What does moving to the USA cost? Fees down to the dollar

What it costs to move to the USA can only partly be put into one number. The fees charged by the consulate, border protection and the immigration authority are fixed, and you will find them here with the date they apply from. The move, your starting capital and living costs depend on your visa, your state and your household. For those items you won't get made-up averages, but the questions you need to build your own budget.

What it costs to move to the USA can only partly be put into one number. The fees charged by the consulate, border protection and the immigration authority are fixed, and you will find them here with the date they apply from. The move, your starting capital and living costs depend on your visa, your state and your household. For those items you won't get made-up averages, but the questions you need to build your own budget. Where official averages exist, such as spending by American households, we give them with their source.

1Three types of cost

Moving to America costs money in three blocks. The first is government fees: they depend on the visa, are set per person and per form, and only change with a new fee schedule. The second is the move itself: flights, a container or selling your household goods, the first weeks in a furnished apartment, the deposit, a car. The third is the running costs afterwards: rent, or a house with property tax, health insurance, transportation, groceries, taxes.

Some visas add a fourth item that strictly speaking isn't an expense but capital: the investment in an American business. And back home there is a separate bill of its own. We cover both separately below, so you don't lump expenses and capital together.

A word on exchange rates: all fees in this article are in dollars. What they mean in your home currency depends on the rate on the day you pay, so we don't give conversions here.

2Consulate and border fees

For a first visit or a scouting trip, most European citizens only need ESTA, the electronic travel authorization under the Visa Waiver Program. Under the law HR-1, the fee is adjusted for inflation every year. From October 16, 2026 it is $40.62 per application; before that it was $40.27. If the application is refused, $10.62 is still due.

If you enter on a visa, you pay an application fee at the consulate that depends on the visa type. Since the 2023 fee increase, visitor visas and other non-petition visas cost $185, petition-based visas such as H, L or O cost $205, and the E-1 and E-2 treaty trader and investor visas cost $315. The fee is charged per applicant, so again for your spouse and children. The law HR-1 also provides for a Visa Integrity Fee when a nonimmigrant visa is issued; in July 2025 the Department of Homeland Security announced it would introduce it in a separate notice. Whether it applies to your appointment is shown on the consulate's fee page when you book.

For an immigrant visa, meaning a green card through the consulate, the embassies list $345 per person when the visa is based on an approved employer or self-petition I-140. After it is issued and before you enter, you also pay the USCIS Immigrant Fee of $235. How long you wait for an appointment is covered in the article on consulate appointments and wait times.

Not a fee, but an obligation: if you carry more than $10,000 in cash or other monetary instruments when entering or leaving, you must declare it to CBP (border protection), electronically via FinCEN Form 105. It isn't a ban, just a declaration. For larger amounts a wire transfer is the usual route; how it works is explained in the article on transferring money to an American bank account.

3USCIS immigration fees

Many visas don't start at the consulate but with a petition to USCIS. The agency publishes all its fees in Form G-1055; the table reflects the edition of October 16, 2026. For most forms, filing online is $50 cheaper than filing on paper. Small employers and nonprofits pay less for some forms.

3.1Which fees go with which route

For the L-1, your company files petition I-129 for $1,385 on paper plus a $600 Asylum Program Fee, and then you pay $205 per person at the consulate. For the E-2, you usually go straight to the consulate; you only need petition I-129 if you apply for or extend the status inside the US. For the O-1, the petition costs $1,055. If you're seeking a green card through an I-140 petition, for example via the EB-2 NIW, you pay $715 and, as a self-petitioner, a $300 Asylum Program Fee. For the EB-5, petition I-526 or I-526E costs $3,675; the regional center route adds $1,000 under the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act.

If you're already in the US and apply for the green card there, form I-485 costs $1,440, or $950 for a child under 14 filing together with a parent. A work permit and travel permit while the case is pending cost an extra $260 and $630. Family members extending or changing their status inside the US file form I-539 together, for $470 on paper. If you need a faster decision, you can request Premium Processing for I-129 and I-140 for $2,965. That speeds up processing but doesn't change the requirements.

For certain new H-1B petitions, USCIS also lists a $100,000 fee based on a presidential proclamation, payable in advance via pay.gov unless the Department of Homeland Security grants an exception. When it applies is explained in the article on H-1B visa costs. What the full path to a green card costs for entrepreneurs is summarized in Green card for entrepreneurs: costs. Attorney fees are not government fees; every provider sets its own.

4Starting capital: what the visa requires and what it doesn't

The question of starting capital has two parts: what does the government require, and what do you need to get through the first few months?

