A Costco membership can earn its keep when you live in your vehicle — but only if you run the math honestly. Here's how the numbers actually shake out in Canada, with the assumptions stated so you can plug in your own.
The two memberships, and which one you want
As of 2026, Costco Canada charges $65/year for Gold Star and $130/year for Executive (both plus applicable tax). Each tier includes one free Household card for someone 16+ at your address. The Executive upgrade is therefore an extra $65/year, and what you get for it is an annual 2% Reward on most purchases, capped at $1,250 per 12-month period (source: Costco.ca).
The break-even on the upgrade is simple: 2% of your spend has to clear $65. That means ~$3,250 in eligible annual Costco spend before the Executive upgrade pays for itself — that's the headline number to remember. (For context, you'd have to spend roughly $62,500/year in eligible purchases to max out the full $1,250 reward, which is far beyond most full-timers, so treat $3,250 as the real decision point.) If you genuinely buy most of your fuel, food, and supplies at Costco, clearing $3,250 is easy. If you swing through twice a year, stay Gold Star.
One genuinely low-risk fact: Costco's published policy is "We will cancel and refund your membership fee at any time if you are dissatisfied" (Membership Conditions & Regulations). So the downside of trying is recoverable. If your Executive reward comes in under $65, you can downgrade — and the refund on the downgrade is the $65 Executive upgrade fee minus the 2% reward you've already earned, prorated, not a clean full $65 back. Ask the membership counter to walk you through the exact figure for your account.
Fuel: usually the biggest lever
Costco gas is members-only, with one practical exception: a Costco Shop Card authorizes the pump, so it bypasses the membership scan at the fuel station. Note that the Shop Card itself is member-only to buy or reload — a non-member can fuel up with one only if a member purchased or loaded it for them. It's pay-at-the-pump, and in Canada it accepts Mastercard, Visa Debit, Canadian debit cards, and Costco Shop Cards — not Visa credit cards and not cash (Costco gasoline FAQ). Plan for that before you pull in.
How much cheaper is it? Costco doesn't publish a savings figure, and it varies by city and by day — sometimes it's the cheapest in town, sometimes a nearby independent beats it. Treat "always cheapest" as a myth and check before you detour. Costco sells regular (87) and premium (91); diesel is at select locations only, so if you run a diesel van, confirm the specific station first. The gasoline is Top Tier certified, and Costco diesel meets the separate Top Tier Diesel standard — both are real quality points, not marketing fluff — but again, diesel is select-stations-only, so confirm before routing to one.
Practical tip: on the Muddy Tires map, you can filter for warehouses with a gas station so you're not driving to a location that doesn't have one. Pair a fill-up with a grocery and water-jug top-up to make the stop earn the detour.
Gift cards and the secondary market — carefully
Costco Shop Cards are reloadable and can be bought with cash inside the warehouse by a member, then used at the pump — useful if you don't carry a Mastercard. As for discounted third-party gift cards (gas-station or grocery brands sold below face value): these can stretch a dollar, but buy only from reputable sellers, and know that non-members can't shop the warehouse regardless of what card they hold — a gift card isn't a membership. Don't overpay a "discount" reseller for something the membership counter sells at face value.
The other departments that quietly add up
- Pharmacy — Costco pharmacies are often among the cheapest for prescriptions and OTC supplies; in most provinces you don't need a membership to use the pharmacy, but confirm at your location.
- Tires & rotation — the Tire Centre's installation package (rotations, balancing, flat repairs) is a real saving over a road-trip's worth of one-off shop visits.
- Food — rotisserie chicken, bulk staples, and the food court are road-budget staples. Just match bulk sizes to your fridge and storage.
- Propane and potable water — availability varies by location; some warehouses have neither. Confirm with the specific store before relying on it.
The honest bottom line
For a true full-timer who fuels and shops at Costco regularly, the $65 Gold Star fee is usually recovered on fuel and food alone within a few months — but "a few fill-ups" overstates it unless your local Costco is consistently the cheapest pump and you're filling a large tank often. The Executive upgrade only makes sense above ~$3,250/year of spend. Run your own number. And if you genuinely find the membership isn't working for you, Costco's refund-if-dissatisfied policy is a real backstop — it's there for members who aren't happy, not a yearly cost-free loop to bank on, so treat it as honest insurance rather than a plan.
Related Muddy Tires resource: the gear list pairs well with a Costco run for bulk consumables, water storage, and pantry staples.