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United States: visas, tax & cost of living

Moving to the United States as a remote worker? Cost of living, the missing digital nomad visa, tax residency and healthcare, honestly explained.

United States: visas, tax & cost of living
Your passport

United KingdomUnited States

Your move to United States on a United Kingdom passport

  • VisitFairly easyVisa on arrival, e-visa or travel authorization (ETA)
  • NomadMediumNo nomad visa, other route
  • RelocateMediumResidence with conditions

Visiting

You need a travel authorization (an ETA) before you board. Apply online, pay the small fee, and keep the approval with your passport.

Passport validity:Passport generally valid for six months beyond your planned departure, though many countries are exempt and need only validity for the stay.

At the border:Visa Waiver Program travellers need an approved ESTA before boarding; others need a US visa, plus proof of onward travel and funds may be requested.

Working remotely

No dedicated nomad visa; the usual route is a standard residence permit.

Tax and residency

You are generally a tax resident if you meet the substantial presence test (roughly 183 weighted days over three years) or hold a green card, and residents are taxed on worldwide income.(estimate)

The UK decides residence with its Statutory Residence Test (days in the UK plus your ties). As a non-resident you are usually taxed only on UK income; where one exists, a double-tax treaty with the destination decides who taxes what.

Practical

Currency:USD. Cost of living:high.

Healthcare:There is no universal public system, so visitors and newcomers should carry private health insurance as care is paid privately and can be very expensive.

Driving:Many states accept a foreign licence for short visits, but an International Driving Permit is recommended, especially if your licence is not in English.

Sources: U.S. Department of State - U.S. Visas · IRS - Substantial Presence Test · CBP - Visa Waiver Program and ESTA · Travel.State.Gov - Visa Waiver Program · GOV.UK: tax on foreign income · HMRC: double-taxation treaties

Estimates, not advice. Confirm with the official sources before you act.

Should you move to the United States?

Let me be the friend who says the awkward part first: the United States for digital nomads is the country everyone romanticises and almost nobody has an easy legal path into. The upside is real. Enormous internal market, the highest freelance and contractor rates in the world, English everywhere, and cities so different from each other that “American life” barely means one thing. Austin, Denver, Chicago and Miami are practically separate countries with the same passport.

The catch is that moving to the United States is a paperwork problem before it is a lifestyle problem. There is no remote-worker visa, healthcare is something you buy yourself, and costs swing wildly by zip code. If you want the freedom of the US without the friction, honestly, several other countries hand it to you more easily. If you specifically want to be here, this section is about doing it with your eyes open.

Cost of living in the United States

There is no single “US cost of living” figure, and anyone who quotes you one is guessing. The gap between cities is the whole story.

Rough 2026 estimates to sanity-check, not to bank on:

  • New York City: a one-bedroom median around $4,680 a month, with a comfortable single-person budget often cited near $4,400 to $4,500 a month all in. Manhattan runs higher still.
  • Austin, Texas: average apartment rent closer to $1,640 a month, with total monthly costs for one person estimated around $2,750.

That is roughly a 60% swing between two desirable cities in the same country. Texas also levies no state income tax, while New York City stacks state and city income tax on top of federal, which widens the real gap further. Treat every number here as a directional estimate from listing aggregators and confirm current rents on the actual rental platforms before you commit, because US rents move fast and seasonally.

The United States digital nomad visa and entry

Here is the plain truth: there is no United States digital nomad visa. It does not exist in 2026, despite dozens of other countries launching one. If a site sells you a “USA nomad visa,” walk away.

So what is the real route? For long stays you have to qualify under an existing category, and none were built for remote workers:

  • Employer-sponsored work visas (such as H-1B), which need a US company to petition for you.
  • Investor and business categories (such as E-2 for nationals of treaty countries, or L-1 intra-company transfers).
  • Family-based sponsorship.

For short stays, people often enter on a B-1/B-2 visitor visa or under the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA). But heads up, and this matters: visitor status generally does not permit productive work performed inside the US, even for a foreign employer paying you abroad. Working remotely on a tourist entry sits in a legal grey zone, and border officers have wide discretion. This is not a “just do it quietly” situation.

Because the categories are narrow and the rules are strict, check your eligibility properly before booking anything. You can pressure-test which route might even apply to you with Voymo’s digital nomad visa checker, then confirm every requirement against the US Department of State and USCIS, which are the only sources that count.

Tax residency and the 183 day rule

The United States tax system is where good intentions meet a genuinely unusual set of rules, so read slowly.

The US does not use a simple 183-day count. It uses the Substantial Presence Test, a weighted three-year formula. As an estimate of how it works: you can be treated as a US tax resident if you are present at least 31 days in the current year AND your weighted total reaches 183 days, counting all days this year, one third of last year’s days, and one sixth of the days from the year before. So you can trip the threshold with fewer than 183 physical days in a single year.

There are exits, including the Closer Connection Exception (Form 8840) if you kept a tax home and stronger ties abroad, and exempt-individual rules for certain visa holders. The US also taxes its citizens and green-card holders on worldwide income no matter where they live, which is rare globally.

Run your day-count and residency scenario through Voymo’s tax residency checker to see roughly where you stand, then take the result to a cross-border accountant. This is educational only. US tax is one area where paying a professional pays for itself.

Healthcare and insurance

Say it with me: the United States has no universal public healthcare, and this is the single most expensive surprise for newcomers. You budget for it or it budgets for you.

Ballpark 2026 estimates to plan around, not to quote as gospel:

  • International expat health plans: commonly cited around $100 to $300 a month depending on age and coverage.
  • ACA marketplace plans (for those eligible): an unsubsidised Silver plan often estimated near $625 a month, with subsidies restricted for many non-residents.
  • Employer plans: your share might land roughly $200 to $500 a month for an individual, if a job includes coverage.

An uninsured hospital visit can run into five figures, so arriving without coverage is not an option. Get quotes from an international insurer for your exact age and city and confirm what is actually covered before you fly.

Money, banking and settling in

Opening a US bank account as a non-resident is possible in 2026 but not frictionless. Big banks (Chase, Bank of America, Citibank) typically want a US address, an SSN or ITIN, and in-person branch verification. Without an SSN you can often use an ITIN, which itself takes an estimated 9 to 11 weeks to obtain, plus an IRS Form W-8 at account opening.

Practical order of operations: sort your visa route, secure health insurance, apply for an ITIN early if you lack an SSN, and line up proof of a US address. Confirm each bank’s current requirements directly, because KYC and AML rules tighten often. Get the boring paperwork moving before you arrive, and the exciting part of moving to the United States gets a lot less stressful.

Figures are estimates. Always check the official source.

Frequently asked questions

United States: is there a digital nomad visa?
No dedicated digital nomad visa; most people use a standard residence permit instead.
United States: when do you become a tax resident?
You are generally a tax resident if you meet the substantial presence test (roughly 183 weighted days over three years) or hold a green card, and residents are taxed on worldwide income.
United States: what is the cost of living?
The cost of living is high and the local currency is the USD. Treat any figures as estimates.
United States: do you need health insurance?
There is no universal public system, so visitors and newcomers should carry private health insurance as care is paid privately and can be very expensive.
United States: can you drive on a foreign licence?
Many states accept a foreign licence for short visits, but an International Driving Permit is recommended, especially if your licence is not in English.

Terms worth knowing

Americas: more countries to explore

Put it to work

Last verified: 2026-07-25

Voymo gives general information to help you organise your move. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice, always confirm with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.

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