Can You Live In The US On An Online Teacher Income? (Real Budget Breakdown)

TL;DR Matt and Perlie are two digital nomads currently living in the US and teaching online. They both earn around $2,200 a month, resulting in a household monthly income of $4,400 – $4,700 a month. Their monthly expenses (including rent in New York city) is around $2,900 a month.

If you find yourself doomscrolling on social media for travel content, you may find yourself seeing people gallivanting across the globe and wondering how they can afford such a lifestyle. The answers vary. Some are content creators, some are digital nomads, while others are people working within the travel industry. Another way to afford this lifestyle is by teaching English online.

If you speak English as a first language (or have a high enough proficiency) and have a computer with a microphone and camera, and stable wifi, you can do exactly this! We are Matt and Perlie, two online English teachers who were on the road for much of the last three years. 

Our style has been to spend each month in a different country through long-term AirBnbs or housesitting gigs through Trusted Housesitters. We have been all around the world in this way, through much of Latin America to East Asia to Southeast Asia to Central Asia and all over Europe. 

While we have certainly enjoyed this fast-paced lifestyle, we have experienced levels of FOMO because of missing events with family and friends. So, we made the decision to come back to our native US as we figure out what our next step is. 

We have relocated to the New York City borough of Queens as both an adventure to continue our online teaching careers while also gaining more valuable experience volunteering in local classrooms geared toward ESL. We are here to tell you that our lifestyle is easily attainable and to give you an outline of what it’s really like to teach online and afford being in the US. 

How much do online English teachers make?

Generally speaking, online English teachers make between $10 and $40+ an hour. But how much you can earn as an online English teacher on a monthly basis depends on:

• who you work for,
• if you are working for multiple companies, and
• how many hours you work.

Who you work for

If you google “Online TEFL Companies”, you will often be quite overwhelmed by the amount of options. You can have companies based in Asia, Europe and Latin America, to name the most common we have seen from our experiences. 

When we first started researching online teaching, we quickly realised that one company might pay $10–15 per hour, while another could pay $20–30 or more. 

If you teach independently and find your own students, you can often charge even higher rates. On the flip side, companies that provide a steady stream of students usually pay a bit less because they’re handling the marketing, scheduling, and customer support for you.

Read more: Online Teaching Platforms You Should Know

How many hours you teach

Another huge factor is the number of hours you actually teach. Someone teaching 10 hours a week as a side hustle is going to have a very different income than someone teaching 30 to 40 hours across multiple platforms. 

Working for multiple companies

Many online teachers also choose to diversify by working for two or three companies at the same time. This not only helps fill gaps in their schedule but also creates a more stable income if one platform has a slow week or fewer student bookings.

Read more: A Realistic Look At Teaching On Multiple Platforms: Schalk’s Story

The good news is that online teaching is incredibly flexible. If you’re simply looking to earn some extra spending money, you can teach a few hours each week. If your goal is to make it a full-time career, that’s possible too, but it usually takes time to build up a consistent schedule. In many cases, teachers work across multiple platforms or eventually find their own private students.

Ultimately, there isn’t a “normal” salary for an online English teacher.

Your earnings depend on the company you choose, your qualifications and experience, the number of hours you’re willing to work, and whether you’re teaching through a platform or running your own tutoring business. That’s what makes online teaching both exciting and a little unpredictable. 

From our experience, we started teaching through an online Polish company and were making $18/hour. We combined this with an American company where we set our own rate at $19/hour (the higher you charge, the less likely you are to get students), and teaching on Cambly making $10/hour (not great but a start within the field). 

Unfortunately the Polish company went bankrupt. One positive thing that came out of this was that we were able to retain most of our Polish students and then began charging private rates without another company as a middleman. Fast forward to today and we have built a nearly full-time schedule with our own private Polish students and the American company we work with as well. We charge about $30/hour for our Polish students and lower this rate when we combine students to make groups. 

