + support buildings) ÷ total beds
| Cost piece | What drives it | Who usually provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Units | Rooms per unit, kitchens, code type, finishes, quantity, new vs. used | Unit supplier |
| Freight and set | Miles to site, 16 ft wide-load permits and escorts, blocking, tie-down, leveling | Supplier or its transport and set crews |
| Site work | Pads, roads, drainage, water, wastewater (septic, holding tanks, or sewer), electric service | Your civil and utility contractors |
| Support buildings | Dining, laundry, recreation, office, security | Supplier, operator, or contractor |
| Furnishing | Beds, linens, TVs, small appliances | Buyer or operator |
Site work is the piece people underestimate. On a raw site it can rival the cost of the units. On a site with utilities already at the pads, it drops sharply.
Cost per bed by unit type
Unit price divided by beds is the floor of your cost per bed. More rooms per unit spreads one price over more people.
| Unit | Beds | Kitchen | Unit cost per bed | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16×76 4-suite, full kitchens | 4 | 4 full kitchens | price ÷ 4 | Ask us for a delivered quote |
| 16×60 4-suite kitchenette | 4 | 4 kitchenettes | price ÷ 4 | |
| 16×76 5-bed, shared kitchen | 5 | 1 shared | price ÷ 5 | |
| 16×76 5-room sleeper | 5 | None | price ÷ 5 | |
| 16×76 6-room unit | 6 | Varies | price ÷ 6 | |
| 16×76 7-room sleeper | 7 | None | price ÷ 7 |
We do not post unit prices because spec, quantity, freight, and stock change them. A quote breaks out unit, freight, and set separately.
Public reference points (Texas, 2026)
These are the only published numbers we could source and date. They measure different things, which is the point: what is included changes cost per bed more than the unit does.
| What it is | Math | Per bed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Used 16×76 5-bed unit, unit only | $65,000 ÷ 5 beds | $13,000 | Texas used-unit hot list, Oct 2026 |
| New RV park build, pad only (Abilene) | $15M est. ÷ 945 RV spaces | $15,873 | Houston Chronicle, Mar 9, 2026 |
| Existing Pecos camp, with land and buildings | $2.75M ÷ 115 suites | $23,913 | CommercialSearch, Sep 16, 2026 |
| Operator expansion, low end of capital estimate | $15M ÷ 400 beds | $37,500 | Target Hospitality, Feb 24, 2026 |
| Operator expansion, high end of capital estimate | $18M ÷ 400 beds | $45,000 | Target Hospitality, Feb 24, 2026 |
Read them carefully. The used unit is the unit only, with no freight, set, or site. The RV park figure buys pads and utilities but no housing (workers bring their own RV). The Pecos listing includes land, buildings, and infrastructure but is an existing, used camp. The operator figure is new capacity added to an existing community, and the release does not say exactly what it covers.
Worked example: a 100-bed camp
Two ways to house 100 people with private rooms and baths:
| Option A: 5-bed crew units | Option B: 7-room sleepers + dining | |
|---|---|---|
| Units | 20 × 16×76 5-bed (100 beds) | 15 × 7-room sleeper (105 beds) |
| Kitchens | 20 shared kitchens, crews cook | None in units; add a dining building or caterer |
| Pads and hookups | 20 | 15 plus the dining building |
| Cost per bed | (20 × (P₅ + F) + S) ÷ 100 | (15 × (P₇ + F) + S + D) ÷ 105 |
P₅, P₇ = unit prices from your quote · F = freight and set per unit · S = site work · D = dining building or catering setup.
Option B uses five fewer pads and hookups, which cuts site work, but it needs a dining plan. Option A lets crews feed themselves. Plug your quote into the calculator for each option.
