The U.S. does not pay a single “NATO hosting troops” bill; the cost depends on whether you mean NATO’s shared budget or the cost of stationing U.S. troops in allied countries. NATO’s common budget is about $4.7 billion, and the U.S. share is roughly 16%, or about $753 million in 2024.

What the U.S. actually pays

There are two different cost buckets:

  • NATO common funding: the U.S. share was about $753 million in 2024.
  • U.S. forces stationed in Europe: the Pentagon requested $3.9 billion in FY2025 for European deterrence, NATO support, and related programs.

Hosting troops in allied countries

If you mean the broader cost of keeping U.S. troops in NATO countries, that is much larger than NATO’s shared budget. For example, one analysis says the annual cost of U.S. forces in Germany is about $3 billion to $4 billion, while Germany’s direct contribution is about $1 billion, which may cover the marginal hosting costs.

Bottom line

A fair short answer is: the U.S. pays hundreds of millions for NATO’s common budget, but several billions more when you include overseas troop posture and support programs. The exact amount varies by year and by what counts as “hosting troops”.

Quick note

Public debate often mixes up NATO’s shared alliance costs with the separate cost of keeping U.S. troops stationed in Europe, so the numbers can look wildly different depending on the framing.