We each always aim to hit the $2,200 USD mark a month. We have some months making more and others a little less (summer is tough because our students are always travelling). Therefore, as a household we make around $4,400-$4,700 a month. This is based on working around 30 to 35 hours a week.

Our monthly budget breakdown:

Can you live off online teaching? Yes, you can, but obviously your lifestyle and your savings greatly depend on where you are living. Living in New York city, for example, is expensive so you need to earn more to live a comfortable lifestyle and put away some savings. 

Here are example living expenses for remote teachers, based on our living costs in New York city. These costs are all per person.

Rent – $1,050

We pay $2,100 a month in total for a very small studio apartment. One thing you should know about the US is that it is very expensive to rent, especially in NYC. If you are looking for housing in Manhattan, you need to heavily increase your budget. 

Utilities – $150

 Around $150 to cover internet, water, and gas/electric. 

Groceries – $225

We pay around $450/month for the two of us. 

Transport – $90

Around $90 a month. It’s $3 for a subway ticket. We never take Ubers or taxis. 

Healthcare & insurance – $175

Entertainment – $200

$100/month. We go to free events and try to avoid nights out and eating out due to high prices and tipping. 

Savings – $100

Total – 1,990

Depending on our earnings for the month, this leaves a few hundred dollars for extra savings or unexpected expenses.

NYC is very expensive, especially compared to the other cities we have spent time in. Generally we are breaking even each month (which is not sustainable for the long-term for us so we’re not sure how long we’ll stay here).

What has surprised us about living on an online teaching income

One thing that has really surprised us is just how differently the same online teaching income can stretch depending on where you live. While we were travelling through countries with a lower cost of living, we were able to live comfortably, save money, and still have plenty left over to enjoy experiences. But moving to New York City was a completely different story.

Read more: How To Travel Long-Term Without Savings: Our TEFL Digital Nomad Story

New York is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and it really puts things into perspective. An income that felt more than enough while we were living abroad suddenly didn’t go nearly as far once we had New York rent, groceries, transportation, and all of the other everyday expenses to think about.

It made us realise that online teaching isn’t just about how much you earn. It’s also about where you’re earning it. 

If you’re planning to live somewhere with a high cost of living like New York City, you’ll likely need to teach more hours, work for multiple companies, or supplement your income in other ways. But if you’re living somewhere more affordable, that exact same income can provide an incredibly comfortable lifestyle.

For us, it reinforces why so many online English teachers choose to live abroad or embrace the digital nomad lifestyle. The flexibility to earn the same income while living somewhere your money goes much further is one of the biggest advantages of teaching online. 

To be frank, we are using this experience in NYC to feel out what our next step will be. We surely do not recommend moving to NYC as an online TEFL teacher just getting started without any savings. 

Strategies that have made it work

Living in New York City on an online teaching income has definitely required us to be intentional with our spending. NYC is an incredible place to live, but it can also be extremely expensive if you’re not careful. We’ve made it work by being very mindful of where our money goes: cooking most of our meals at home, limiting unnecessary spending, taking advantage of free activities around the city, and choosing experiences over expensive nights out.

We’ve also learned that small decisions add up. Instead of constantly ordering food, taking Ubers, or spending money on things we don’t truly value, we focus our budget on the things that matter most to us. Being frugal in NYC doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the city, it just means being intentional so that your money supports the lifestyle you actually want.

Biggest challenges

One of the biggest challenges of transitioning back to the US has been adjusting to just how expensive everyday life can be, especially after spending years living abroad. Things like groceries, rent, transportation, and basic services are significantly more expensive than many places we had become used to.

The tipping culture in the US was also a big adjustment. After living in countries where the price you see is usually the price you pay, it was surprising to come back and realise that an extra 15–25% is often expected at restaurants, coffee shops, taxis, salons, and many other services. Those small additions can quickly make a big difference in your monthly budget.

