They are different kinds of financial commitments: the Gold Card gift and processing fee are not invested capital, while EB-5 requires capital placed at risk in a qualifying enterprise with its own job-creation requirement. They should not be compared as two prices for an identical outcome.
Clarify what each payment is meant to accomplish
Confirm the complete, current terms for the applicable individual or corporate proposal, including the described nonrefundable processing fee, and obtain independent financial and tax advice. A gift should not be marketed as an investment expected to generate a financial return, and neither route carries a guaranteed approval.
The official program description sets a processing fee and a gift amount for the principal and separate amounts for each accompanying spouse and child, and describes a distinct corporate track with its own figures. Anyone comparing the two should hold that difference in front of them throughout, because a great deal of loose commentary describes the payment as an investment and some of it goes further and describes the arrangement as something the government provides.