I've search through the forum, but haven't really found a definitive answer to this.
Are there monthly fees for using bb maps or google maps? or does it just come out of my data plan?
If it comes out of my data plan how much data does it typically use?
There's no typical use. The amount of data used depends on how often you change zoom levels, what zoom level you use, how far you travel, and how often you restart the programs, since a restart flushes the cached maps. Google will tell you how much it's downloading. You can set the map at a useful zoom level and move around and see the data use counter increasing, and get an approximation of what your usage will be. I think most folks that use either app use them with unlimited data plans. I know I do.