Living in New York City has definitely made us more aware of our spending habits. Even simple things like grabbing a coffee, going out for a meal, or meeting friends can cost much more than expected. It has been an adjustment, but it has also taught us to be more intentional with our money and appreciate the flexibility that online teaching gives us.

Could a single online teacher do the same?

This is about perspective. If you’re a single online teacher with a lot of savings just looking to have an experience in NYC by teaching online…then yes, because you are not trying to “survive”. 

If you’re a single online teacher without savings and wanting to “get by” then NYC is not a smart, financial decision. Rent alone as a single person would deplete your whole monthly salary. In fact, you would be losing money each month by living in NYC.

What income do you realistically need?

Basic lifestyle ($1,500–$2,000/month)
If you are living somewhere with a lower cost of living, you can make online teaching work on a relatively modest income. This might mean renting a simple apartment, cooking most meals at home, using local transportation, and being mindful with your spending. Many online teachers choose this route because it allows them to live comfortably while still saving money.

Matt & Perlie enjoyed a low cost of living while teaching online and living in Taiwan.

Comfortable lifestyle ($2,500–$3,500/month)
For many people, this is the range where online teaching starts to feel sustainable long-term. You can afford a nicer apartment, eat out occasionally, enjoy activities, and travel without constantly worrying about every expense. This is often achievable by teaching more hours, working with multiple companies, or adding private students.

High-cost city ($4,000+/month)
Living in an expensive city like New York or San Francisco is a completely different situation. Rent alone can take up a huge portion of your income, and everyday expenses add up quickly. In NYC especially, an income that feels comfortable in another country may suddenly feel much tighter. To live comfortably in a high-cost city, you will likely need to supplement online teaching with additional income streams or teach a higher number of hours.

Rural area or lower-cost location ($1,500–$2,500/month)
One of the biggest advantages of online teaching is the ability to choose where you live. In a rural area or smaller city with a lower cost of living, the same income can go much further. Many digital nomads and online teachers intentionally choose these locations because they can enjoy a higher quality of life while working fewer hours.

Ultimately, online teaching is less about earning a six-figure salary and more about creating a lifestyle that matches your income. 

The biggest factor is not just how much you make, but rather how much your money can do where you choose to live.

Is teaching English online enough for long-term financial security?

We often get asked this question a lot and our answer is always the same: it depends on where you are living. For two of us making what we are together (up to $4,500 a month), we can be very comfortable with savings in low-cost countries like Vietnam or Thailand. However, we are finding it very difficult to get by in NYC. We honestly only see ourselves here for a few more months because of how expensive it is. 

Being somewhere in the US, UK or countries like Switzerland isn’t advisable for long-term financial security, especially due to rent. With that being said, we have spent extended time in pricey locations while doing housesitting gigs – really the only way to justify spending extended time in these countries. 

Final thoughts

At the end of the day, online teaching has given us the freedom to choose where we want to live, but that choice has a huge impact on our financial situation. The same income that allows you to live comfortably and save money in Southeast Asia can feel extremely limiting in a place like New York City. That’s why so many online teachers and digital nomads prioritise affordable destinations; not because they don’t enjoy more expensive places, but because they want to maximise their freedom, travel longer, and avoid feeling tied down by high living costs.

Author Bio

Written by

Matt

Edited by Kirsten Colquhoun

Having already visited 65 countries plus Antarctica, Matt has a lifelong goal of hitting every country in the world. Matt has spent several years living abroad after getting TEFL-certified and really hasn’t looked back. From a small town in northwestern Spain to the hustle and bustle of Barcelona, to the bright lights of South Korea’s 2nd-largest city of Busan to the beautiful chaos of Istanbul, Matt has had some life-changing experiences teaching English in all 3 of these countries. Currently, Matt is an online English teacher travelling the world, living in a new country every month. Armed with a laptop and stable wifi, Matt has made the world his classroom! Read Matt's story →