If you're a contract worker heading to the Texas City refinery corridor — or anyone considering an extended stay on the Gulf Coast — the housing math matters. Hotels eat your per diem alive. Short-term apartment rentals require deposits, credit checks, and minimum lease terms. And furnished apartments near the refineries command a premium that makes your daily rate look painful.

Monthly RV living is the alternative that more and more contract workers are choosing. Here's an honest breakdown of the real costs.

The Texas City / La Marque / Galveston area has seen significant housing cost increases over the past several years, driven partly by refinery expansion and partly by broader Texas Gulf Coast demand.

Furnished short-term apartments near Texas City and La Marque typically run:

• Studio/1BR: $1,400–$1,900/month
• 2BR: $1,800–$2,600/month

These rates often don't include utilities (electricity, water, internet), which can add $150–$300/month in a Texas summer when AC runs constantly.

Total monthly cost (1BR, utilities included): $1,600–$2,200

Extended stay hotels near the Texas City refinery corridor (La Marque, Texas City, Dickinson) run:

• Weekly rate: $350–$550/week
• Monthly equivalent: $1,400–$2,200/month

Most include basic utilities and Wi-Fi, but rooms are small, there's no real kitchen, and the environment isn't conducive to rest after a 12-hour shift.

At Little Thicket RV Resort in La Marque:

• Monthly site (50-amp full hookup): $590
• Monthly site (30-amp full hookup): $570
• Monthly water hookup: $30 additional

Total monthly site cost: $600–$620 (site rate $570–$590 + $30 water hookup)

That's the base. Now let's add in the realistic full picture.

This assumes you already own your RV. If you're financing one, add your monthly payment — but that payment is building equity in an asset you own, not disappearing into a landlord's pocket.

On a 3-month turnaround assignment, the difference between monthly RV living and a furnished apartment is roughly:

• RV living: ~$2,400–$2,520 total
• Furnished apartment: ~$5,200–$5,600 total
• Savings: $2,700–$3,100 over 3 months

That's real money — money that stays in your pocket rather than going to a landlord or hotel chain.

The cost savings are clear, but there are quality-of-life factors that matter just as much for contract workers on long rotations.

An RV is your home. You have your own bed, your own kitchen, your own bathroom. After a 12-hour shift at a refinery, that matters enormously. You're not sharing walls with strangers, you're not eating every meal out, and you're not sleeping in a hotel bed that's been slept in by thousands of people before you.

Cooking your own meals saves $400–$600/month compared to eating out for every meal — which is what most hotel-based workers end up doing. A full RV kitchen with a stove, oven, and refrigerator makes meal prep easy and keeps your food costs in line.

Little Thicket has 24-hour laundry facilities on-site. No trips to a laundromat, no paying hotel laundry rates. For workers going through work clothes daily, this is a significant convenience.

Long-term RV parks attract a different crowd than transient hotels. Many of our monthly guests are contract workers who return season after season — they know each other, look out for each other, and create a genuine community. That social fabric matters when you're away from home for months at a time.

Monthly RV sites don't require a lease. If your assignment ends early or extends longer than expected, you're not locked into a 6-month apartment contract. You pay month to month and leave when the job is done.

Monthly RV living near the refineries works best if:

• You own an RV (or are willing to purchase or rent one)
• Your rig is self-contained — full hookup sites provide water, sewer, and 30/50-amp electric
• You're comfortable with the lifestyle — it's not for everyone, but most people who try it don't go back to hotels

If you don't own an RV, the math changes. RV rentals for extended periods run $1,500–$3,000/month depending on size and amenities — which narrows the cost advantage over apartments. But for workers who own their rig, the savings are substantial and consistent.

Little Thicket RV Resort in La Marque was designed with long-term guests in mind. We're 10 minutes from the Texas City refinery corridor, and our monthly rates are among the most competitive in the area.

What's included in your monthly site:

• Full hookups (water, sewer, 30 or 50-amp electric)
• Access to the swimming pool
• 24-hour laundry facilities
• Clubhouse access
• On-site management
• Concrete pads and drives (no mud, no gravel)
• Mature shade trees

We've hosted contract workers from BP, Marathon, Valero, LyondellBasell, and dozens of other facilities in the Texas City area. We understand the schedule — the rotating shifts, the extended rotations, the need for a quiet place to rest.

Call us at (409) 935-5375 or reach out at littlethicketrv@gmail.com to discuss availability for your next assignment. We can often accommodate last-minute arrivals when other housing options fall through.

View our monthly, weekly, and daily rates or contact us to check availability.