Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jerusalem and Afula

For one person, living is cheaper in Afula: $2,713 a month against $2,892 in Jerusalem, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in Afula
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Afula Living Index

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Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,892

/mo nomad

Afula

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jerusalem and in Afula

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,892 in Jerusalem versus $2,713 in Afula.

Jerusalem $2,892
Afula $2,713

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,208 in Jerusalem versus $4,038 in Afula.

Jerusalem $4,208
Afula $4,038

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,525 in Jerusalem versus $5,364 in Afula.

Jerusalem $5,525
Afula $5,364

Living in Jerusalem is roughly 7% more expensive than in Afula, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jerusalem 113% above, Afula 100% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.42 ₪69.8

$25.76 ₪80.2

-12.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.9 ₪304

$91.4 ₪284

7.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.68 ₪61.2

$16.73 ₪52.0

17.63%

Cappuccino

$4.81 ₪14.96

$4.51 ₪14.03

6.65%

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

$3.40 ₪10.58

$3.92 ₪12.19

-13.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₪9.04

$2.73 ₪8.50

6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 ₪25.28

$9.37 ₪29.14

-13.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.71 ₪30.20

$6.03 ₪18.75

61.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₪7.25

$2.61 ₪8.12

-10.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 ₪10.36

$3.16 ₪9.83

5.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 ₪10.83

$3.32 ₪10.32

4.82%

Eggs

$4.67 ₪14.54

$4.61 ₪14.33

1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.79 ₪52.2

$12.95 ₪40.29

29.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.51 ₪45.15

$19.10 ₪59.4

-24.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.00 ₪106

$25.97 ₪80.8

30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 ₪13.72

$3.19 ₪9.93

38.24%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 ₪10.11

$2.85 ₪8.86

14.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 ₪8.16

$2.24 ₪6.96

16.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.40 ₪7.46

$1.57 ₪4.87

52.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 ₪5.98

$1.55 ₪4.83

23.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 ₪5.06

$1.55 ₪4.82

5.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 ₪6.37

$1.85 ₪5.75

10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ₪5.85

$2.42 ₪7.53

-22.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.37 ₪41.59

$15.51 ₪48.25

-13.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.03 ₪46.77

$12.81 ₪39.87

17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.57 ₪14.23

$4.71 ₪14.66

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 ₪12.95

$4.16 ₪12.93

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 ₪8.19

$2.64 ₪8.21

-0.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 ₪214

$96.6 ₪300

-28.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 ₪12.54

$4.04 ₪12.56

-0.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 ₪3.97

$1.30 ₪4.05

-1.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.50 ₪79.3

$19.14 ₪59.6

33.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.59 ₪8.04

$2.44 ₪7.59

6.15%

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

$56.7K ₪176.5K

$54.0K ₪168.1K

5.00%

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

$54.8K ₪170.4K

$52.9K ₪164.6K

3.58%

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

$290 ₪902

$274 ₪854

5.69%

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

$12.23 ₪38.04

$12.31 ₪38.31

-0.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.33 ₪129

$25.90 ₪80.6

59.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 ₪230

$78.8 ₪245

-6.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 ₪53.9

$22.69 ₪70.6

-23.62%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 ₪45.42

$12.31 ₪38.30

18.60%

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

$1,407 ₪4,378

$1,132 ₪3,521

24.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.8K ₪89.7K

$31.4K ₪97.7K

-8.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 ₪359

$51.9 ₪161

122.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.8 ₪236

$64.4 ₪200

17.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 ₪457

$125 ₪388

17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 ₪506

$150 ₪468

8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,837 ₪5,714

$1,480 ₪4,606

24.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,269 ₪3,949

$1,154 ₪3,592

9.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,633 ₪11.3K

$2,257 ₪7,022

60.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 ₪5,919

$1,886 ₪5,867

0.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.6K ₪61.0K

$9,220 ₪28.7K

112.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,797 ₪27.4K

$7,831 ₪24.4K

12.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,739 ₪11.6K

$3,237 ₪10.1K

15.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.05

23.21%

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

Last update for Jerusalem: October 18, 2026

Last update for Afula: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jerusalem

$1.3K 43.9%

Afula

$1.2K 42.6% 9.1% $115

Groceries & Markets

Jerusalem

$479 16.6%

Afula

$453 16.7% 5.4% $26

Eating Out

Jerusalem

$381 13.2%

Afula

$396 14.6% 3.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jerusalem

$344 11.9%

Afula

$313 11.5% 9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Jerusalem

$225 7.8%

Afula

$176 6.5% 21.8% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Jerusalem

$103 3.6%

Afula

$103 3.8% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Jerusalem

$90 3.1%

Afula

$118 4.3% 31.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,837 in Jerusalem and $1,480 in Afula. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jerusalem pays 16% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $98.0 in Jerusalem vs $91.0 in Afula for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $479 vs $453 per month, with Afula cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Afula

🕒 Local time

07:47 7:47 AM

Same time as Jerusalem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

882,652 Capital

53,958

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Jerusalem Afula 92 km

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Jerusalem
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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

Jerusalem vs Afula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jerusalem and Afula differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($2,892 vs $2,713 including rent). Afula is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Jerusalem, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,837 in Jerusalem versus $1,480 in Afula. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Jerusalem. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Afula – a meal for two runs $91.0 versus $98.0 in Jerusalem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Afula is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Jerusalem and Afula are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Afula gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Jerusalem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.