Month to month plans are not nearly as good or cheap in the US as they are in Europe. I've been doing a lot of investigation about this and it's frustrating because I want to buy a new unlocked phone here in the US but it's almost not worth it here because you still have to buy some absurdly expensive plan.
In Germany I was able to buy a 20 euro a month data only plan for my iPhone and I was perfectly happy.
I ended up ordering the iPhone 5 on Verizon at the subsidized rate ($300) and stuck it on my dad's Verizon account for $30 a month (cheapest data plan only) and then when I go back to Germany later next year I'll just cancel it and try to get out of paying the early termination fee. Even if I have to pay the fee it's only $350 which, added with the initial price of the phone, is the same price as out-of-contract iPhone 5.
In Germany I was able to buy a 20 euro a month data only plan for my iPhone and I was perfectly happy.
I ended up ordering the iPhone 5 on Verizon at the subsidized rate ($300) and stuck it on my dad's Verizon account for $30 a month (cheapest data plan only) and then when I go back to Germany later next year I'll just cancel it and try to get out of paying the early termination fee. Even if I have to pay the fee it's only $350 which, added with the initial price of the phone, is the same price as out-of-contract iPhone 5.