Feb 2025
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On February 25th, Trump unveiled the 'Gold Card' visa, a new initiative aimed at attracting wealthy investors with a $5 million price tag. This so-called "golden visa" is set to replace the existing green card system in an effort to boost the U.S. economy.
Trump announced that he would replace the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program, which currently allows foreign investors to obtain permanent residency by making large investments that create or preserve U.S. jobs.
"We're going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million, and that's going to give you green card privileges—plus," Trump said from the Oval Office on Tuesday.
With a tenfold increase in cost compare to 2017 when the price for EB-5 visa started at $500,000, the new visa raises the question: what does $5 million actually mean in America?
What Can $5 Million Buy in America?
Instead of spending $5 million on a gold card, let's compare what else that amount could buy.
Proposed
gold card
Green card
Price in 2017
Price in 2025
$500,000
$5 million
what you can with that money everyday for a year in America?
that’s 365 days of
2017
2025
39,160
eggs a day
11,182
eggs a day
2017
2025
392 packages of cookies
a day
2,871 packages of cookies
a day
2017
2025
258 McDonald’s
BigMacs
a day
2365 McDonald’s
BigMacs
a day
How about luxury goods...?
2017
2025
53
Hermes Birkin bags
413
Hermes Birkin bags
2017
2025
1/3
of a condo in Beverley Hills
a FULL condo and maybe the neighbour’s garage in
Beverley Hills
or if you are really fancy ...
2017
2025
1/10
of a
Bugatti Chiron
versus a FULL Bugatti Chiron, one out of only 500 in the world
Proposed
gold card
Green card
Price in 2017
Price in 2025
$500,000
$5 million
what you can buy with that money everyday for a year in America?
that’s 365 days of
2017
2025
11,182 eggs
a day
39,160 eggs
a day
2017
2025
392 packages of cookies
a day
2,871 packages of cookies
a day
2017
2025
258
McDonald’s
BigMacs
a day
2365
McDonald’s
BigMacs
a day
How about luxury goods...?
2017
2025
53
Hermes Birkin bags
413
Hermes Birkin bags
2017
2025
a FULL condo and maybe the neighbour’s garage in
Beverley Hills
1/3
of a condo in Beverley Hills
or if you are really fancy ...
2017
2025
versus a FULL Bugatti Chiron, one out of only 500 in the world
1/10
of a
Bugatti Chiron
Price in 2017
Green card
$500,000
Price in 2025
Proposed gold card
$5 million
what you can buy with that money everyday for a year in America?
that’s 365 days of
Price in 2017
11,182 eggs a day
Price in 2025
39,160 eggs a day
Price in 2017
392 packages
of cookies a day
Price in 2025
2,871 packages
of cookies a day
Price in 2017
258 McDonald’s BigMacs a day
Price in 2025
2365 McDonald’s BigMacs a day
How about luxury goods...?
Price in 2017
53 Hermes Birkin bags
Price in 2025
413 Hermes Birkin bags
Price in 2017
1/3
of a condo in Beverley Hills
Price in 2025
a FULL condo and maybe the neighbour’s garage in
Beverley Hills
Price in 2017
1/10
of a Bugatti Chiron
Price in 2025
versus a FULL
Bugatti Chiron, one out of only 500 in the world
Those were the luxury goods $5 million could buy—but what about time?
Life expectancy in the U.S. is 77.5 years, with retirement typically beginning at 67. This means the average American spends around 10 years in retirement. The map illustrates how many full retirement cycles $5 million, combined with Social Security, can provide—showing just how far that money can stretch across different parts of the country.
Despite rising inflation in the U.S., the cost of obtaining permanent residency far outpaces other price increases. The EB-5 investor visa program once required $500,000 in a Targeted Employment Area (TEA), increasing to $800,000–$1.05 million today. If Trump's plan moves forward, the new $5 million price tag represents an unprecedented increase, shifting U.S. residency further into the realm of the ultra-wealthy.
This proposal raises larger questions: Is U.S. residency just another luxury item? And if so, who gets left behind?
Trump's 'Gold Card' visa isn't just an immigration policy—it's a price tag on the American Dream. As residency costs soar, the divide between the ultra-rich and the rest of the world grows ever wider.