What my first four months in the US really cost: about $10,000, and America is not cheap

October 20, 2026 · 4 min read

People back home think America is cheap. Big salaries, cheap gas, huge stores. Some of that is true. But starting a new life here costs a lot more than people expect.

I arrived on July 3, 2026. In about four months, I spent close to $10,000 in the US. This post is about where it went, and what I would tell someone planning the same move.

My timeline

July 3, 2026: I arrived in the US on a K-1 visa
August 2: We got married
September 1: I mailed my green card package to USCIS
July to October: Two trips to Dallas, one to Nashville, one to Memphis
October 20: Close to $10,000 spent in the US so far (about 3.5 months after arriving)

The biggest part: USCIS, about $3,000

Almost a third of the money went to immigration. The form fees alone were $2,330: $1,440 for the green card application (I-485), $630 for the travel permit (I-131) and $260 for the work permit (I-765). Then came everything around the forms. The photos for the applications alone cost me $60. Copies, printing and tracked mail added more. And the biometrics appointment was in Memphis, so we drove there and back for it. All together, my USCIS costs easily came to $3,000.

This is money you cannot skip. And it would have been much more with a lawyer: the one I asked wanted $2,200 just to fill in the forms. I wrote about doing it myself here: Filing my green card application without a lawyer.

The small costs that add up

Then there are the many small things nobody puts in a budget:

A secured credit card deposit: $750. It is not lost, I get it back later. But it is money I cannot use now. How I got my first credit card.
Forming my LLC: $45. How I formed an LLC in Arkansas.
The written driver's test: $5 per attempt. I took it twice. Why I failed the first time.
Phone, documents, postage, copies, gas, food.

None of these is big alone. Together, they are.

We did not sit at home

I want to be honest here: I did not spend $10,000 just to survive. We also lived.

We went to Dallas twice, to Nashville once and to Memphis once. Every trip was by car. Once we rented a car, the other times we drove our own. Gas, hotels, food on the road: it all counts.

I would do these trips again. A new life is not only paperwork. But if you come with less money than I did, this is the first part of the budget to cut.

The car

In most of America you need a car. Our truck is in my wife's name, because I had no credit history when we bought it. The payment and insurance together are about $1,263 a month, before gas. A car is one of the biggest monthly costs for any household here. I wrote about it here: Buying a car as a new immigrant.

Turkey does not stop when you leave

This is the part people forget. I still have loans in Turkey, and I still pay them every month. Moving does not close them.

If I count my spending in Turkey too, I have spent around 750,000 to 800,000 Turkish lira since I arrived. That number surprised even me when I added it up.

So if you are planning the move, do not only plan your US budget. Plan the bills you leave behind.

I came with savings, and I still felt it

I came with money saved. Even so, these months were not easy on the budget. I also could not work at first: my work permit came on October 3, three months after I arrived. Until then, money only went out.

For someone who comes with nothing, the first months can be very hard. Not impossible. But hard.

What I would tell someone planning the move

Budget for USCIS first. Fees change, so check the current ones on the official USCIS website.
Plan for months with no income. The work permit takes time.
Count the money that is locked up, like a secured card deposit.
Plan the bills you leave behind in your home country.
A car is a big monthly cost. Payment, full coverage insurance and gas.
Travel if you can, but know it is the first thing to cut.
Write down every expense from the first day. I wish I had done this better.

Summary

In about four months, I spent close to $10,000 in the US.
About $3,000 went to USCIS. The form fees alone were $2,330.
Small costs add up: a $750 card deposit, test fees, documents, gas.
We also traveled: Dallas twice, Nashville, Memphis, all by car.
My loans in Turkey did not stop. With them, I spent about 750,000 to 800,000 lira.
America is not as cheap as people think. Come with savings, and plan for months with no income.

This is my own experience, not financial advice. Every move is different.

Going through the same thing? If you are stuck on this step and need help, send me a message. I read every one.
Write to me or use another email app

I am not a lawyer or an accountant. This is my own experience, written down as it happened. Rules change and every case is different, so check with the official source or a professional.

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