All cities / Budget calculator
Digital nomad budget calculator for US cities
Add the cities you want to live in and how long you would stay. The calculator totals housing, food, getting around and the miles in between, using the same sourced numbers as the city pages.
You would need about
$0
- Per month
- Per day
| Stop | Weeks | Housing | Food | Around town | Getting there | Stop total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turn on JavaScript to use the calculator, or read the monthly figures below. | ||||||
Rent is prorated by the day from the monthly figure. Driving uses straight-line miles between downtowns at the IRS 2026 business mileage rate of 72.5 cents, so real trips cost more. Stop totals leave out the buffer. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
One month in each city, before food
The figures the calculator starts from, as of October 2026. Airbnb is the nightly price times 30 with no monthly discount.
| City | Studio near downtown | 1 bedroom near downtown | 1 bedroom, metro-wide | Room, estimate | Airbnb, 30 nights | Transit day pass, 30 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson, AZ | $980 | $1,100 | $1,092 | $705 | $4,650 | n/a |
| Chattanooga, TN | $1,195 | $1,245 | $1,231 | $678 | $6,210 | n/a |
| Las Vegas, NV | $1,200 | $1,340 | $1,435 | $785 | $4,650 | $150 |
| Riverside, CA | $1,600 | $1,700 | $1,705 | $1,050 | $7,050 | $150 |
| Atlanta, GA | $1,640 | $1,710 | $1,619 | $930 | $6,570 | $270 |
| Nashville, TN | $1,660 | $1,725 | $1,650 | $940 | $9,120 | $120 |
| Austin, TX | $1,630 | $1,730 | $1,530 | $1,025 | $7,380 | $75 |
| Portland, OR | $1,640 | $1,760 | $1,633 | $1,010 | $5,190 | $168 |
| Asheville, NC | $1,560 | $1,800 | $1,714 | $980 | $7,110 | n/a |
| Denver, CO | $1,850 | $1,930 | $1,831 | $1,145 | $5,160 | $165 |
| Miami, FL | $2,055 | $2,240 | $2,121 | $1,360 | $6,420 | $170 |
| Anaheim, CA | $2,420 | $2,480 | $2,610 | $1,460 | $11,310 | $135 |
| San Diego, CA | $2,490 | $2,660 | $2,335 | $1,605 | $8,880 | $210 |
| Chicago, IL | $2,520 | $2,670 | $1,780 | $1,510 | $7,170 | $180 |
Rents: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents FY2027 for the ZIP codes within 2 miles of downtown, utilities included; metro-wide is HUD's figure for the whole metro area. Room: half the HUD 2-bedroom rent, an estimate. Airbnb: Inside Airbnb median where covered. Day passes: each transit agency's fare page. Sources are linked on every city page.
What it really costs to nomad across the United States
Housing decides almost everything. Among the 14 cities on this site, a 1-bedroom near downtown runs from $1,100 a month in Tucson to $2,670 in Chicago on HUD's small-area rents. The cheapest figure for a whole metro area often belongs to its far edges, so the calculator starts from the center and lets you pick the metro-wide rent instead. That one choice moves a yearly budget by $18,840, more than any food or transit habit will.
Rent by the month if you can
Nightly stays are the expensive way to do this. In Las Vegas the median entire-home Airbnb is $155 a night. Thirty nights at that rate is $4,650, against $1,340 for a 1-bedroom rental. The catch is that most rentals want a lease. Month-to-month sublets, furnished mid-term rentals and hosts who discount 28-night stays sit in between, so ask for the monthly price before you book.
Pick cities where you can skip the car
A car is the second biggest line for most people, and it follows you to every stop. A transit day pass in these cities costs $2.50 to $9.00, which is $75 to $270 for a month of unlimited rides. The cities where the most households live without a car and the most walkable downtowns are the places where that pass is enough.
Budget the miles in between
Moving is not free. The IRS puts the full cost of driving at 72.5 cents a mile for 2026, which covers gas, wear and insurance. A 1,000-mile hop is about $725 by that measure, so fewer, longer stays beat a new city every week.
Keep a buffer
Small prices vary more than you would expect: a burger and fries at local restaurants averages $11.82 in Chicago and $18.52 in San Diego. Deposits, a week of overlap between two places and a slow month of work all happen. Ten percent on top is a floor. Three months of costs in savings before you leave is the usual advice, and the total above tells you what that number is for your route.
Questions people ask
How much money do you need to be a digital nomad in the US?
It depends mostly on housing. As of October 2026, a 1-bedroom near downtown runs from $1,100 a month in Tucson to $2,670 in Chicago on HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, utilities included. Metro-wide figures, which include outlying areas, run lower in most cities. Add food, getting around and a buffer in the calculator above to get your own total.
Is an Airbnb or a monthly rental cheaper for a long stay?
A rental, by a wide margin, where you can get one. In Las Vegas the median entire-home Airbnb is $155 a night, about $4,650 for 30 nights at the nightly rate, against $1,340 for a 1-bedroom at HUD's Fair Market Rent. Many hosts discount monthly stays, so treat the nightly figure as a ceiling.
Where do the numbers in the calculator come from?
Rents are HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, the median of the ZIP codes within 2 miles of downtown; the metro option uses HUD's figure for the whole metro area. Airbnb prices are Inside Airbnb medians where that source covers the city. Transit day passes were read from each agency's fare page. Driving between cities uses straight-line distance and the IRS 2026 business mileage rate of 72.5 cents a mile; real roads are longer. Food and everything else are your own numbers.
Does the calculator save or send what I type?
No. It runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is stored, sent or tracked.
Keep going: cheapest cities, compare two cities, or download the data.