Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jerusalem and Ashkelon

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashkelon: $2,345 a month against $2,964 in Jerusalem, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

143

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Ashkelon
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Ashkelon Living Index

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Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,964

/mo nomad

Ashkelon

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,345

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jerusalem and in Ashkelon

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 Ashkelon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,964 in Jerusalem versus $2,345 in Ashkelon.

Jerusalem $2,964
Ashkelon $2,345

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Jerusalem versus $3,478 in Ashkelon.

Jerusalem $4,321
Ashkelon $3,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,678 in Jerusalem versus $4,611 in Ashkelon.

Jerusalem $5,678
Ashkelon $4,611

Living in Jerusalem is roughly 26% more expensive than in Ashkelon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jerusalem 119% above, Ashkelon 73% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.17 ₪71.1

$22.53 ₪72.2

-1.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.8 ₪307

$79.5 ₪255

20.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.21 ₪61.6

$17.33 ₪55.5

10.85%

Cappuccino

$4.84 ₪15.50

$4.67 ₪14.96

3.64%

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

$3.37 ₪10.79

$3.38 ₪10.85

-0.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 ₪8.78

$2.75 ₪8.81

-0.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.01 ₪25.69

$11.51 ₪36.89

-30.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.16 ₪32.58

$7.42 ₪23.78

36.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.28 ₪7.32

$2.32 ₪7.43

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 ₪10.11

$2.59 ₪8.30

22.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 ₪11.39

$3.00 ₪9.62

18.33%

Eggs

$4.65 ₪14.91

$4.66 ₪14.93

-0.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.57 ₪53.1

$20.43 ₪65.5

-18.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.96 ₪44.74

$12.54 ₪40.19

11.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.39 ₪110

$23.99 ₪76.9

43.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 ₪13.48

$4.05 ₪13.00

3.95%

Banana (1kg)

$3.20 ₪10.26

$3.27 ₪10.50

-2.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 ₪8.21

$2.27 ₪7.29

12.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 ₪7.40

$3.11 ₪9.95

-25.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 ₪5.84

$1.55 ₪4.97

17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 ₪5.18

$1.88 ₪6.01

-13.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 ₪6.15

$2.57 ₪8.23

-25.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₪6.00

$0.98 ₪3.13

90.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.46 ₪43.15

$13.54 ₪43.40

-0.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 ₪47.18

$11.46 ₪36.72

28.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.40 ₪14.09

$2.53 ₪8.10

73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 ₪13.34

$1.96 ₪6.27

112.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.57 ₪8.25

$2.60 ₪8.33

-1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 ₪325

$44.47 ₪143

127.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 ₪12.65

$3.87 ₪12.40

2.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 ₪3.87

$1.64 ₪5.25

-26.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.56 ₪117

$37.93 ₪122

-3.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.62 ₪8.41

$2.58 ₪8.26

1.55%

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

$57.0K ₪182.7K

$53.2K ₪170.5K

7.16%

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

$55.0K ₪176.2K

$51.6K ₪165.5K

6.48%

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

$280 ₪899

$207 ₪664

35.42%

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

$11.92 ₪38.21

$11.78 ₪37.76

1.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.84 ₪131

$40.43 ₪130

1.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.4 ₪238

$45.86 ₪147

62.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 ₪55.0

$31.79 ₪102

-46.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.80 ₪47.42

$15.39 ₪49.32

-3.83%

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

$1,394 ₪4,468

$1,195 ₪3,831

16.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.6K ₪78.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 ₪366

$104 ₪332

10.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.4 ₪235

$74.1 ₪237

-0.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 ₪471

$111 ₪357

31.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 ₪502

$143 ₪460

9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,875 ₪6,008

$1,121 ₪3,592

67.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 ₪4,281

$952 ₪3,052

40.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,638 ₪11.7K

$1,737 ₪5,567

109.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,046 ₪6,557

$1,460 ₪4,679

40.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.7K ₪56.7K

$5,845 ₪18.7K

202.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,224 ₪29.6K

$5,481 ₪17.6K

68.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,661 ₪11.7K

$2,831 ₪9,074

29.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

4.98

0.20%

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

Last update for Jerusalem: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ashkelon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jerusalem

$1.3K 45.1%

Ashkelon

$952 40.6% 28.7% $383

Groceries & Markets

Jerusalem

$470 15.9%

Ashkelon

$410 17.5% 12.8% $60

Eating Out

Jerusalem

$378 12.8%

Ashkelon

$385 16.4% 1.9% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jerusalem

$333 11.2%

Ashkelon

$259 11.1% 22.2% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Jerusalem

$221 7.5%

Ashkelon

$195 8.3% 12% $26

Getting Around

Jerusalem

$122 4.1%

Ashkelon

$67 2.9% 45% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Jerusalem

$104 3.5%

Ashkelon

$77 3.3% 26.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,875 in Jerusalem and $1,121 in Ashkelon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jerusalem pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $96 in Jerusalem vs $79 in Ashkelon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $470 vs $410 per month, with Ashkelon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Ashkelon

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

Same time as Jerusalem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

882,652 Capital

152,439

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.312 USD

1 ILS = 0.278 EUR

1 ILS = 0.312 USD

1 ILS = 0.278 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Ashkelon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashkelon wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Jerusalem. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ashkelon the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $1,875 in Jerusalem versus $1,121 in Ashkelon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ashkelon – a meal for two runs $79 versus $96 in Jerusalem. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,964 per month in Jerusalem versus $2,345 in Ashkelon – Ashkelon is about 21% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Ashkelon 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 Ashkelon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ashkelon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Jerusalem. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.