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How much do I need to move to the USA?

Work out the cash to have ready for your first 3 or 6 months in the USA: visas, flights, deposit, set-up, health cover and living costs, and what your employer may cover.

Who’s moving
Adults
2
Area
Value: cheaper neighbourhoods and outer suburbs. Prime: the most sought-after neighbourhoods
Plan for your first
Your move

Your results

Have this much ready before you move$71,330about £54,038 · includes a 1-month safety buffer
Lean start: $40,908. That’s $30,422 less if you put off what can wait.
Costs in your first 6 months$103,530
Covered by your employer and others$0
Deposits you get back later$3,750
Running costs a month$8,050

Month by month (US$)

WhenOutInBalance
Before you fly8,2000-8,200
Month 155,0809,000-63,280
Month 28,0509,000-62,330
Month 38,0509,000-61,380
Month 48,0509,000-60,430
Month 58,0509,000-59,480
Month 68,0509,000-58,530

Before you fly

Flights out: 4 × $700 (economy, one way) Estimate$2,800
Visa fees: main $455 + partner $455 + 2 × child $455 $1,820
Credential evaluation (if your job or licence needs one) Estimate$280
Shipping your belongings Estimate$3,300

When you land (month 1)

Temporary home: 4 weeks at about $1,905 a week Estimate$7,620
Security deposit: one month’s rent at $3,750 (NY) You get it back$3,750
Rental application and credit checks: 2 × about $50 Estimate$100
Utility and internet set-up Estimate$250
Furniture and basics Estimate$5,000
Buying a used car Can wait Estimate$27,200
Sales tax, title and registration (NY) Estimate$2,600
Driver’s licence: 1 × $110 (NY)$110
SIM cards, transit card and small set-up Estimate$400

Every month

Rent: 3-bed home, New York$3,750
Electricity, gas, water and trash Estimate$330
Home internet Estimate$70
Mobile: 2 × $50 Estimate$100
Groceries: 2 × $370 + 2 × $290 Estimate$1,320
Eating out and leisure: 2 × $400 + 2 × $150 Estimate$1,100
Fuel, servicing and car insurance Estimate$560
Health insurance: your share of an employer plan (family), plus deductibles and co-pays Estimate$820
Running costs × 6 months$48,300

How we get to $71,330

All costs above, in your first 6 months$103,530
Your cash is lowest at: Month 1. Costs up to then$63,280
Less: paid by your employer and others, and money from the UK− $0
Less: your US pay received by then (none yet: we count your first month’s pay of $9,000 at the end of month 1, after your cash is at its lowest)− $0
Shortfall at the lowest point$63,280
Plus: safety buffer (1 month of running costs)+ $8,050
Have this much ready$71,330

Your first month’s rent, usually paid when you sign the lease, is part of the rent counted from month 1. Many US employers pay every two weeks, so your first pay may come sooner; we count it at the end of each month to be safe. Deposits ($3,750) come back when you leave, less any deductions, so they aren’t taken off. With no US credit history, some landlords ask for a bigger deposit or a guarantor: see Renting in the USA.

Rent is $3,750 a month for a 3-bed home in New York (Zillow Rentals listings on 6 October 2026: median asking rent (mid) and 25th and 75th percentiles (value, prime) by bedrooms; 3- and 4-bed homes use commuter suburbs for New York, Boston, DC, Chicago and San Francisco and houses in Austin, Miami and Los Angeles; some figures, mostly above $5,000, are our estimates). Visa fees are US State Department and USCIS fees. Figures checked 8 Oct 2026. Items marked “Estimate” are planning figures. Read Renting in the USA and What it costs to live in the USA.

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Estimates to help you plan, not financial advice. Nothing you enter is sent to us unless you ask for an email or sign in to save your answers.

How this calculator works

  • Tell it who’s moving, the city and area, your visa, furniture, car, shipping, pets, health insurance and schooling
  • Add any help from your employer: a temporary home, flights, shipping, visa and attorney fees or a relocation allowance
  • It adds up every up-front cost, including the security deposit, and your living costs for your first 3 or 6 months, then takes off the pay coming in and adds a safety buffer
  • Every line is itemised, so you can see where each dollar goes

It runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to us unless you ask us to email you the results, and we don’t keep it. Results are estimates, not a quote or financial advice: check the official sources linked in each guide before you rely on them.

Guides that go with it

How much does it cost to live in the USA?

Rent in eight cities, bills, food, health insurance, transport and childcare, with a monthly budget by household.+ calculator

Which US visa do I need?

ESTA, E-2, L-1, H-1B, O-1, J-1 and family green cards: who each route suits, what it costs and what is in flux in 2026.

How do deposits and leases work?

Security deposits by state, the lease, rent rises, renters insurance and setting up the utilities.+ calculator

How does US healthcare work for Brits?

Employer plans, premiums and deductibles, the ACA marketplace, what changes for visa holders in 2027, and covering the gap when you arrive.