USA Relocation Trends 2026
The United States offers the world's deepest tech job market and the largest Jewish community outside Israel, but immigration is the hardest part: most routes run through employer sponsorship (H-1B), investment (EB-5), or extraordinary-ability visas. For those who clear the visa hurdle, opportunity and community are unmatched.
The Israeli angle
The US is home to roughly 6 million Jews and large, established Israeli communities in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, with extensive Hebrew schools, synagogues, and Israeli businesses.
Metric breakdown
| Visa difficulty | 1/5 | H-1B subject to annual lottery; EB-2 NIW requires strong evidence; among hardest globally. |
| Cost of living | 2/5 Stable | Major tech hubs (NYC, SF, Seattle) are very expensive; mid-size cities more affordable. |
| Housing | 2/5 | SF and NYC median rents among world's highest; remote-work markets have eased elsewhere. |
| Healthcare | 2/5 | Employer-based private insurance; out-of-pocket costs can be very high without coverage. |
| Education | 4/5 | Good public schools in wealthy districts; top universities globally. |
| Taxes | 3/5 | Federal income tax up to 37%; state tax varies (0% in Texas/Florida to 13.3% in CA). |
| Safety | 3/5 | Varies widely by city and neighborhood; higher violent crime rates than peer nations. |
| Language barrier | 5/5 | English; no barrier for Hebrew-English speakers. |
| Israeli & Jewish community | 5/5 | Largest Jewish diaspora globally (~7.5M); major hubs in NYC, LA, Miami, Chicago. |
| Job market | 5/5 | World's strongest tech and innovation job market; highest salaries for skilled roles. |
| Path to PR | 1/5 | Green Card backlog can exceed 10-20 years for some nationalities via employment route. |
| Path to citizenship | 2/5 | 5 years after GC; getting GC is the bottleneck, not citizenship itself. |
Key pathways
City spotlight
Strengths
- ✓ Education
- ✓ Language barrier
- ✓ Israeli & Jewish community
Watch-outs
- • Visa difficulty
- • Cost of living
- • Housing
Frequently asked questions
What is the best visa for Israeli tech workers to move to the US?
The H-1B (employer-sponsored, lottery-based) is most common, while the O-1 (extraordinary ability) and L-1 (intra-company transfer) avoid the lottery. The choice depends on your employer and profile.
What is the cost of living in New York for a family?
A family of four in New York City typically spends about $7,500–$11,000 per month including rent, the highest of any city covered here.
Is there a large Israeli community in the US?
Yes — New York, Los Angeles, and Miami host large Israeli communities with Hebrew schools, synagogues, and Israeli-owned businesses and services.