Payback against hotels
The federal government publishes lodging rates every year, so they make a neutral benchmark. The GSA FY2027 standard rate is $113 a night (effective October 1, 2026). Midland/Odessa is $136 and Pecos is $125. At $113, one worker in a hotel costs about $3,435 a month.
| All-in cost per bed (reference above) | Months of hotel at $113 to equal it | At Midland/Odessa $136 |
|---|---|---|
| $13,000 (used 16×76 5-bed unit, unit only) | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| $15,873 (new rv park build, pad only (abilene)) | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| $23,913 (existing pecos camp, with land and buildings) | 7.0 | 5.8 |
| $37,500 (operator expansion, low end of capital estimate) | 10.9 | 9.1 |
| $45,000 (operator expansion, high end of capital estimate) | 13.1 | 10.9 |
Ignores operating costs (power, water, cleaning, management) and resale value, which push in opposite directions. The calculator includes both.
What lowers cost per bed
- More rooms per unit. A 7-room sleeper spreads one unit price over seven beds instead of four or five.
- Central dining instead of kitchens in every unit. Sleepers cost less to build and clean, and use fewer hookups.
- A site with utilities. Existing water, sewer, and power at the pads can matter more than the unit price.
- Phasing. Buy the first phase for the first wave of crews and add beds as the job ramps.
- Units on the lot. Ask what is available now; it can shorten the time you pay for hotels.
- Resale or redeploy. Units move to the next job or sell at the end. See redeploy or resell.
Buy, lease, or hotel calculator
Enter your own numbers. Leave unit price blank until you have a quote; the calculator then shows the most you could spend per bed and still beat hotels.
Nights = months × 30.4. Hotel math assumes one room per worker every night. Default hotel rate is the GSA FY2027 standard lodging rate ($113, effective October 1, 2026); many Texas counties are higher. This is a planning tool, not a quote or tax advice.
Comparing leasing in detail? See buy vs. lease vs. hotel. Ready for real numbers? Send your bed count and county below.
Common questions
How much does a man camp cost per bed?
Divide everything you spend to stand up the camp (units, freight and set, site work, support buildings) by the number of beds. Public Texas reference points in 2026 run from about $13,000 per bed for a used unit alone to about $37,500–$45,000 per bed for an operator’s fully serviced expansion.
What is the cheapest way to lower cost per bed?
More rooms per unit (a 7-room sleeper spreads its price over seven beds), shared dining instead of kitchens in every unit, building on a site that already has utilities, and reselling or redeploying the units when the job ends.
Is cost per bed the same as the nightly rate?
No. Purchase cost per bed is a one-time capital number. The $80–$150+ figures quoted for camps and hotels are nightly lodging rates. Compare them with the break-even calculator.
Why don’t you list unit prices?
Unit prices change with spec, code type, quantity, freight distance, and what is in stock. We quote delivered pricing to your county so the number is real.
How long does it take an owned bed to pay for itself?
At the GSA FY2027 standard lodging rate of $113 a night, one hotel room costs about $3,435 a month. An owned bed that costs $30,000 all-in, before operating costs, covers that in about 8.7 months.
Sources
- Texas used-unit reseller hot list: used 16×76 5-bed, 5-bath unit at $65,000 (2 available) (Oct 2026)
- CommercialSearch listing: Pecos workforce camp, 115 one-bed/one-bath suites on about 12.9 fenced acres (32.9 total), $2,750,000 (updated Sep 16, 2026)
- Target Hospitality, “Second 400-Bed Expansion to Data Center Community” (press release) (Feb 24, 2026)
- Houston Chronicle: Cottages at the Frontier, 945 RV spaces on 109 acres, estimated $15 million (TDLR filing) (Mar 9, 2026)
- GSA Per Diem Bulletin FTR 27-01: FY2027 standard CONUS lodging rate $113 (up from $110), effective Oct 1, 2026 (Sep 2026)
- GSA FY2027 per diem rates file (Texas non-standard areas: Midland/Odessa $136, Pecos $125, Big Spring $133) (downloaded Oct 19, 2026)
- Elmdale RV Park website: 2,300 sites, $675/month with utilities, “6 minutes” from Frontier (checked Oct 2026)
Last updated 2026-10-19. Figures are as published by each source on the date shown; re-check before you budget.