It depends where you live. Here, land is at a premium so the rent for a space that can fit a camper or prefab home would be higher than that for an apartment.

I have lived in a camper. I do not recommend it unless you live in an extremely mild climate. They are poorly-insulated, the windows fog up, they leak in the rain if you have slides. The hot water tank only holds enough for a 5 minute shower before the water starts to run cold. You have to deal with propane refills. The water hookup can freeze in the winter. Mice can get in easily. You have to stay mindful of the blackwater tank, because leaving it open creates a pyramid of waste that can’t be removed, but leaving it closed means you have to remember to empty it. The power system isn’t meant to handle a lot of things plugged in at once. When the DC fuses blow, you have to go find replacements at an auto parts store. The oven doesn’t have a broiler. The fridge is quite inefficient and small. The list of issues goes on and on. Make sure you’re really committed to the lifestyle.

It’s known as the “Hedonic Treadmill,” and I have posted about it here. People get a small rush when they acquire something new, and mistakenly believe that larger/better acquisitions will result in better/longer good feelings. Really, it’s the novelty of the thing that makes us feel that way, and novelty inevitably fades. The thing is, many people never realize this and end up chasing that feeling for their entire lives, hence: eternally walking on the Hedonic Treadmill that takes them nowhere.

Some people are less susceptible to this than others. If you don’t have a particularly addictive personality, or if you are not in the fog of consumerism as a positive thing, you will probably not struggle with this as much as someone who has one or both of those traits.

And to quote /u/anachronic: “Simple living is a state of mind, not a zip code.”