I live in a van and live in a state with tax. A land payment for offgrid unrestricted living in TX would end up being cheaper than the state tax I currently pay?

So i live in a van. I am a remote software engineer. i spend my time seasonally rotating between warm and cold areas of the US.

I am currently based in a state where I pay tax.

I found land in Texas with no restrictions on use with a payment that will be cheaper than I pay in state tax per month. In fact it's half my state tax payment, so it's not just "free" I'd actually get "paid" to live there compared to my current tax.

The property taxes in that area are really low like a few hundred per year.

Is this too good to be true? Seems like a no brainer for establishing a home base. I am cutting all ties with my family (I currently use a relatives address as my address) so I would have no ties to my former state except for my storage unit and doctor. in other words my former state really can't complain if I have no address there and I'm never there except to access my storage unit once a month or so right?

I live in a van and live in a state with tax. A land payment for offgrid unrestricted living in TX would end up being cheaper than the state tax I currently pay?
byu/Future_Addendum_8227 inpersonalfinance

Posted by Future_Addendum_8227

lucky_ducker on February 5, 2026 9:36 pm

It all comes down to the question “where is your *legal domicile?*”

You don’t even need to own land in Texas. There are RV Clubs that can domicile you, for example Escapees RV Club. They’ll give you a legal “PMB” (personal mailbox) with a street address in Livingston, TX. You can even subscribe to their mail service, so you can start using your PMB as your actual mailing address.

I own a home in Indiana, but I have an Escapees PMB and have my postal mail forwarded to it for weeks at a time when I’m wandering the country spring, summer, and fall (I’m retired). Top tier service with the option “open and scan” feature is $350 / year. Taxes are unimportant to me; my SS and pension leave me paying no Federal tax, and about $150 / year in state taxes.

If you do this, you will have to be “all in.” You will need a Texas driver’s license. You will need to register your vehicle, transfer its title, and get car insurance in Texas. You should register to vote in Texas. You could register to vote at your Escapees PMB address, which even includes a process for you to get out of jury duty if Polk County ever summons you! You will need a local Texas bank account, and you will need to notify the USPS and IRS of your new address. Ditto credit cards, brokerage, and retirement accounts. Get a local library card.

Another thorny question is health insurance. Many coverages especially Marketplace plans are state specific, and if you cut ties to your current domicile you might be shopping for new insurance – and if it’s important to you, you will need to make sure your existing doctor is in network. If you have employer coverage make sure your employer is aware of your plan, and is on board with it. It can take some convincing to get them to stop withholding your old state’s taxes.

Having said all that, some states are harder to “divorce” than others, by placing a heavy burden of proof on you that you have really left the state. CA and NY especially, but also VA, NM, SC, MN. Google “which states make it difficult to establish domicile elsewhere”. It’s possible that the storage unit might be an issue, but conceivably you could move that to TX.

5 Comments

Werewolfdad on February 5, 2026 8:34 pm

Land you own isn’t where you live, its just land you own.

It would just make you doing tax fraud a smidge easier
scorelesscrescent on February 5, 2026 9:09 pm

South Dakota, an income tax free state, allows for residency with only a PO Box. It’s becoming very common for nomadic van lifers. The only rub is you can only vote in federal and not local election. You have to be physically present in the state once every five years.
biomassive on February 5, 2026 9:19 pm

> Is this too good to be true?

How many acres? Are there any improvements like a barn, water, or a driveway? There are 8 states with no state income tax. I’d look for a place with acreage that has some woods and maybe a barn. Tennessee or New Hampshire would be my picks among the no state income tax states. Cheap land is cheap for a reason.
lucky_ducker on February 5, 2026 9:36 pm

It all comes down to the question “where is your *legal domicile?*”

You don’t even need to own land in Texas. There are RV Clubs that can domicile you, for example Escapees RV Club. They’ll give you a legal “PMB” (personal mailbox) with a street address in Livingston, TX. You can even subscribe to their mail service, so you can start using your PMB as your actual mailing address.

I own a home in Indiana, but I have an Escapees PMB and have my postal mail forwarded to it for weeks at a time when I’m wandering the country spring, summer, and fall (I’m retired). Top tier service with the option “open and scan” feature is $350 / year. Taxes are unimportant to me; my SS and pension leave me paying no Federal tax, and about $150 / year in state taxes.

If you do this, you will have to be “all in.” You will need a Texas driver’s license. You will need to register your vehicle, transfer its title, and get car insurance in Texas. You should register to vote in Texas. You could register to vote at your Escapees PMB address, which even includes a process for you to get out of jury duty if Polk County ever summons you! You will need a local Texas bank account, and you will need to notify the USPS and IRS of your new address. Ditto credit cards, brokerage, and retirement accounts. Get a local library card.

Another thorny question is health insurance. Many coverages especially Marketplace plans are state specific, and if you cut ties to your current domicile you might be shopping for new insurance – and if it’s important to you, you will need to make sure your existing doctor is in network. If you have employer coverage make sure your employer is aware of your plan, and is on board with it. It can take some convincing to get them to stop withholding your old state’s taxes.

Having said all that, some states are harder to “divorce” than others, by placing a heavy burden of proof on you that you have really left the state. CA and NY especially, but also VA, NM, SC, MN. Google “which states make it difficult to establish domicile elsewhere”. It’s possible that the storage unit might be an issue, but conceivably you could move that to TX.
Lunar_Landing_Hoax on February 5, 2026 9:58 pm

You need to do a spreadsheet and compare because property taxes in TX are very high.

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