✦ Cost of living
United States
National taxes, visas and economy — plus every city we track in United States.
The cost of living in United States averages 105 on our index (a typical US city = 100) — about 5% more expensive. Among the cities we track, San Antonio is the most affordable and San Francisco the priciest. A one-bedroom rent runs roughly $1,917/mo and the top income-tax rate is 37%. The average net salary is about $4,300/mo.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Capital
- Washington, D.C.
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Power
- A/B · 120V
▤ Taxes
37%
Income tax
progressive
0%
VAT / sales
21%
Corporate
20%
Capital gains
$4,300
Avg net salary
per month
$1,257
Minimum wage
per month · US DOL (federal)
78.9 yr
Life expectancy
World Bank 2024
✈ Visas & residency
Employment-based (H-1B, L-1, O-1) and family routes; famously hard for the green card.
✈ N/A for immigration; ESTA for short visits from VWP countries.
Lottery-based, employer-sponsored.
For top talent; no lottery.