Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Israel and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $2,919 in Israel, rent and utilities included – about $25,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Israel
Learn more

Israel Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,919

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Israel and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Israel and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,919 in Israel versus $791 in China.

Israel $2,919
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,332 in Israel versus $1,251 in China.

Israel $4,332
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,746 in Israel versus $1,711 in China.

Israel $5,746
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in Israel: monthly costs span $1,570 to $3,698, compared to $465–$1,222 in China. City choice carries more weight in Israel.

Living in Israel is roughly 269% more expensive than in China on average.

Israel (114% above) and China (42% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.13 ₪81.4

$2.98 ¥19.81

776.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.9 ₪302

$22.09 ¥147

338.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.30 ₪60.1

$5.20 ¥34.60

271.15%

Cappuccino

$5.11 ₪15.90

$2.97 ¥19.74

72.05%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₪11.37

$0.48 ¥3.19

660.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 ₪9.39

$0.30 ¥2.01

906.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.32 ₪32.14

$1.08 ¥7.18

855.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.01 ₪31.18

$2.28 ¥15.15

339.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₪7.54

$1.80 ¥11.96

34.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 ₪10.21

$1.68 ¥11.15

95.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.36 ₪10.45

$0.92 ¥6.13

265.22%

Eggs

$4.87 ₪15.17

$1.61 ¥10.73

202.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.87 ₪58.8

$13.38 ¥89.1

41.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.37 ₪44.76

$3.35 ¥22.28

328.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.66 ₪79.9

$11.35 ¥75.5

126.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.39 ₪13.69

$1.82 ¥12.12

141.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.29 ₪10.26

$1.31 ¥8.69

151.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ₪7.86

$1.49 ¥9.89

69.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 ₪9.16

$1.27 ¥8.47

131.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 ₪5.70

$0.71 ¥4.73

157.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 ₪5.17

$0.93 ¥6.21

78.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 ₪8.13

$0.62 ¥4.12

320.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 ₪5.90

$0.56 ¥3.74

237.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 ₪42.75

$3.78 ¥25.15

263.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.40 ₪47.97

$12.13 ¥80.7

26.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 ₪10.34

$0.83 ¥5.54

300.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ₪11.61

$1.68 ¥11.21

122.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.62 ₪8.15

$0.29 ¥1.92

803.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 ₪321

$17.83 ¥119

478.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.35 ₪13.56

$1.49 ¥9.89

191.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 ₪3.84

$0.37 ¥2.49

232.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 ₪96.0

$7.10 ¥47.24

334.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.60 ₪8.11

$1.26 ¥8.37

106.35%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$58.0K ₪180.6K

$19.4K ¥129.4K

198.14%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$55.8K ₪173.8K

$17.5K ¥116.7K

218.10%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$323 ₪1,007

$54.6 ¥363

492.71%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.00 ₪37.38

$8.73 ¥58.1

37.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.32 ₪132

$11.07 ¥73.6

282.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.4 ₪238

$40.77 ¥271

87.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.93 ₪68.3

$14.48 ¥96.4

51.45%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 ₪49.60

$6.78 ¥45.12

134.96%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,368 ₪4,262

$517 ¥3,438

164.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.6K ₪92.2K

$19.8K ¥131.8K

49.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 ₪339

$46.53 ¥310

133.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$82.9 ₪258

$35.66 ¥237

132.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 ₪459

$77.0 ¥512

91.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$169 ₪525

$80.3 ¥534

110.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 ₪4,853

$386 ¥2,567

303.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,195 ₪3,722

$235 ¥1,561

409.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,575 ₪8,021

$822 ¥5,469

213.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,960 ₪6,104

$453 ¥3,015

332.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.5K ₪32.7K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

123.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,428 ₪23.1K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

213.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,680 ₪11.5K

$1,093 ¥7,274

236.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

3.46

47.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Israel: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Israel

$1.2K 40.9%

China

$235 29.6% 80.4% $961

Groceries & Markets

Israel

$459 15.7%

China

$210 26.5% 54.2% $249

Eating Out

Israel

$426 14.6%

China

$88 11.1% 79.3% $338

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Israel

$378 12.9%

China

$74 9.4% 80.3% $303

Clothing & Footwear

Israel

$229 7.8%

China

$108 13.6% 52.8% $121

Getting Around

Israel

$124 4.3%

China

$22 2.8% 82% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Israel

$108 3.7%

China

$54 6.9% 49.8% $54

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,536 in Israel, $298 in China. Capital cities: $1,915 in Jerusalem vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $3,514 in Israel, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 415% higher in Israel.

Dining out costs 341% more in Israel.

Public transport is 444% more expensive in Israel.

Salaries are about 4 times higher in Israel, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Israel.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Israel

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

6 h ahead of Israel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,840,000

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.288 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.47 ILS (1 ILS = 0.288 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Israel China 7,120 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Israel
China

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Israel vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $2,919 in Israel, there’s a 269% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,536 in Israel and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Israel it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Israel may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.