For the E-2, you must invest a substantial amount in an American business. What that means in practice is covered in our article on how much to invest for the E-2 visa. For the EB-5, the law sets the amount: $1,050,000, or $800,000 in a Targeted Employment Area or an infrastructure project (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(5)(C)). More on this in EB-5: the investment amount. With the L-1, you don't invest personally. Instead, you must have worked for an affiliated company abroad for one continuous year within the three years before entry, and you must take up an executive or managerial role in the US (or, for the L-1B, a role requiring specialized knowledge).

Keep your personal cushion separate from the visa capital. Count the months until your first US income comes in, and include rent, health insurance and a car, not just groceries. You'll arrive without a credit history, so landlords, utilities and phone carriers often ask for bigger deposits. How to soften that is covered in our article on your first bank account after the move.

5The move and the first few weeks

There's no average moving cost that will be right for you. A container with a family's household goods costs something completely different from two suitcases and a fresh start with American furniture. Budget these items one by one:

• Shipping: a full container, shared container or selling your household goods. What drives the price, what to look for in quotes and when a container isn't worth it are covered in our guide Moving to the USA by container or moving company.
• Customs: used household goods can enter duty-free under certain conditions; new items, alcohol and some foods cannot. Details in Clearing household goods through US customs.
• Bridging: a hotel or furnished apartment until your lease and furniture are in place.
• Housing: first month's rent, security deposit and application fees. What landlords in Texas, Florida, California and New York may charge is covered in Renting an apartment in the USA.
• Car: purchase, registration, insurance and a state driver's license. See Buying a car in the USA and Converting your driver's license.
• Pets: vet, paperwork and the flight; see Moving to the USA with a dog.
• Everyday services: phone, internet and electricity, often with a deposit if you have no credit history; see Phone, internet and electricity.

The order to tackle all this in is laid out in our checklist Arriving in the USA.

6Ongoing costs

For living costs, there are official figures. Every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys what American households spend their money on. In 2024, the average was $78,535, on pre-tax income of $104,207. A third went on housing, a sixth on transportation and an eighth on food. The average household spent $6,197 on healthcare and another $9,797 on insurance and retirement savings.

These figures are averaged across the whole country and all households, from students to retirees. What matters for you is your state. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, the 2024 price level was 110.7 in California and 91.9 in Tennessee, against 100 for the US as a whole, and the gaps in housing are far bigger. You'll find a comparison of 13 states with income tax and property tax in Which state is right for you.

The cost that surprises newcomers most is health insurance, because in America it's priced by age, location and plan, not by income. What it costs for families, from age 50 and in retirement is covered in US health insurance by age. Public school, on the other hand, charges no tuition; private schools and college are separate costs. More in Moving to the USA with children.

7The bill at home

Leaving home costs money too, sometimes more than the move itself. Add in the smaller items: cancelling ongoing contracts, certified and translated documents, travel health insurance for the transition period and tax advice for your final year at home. Budget for them before you book your flight.

8Your budget in five steps

1. Choose your visa. No visa, no cost calculation: it determines fees, starting capital and timeline.
2. Add up government fees per person. Every family member pays at the consulate; for petitions and applications filed inside the US, use the table above.
3. Separate capital from cushion. Your visa investment is not rent money.
4. Cost the move as a list. Shipping, bridging, deposits, car, insurance, using quotes instead of estimates.
5. Set ongoing costs for your state. Rent or a house with property tax, health insurance for every age in the family, transportation, food, taxes.

Work it out this way and you end up with a number that fits your life, not one from a forum. Whether the move is worth it overall is another question; we've weighed up the pros and cons in a separate article: Moving to the USA: an honest look at the pros and cons.

In short

• Consulate, border and USCIS fees are fixed: about $315 for an E visa at the consulate, $205 for L and O, and $40.62 for ESTA from 16 October 2026.
• For a green card filed inside the US, USCIS charges $1,440 per application for anyone 14 or older, and $950 for children under 14 filing with a parent; premium processing costs $2,965.
• Starting capital depends on the visa: a substantial investment for the E-2, $1,050,000 or $800,000 by law for the EB-5, and no personal investment for the L-1, but one year of employment with the affiliated company.
• There's no reliable flat figure for the move, deposits, car and insurance; calculate them for your household and your state.
• In 2024, the average American household spent $78,535, a third of it on housing.

How we help you

• Visa RoadmapIn writing: which visa fits you and your family, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team.
• Moving to the USAVisa, bank account, taxes and where to live: your move with Mount Bonnell Advisors.
• Visa and Green Card ConsultationWhich route to the USA fits you, settled in one conversation.
• US Bank Account OpeningYour own access to the American financial system, even without an SSN.