If you're in the United States and want to live as much of your life as possible using Monero, this walkthrough is for you. This is a practical way to live off Monero in 2025 and was inspired by a poll on X.com.
Monerica.com exists to show what you can actually do with Monero—real merchants, tools, and resources to help you live everyday life. It’s a circular-economy directory with categories, tags, and notes to help you find what you need.
Educational disclaimer: This page is for educational purposes only. It is not financial, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Always seek a qualified professional for your specific situation.
What this guide covers
- What you can pay for directly with XMR
- What works via prepaid and gift cards
- How you can acquire cash when you need it
- When it may be best to sell to a KYC exchange and fund a bank account
There are trade-offs and fees to live off Monero—but it is possible. Let’s begin.
1) What You Can Pay for Directly with Monero
This is what you should choose first whenever it’s available.
- Why direct XMR? Fewer middlemen, better privacy, fewer failure points, and lowest possible fees.
- VPNs: Protect privacy online and access content in different regions.
- Web hosting: Start or optimize a business; host data, run an email server, a Monero remote node, or other services.
- Food & drink: Options exist, including carnivore bars (e.g., AUPA-style meat bars). For coffee in the US, check Isabella’s Coffee and Gratuitas Coffee (verify current availability).
- P2P marketplaces: For broader food options, browse XMRBazaar.com. Focus on the Food category and message vendors ahead of time to confirm their listings are active.
- Professional services: If you need an accountant, consider one who accepts Monero (e.g., Bear Bookkeeping & Tax).
- Vehicles: It’s possible to buy cars with Monero via certain importers if you have sufficient XMR.
- Clothing, counseling, email/forwarding providers, personal care: Various merchants accept XMR (e.g., Beauty Abounded for personal care products—verify current acceptance).
- Phones & connectivity: Obtain a phone, SMS, or SIM with Monero where supported; this enables reliable internet access.
- Shipping & proxy services: Some services ship mail for XMR or will buy items on your behalf to avoid creating platform accounts (fees apply).
- Computers & accessories: Laptops and other equipment can be sourced from XMR-friendly shops.
- Self-defense items: Some vendors accept XMR (follow all local laws; verify availability).
2) Living with Prepaid & Gift Cards
To live the lifestyle you’re used to, you will almost certainly need to use gift cards and prepaid cards.
Where to get cards
On Monerica.com under Businesses → Gift & Prepaid Cards you’ll find sites that sell cards for XMR. Popular options include Cake Pay, Coincards, Stealths, Trocador, and XMR.cards.
Gift cards (brand-specific)
- Amazon: Load your existing verified Amazon account with gift credit; have items shipped to you.
- Big retail: Walmart, Target, and others via brand gift cards.
- Groceries: Depending on your region, cards exist for Albertsons, Kroger, Target, etc.
- Dining & delivery: Chain restaurants; delivery via DoorDash and Uber Eats.
- Marketplaces & apparel: eBay and major clothing brands via gift cards.
- Travel & lodging: Hotel brands and airlines (e.g., Southwest) often have gift options.
- Home improvement: Lowe’s, Home Depot via gift cards.
- Fuel: Some brands (e.g., Shell) have gift cards available.
Tip: Gift cards typically don’t involve device tokenization, and many don’t expire (always check the brand’s policy).
Prepaid cards (general-purpose)
When a specific brand gift card isn’t available, prepaid cards are the catch-all solution. You’ll usually add them to Apple Pay or Google Pay on your phone.
- Acceptance: Visa-branded prepaid is generally the most accepted with the least personal info.
- Device limits: Don’t add new prepaid cards every day. Respect issuer/device limits. A best practice is no more than one new prepaid card per week per device.
- High balances, fewer cards: Buy as few cards as possible with the highest balance you reasonably need.
- Lifespan: Many prepaid cards are only valid for about 6 months.
- Partial authorization: Not all prepaid supports partial authorizations. If a balance is insufficient, the terminal may just decline.
- Split-tender at checkout: Ask the cashier to charge an exact amount equal to the remaining balance, then pay the rest with another card. Major grocery stores commonly allow multiple cards; some processors do not—verify before checkout.
- Fees for portals (rent/healthcare): Online portals may charge a percentage or a flat fee (sometimes around $50 per payment). Bundle everything into one transaction to reduce repeated fees.
- Coverage: Almost every store in America accepts Apple Pay/Google Pay; avoid those that don’t if possible.
- Multiple devices: If you must add more frequently, you may need multiple phones to avoid device flags.
Important: Prepaid cards cannot be redeemed for cash. You cannot withdraw cash from an ATM with them.
3) How to Acquire Cash
When you need physical cash (e.g., for money orders, certain bills, or private-party purchases), consider:
- Precious metals (bullion bridge): Buy gold or silver with Monero; have it shipped to you. Then sell to a local bullion shop for cash. Keep in mind spreads/premiums and keep receipts. This is not tax advice.
- P2P options: Use peer-to-peer exchanges that offer cash in the mail or cash in person. Start small, verify reputation, and build trust.
- After cash-out: Use cash directly, buy a money order, or deposit it into a traditional bank account for bills that require ACH.
For utilities like electricity, water, and internet, many portals require bank rails. Funding a minimal bank account with Monero (indirectly via bullion/cash or the last-resort method below) is something to consider.
4) When to Sell to a KYC Exchange (Last Resort)
As a last resort in the US, you can sell Monero for USD on a centralized KYC exchange and deposit to your bank account.
- Exchange choice: A common US option is Kraken.
- Process: Deposit XMR → trade for USD → withdraw to your bank account.
- Security: Do not store funds on exchanges. Deposit, exchange, withdraw.
- Use cases: Time-sensitive bills, immovable portals, or documentation needs for underwriters/auditors.
Recap
- Use Monero directly whenever possible (VPNs, hosting, some food & drink merchants, and marketplace items).
- Prepaid and gift cards will get you most of the way for day-to-day life. Services like Coincards, Cake Pay, and XMR.cards can cover most brands you already use.
- For cash, use the bullion bridge (gold/silver to local cash), or carefully use P2P cash methods.
- As a last resort, a KYC exchange can fund your bank account for bills that demand ACH.
Practical notes
- Some platforms impose yearly purchase limits on bullion; plan ahead.
- Taxes, utility bills, and loan payments may need to come from a bank account—but you can fund that bank account with Monero using the methods above.
- New York residents: NY has unique rules and restrictions; for example, signing up for Kraken may not be allowed. Treat NY as a special case.
Living on Monero: Final Thoughts
When you live off Monero, there’s no credit card. Any card you use is prepaid. There’s no revolving debt—many people find this encourages better financial habits because you can’t spend what you don’t have.
Expect inconveniences you may not have considered before: fixed balances on cards, no traditional credit-card statement, and the need to plan purchases, split payments, and manage fees. You do this to reduce identity-theft risk and gain transactional privacy so your data isn’t linked to you and sold.
Keep in mind device-specific redemption rules for prepaid cards; multiple phones may sometimes be necessary. With deliberate planning, you gain a level of freedom and privacy most people can’t get otherwise.
Personal experience & call to action
Living your life using Monero is possible today in 2025 in the United States. I have personally been able to do it throughout 2025, covering food, drinks, rent, healthcare, and business costs with Monero-funded methods.
Visit Monerica.com to explore the ever-growing Monero circular-economy directory. If you have questions or want more details, leave a comment. If this helped, please like, share, and subscribe to support the Monero circular economy.
