Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jerusalem and Eilat

For one person, living costs are similar in Jerusalem and in Eilat: $2,891 and $2,978 a month, rent and utilities included.

142

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Eilat
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Eilat Living Index

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Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,891

/mo nomad

Eilat

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jerusalem and in Eilat

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,891 in Jerusalem versus $2,978 in Eilat.

Jerusalem $2,891
Eilat $2,978

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,203 in Jerusalem versus $4,437 in Eilat.

Jerusalem $4,203
Eilat $4,437

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,516 in Jerusalem versus $5,895 in Eilat.

Jerusalem $5,516
Eilat $5,895

Living in Jerusalem costs roughly 3% less than in Eilat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Jerusalem 114% above, Eilat 121% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.87 ₪71.2

$25.88 ₪80.5

-11.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 ₪299

$132 ₪409

-26.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.77 ₪61.5

$20.47 ₪63.7

-3.42%

Cappuccino

$4.77 ₪14.84

$5.55 ₪17.25

-14.05%

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

$3.50 ₪10.87

$4.04 ₪12.55

-13.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₪8.69

$3.18 ₪9.89

-12.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.08 ₪25.13

$11.28 ₪35.09

-28.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.06 ₪31.29

$10.79 ₪33.56

-6.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 ₪7.27

$2.53 ₪7.86

-7.51%

White Bread (500g)

$3.39 ₪10.53

$4.42 ₪13.75

-23.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 ₪11.21

$3.83 ₪11.91

-6.01%

Eggs

$4.83 ₪15.03

$4.17 ₪12.96

15.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.93 ₪52.7

$21.94 ₪68.3

-22.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.77 ₪45.96

$15.98 ₪49.72

-7.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.27 ₪107

$25.51 ₪79.4

34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 ₪13.41

$3.53 ₪10.99

22.10%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 ₪10.11

$2.00 ₪6.21

62.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 ₪8.27

$1.59 ₪4.96

67.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₪7.69

$1.91 ₪5.95

29.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 ₪5.93

$1.60 ₪4.97

19.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ₪5.29

$1.61 ₪5.00

5.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 ₪6.41

$2.71 ₪8.45

-23.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₪5.71

$2.64 ₪8.22

-30.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.69 ₪42.60

$14.46 ₪44.99

-5.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 ₪46.45

$11.29 ₪35.13

32.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.55 ₪14.15

$2.27 ₪7.05

100.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 ₪12.99

$1.33 ₪4.13

213.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.58 ₪8.01

$2.32 ₪7.22

11.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.4 ₪219

$85.8 ₪267

-17.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 ₪12.36

$4.40 ₪13.68

-9.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 ₪3.86

$1.10 ₪3.42

12.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.92 ₪77.5

$19.62 ₪61.0

27.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.67 ₪8.31

$2.60 ₪8.10

2.69%

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

$57.0K ₪177.4K

$56.1K ₪174.6K

1.58%

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

$59.3K ₪184.6K

$56.7K ₪176.4K

4.66%

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

$286 ₪891

$438 ₪1,363

-34.59%

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

$12.61 ₪39.24

$11.28 ₪35.10

11.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.51 ₪129

$35.45 ₪110

17.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 ₪230

$82.6 ₪257

-10.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.26 ₪53.7

Cinema Ticket

$14.38 ₪44.74

$15.55 ₪48.38

-7.52%

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

$1,428 ₪4,444

$1,677 ₪5,216

-14.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K ₪91.0K

$31.3K ₪97.5K

-6.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$117 ₪365

$124 ₪387

-5.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$76.9 ₪239

$85.4 ₪266

-9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 ₪475

$113 ₪352

35.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 ₪496

$193 ₪601

-17.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,852 ₪5,761

$1,490 ₪4,634

24.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 ₪3,922

$1,144 ₪3,560

10.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,781 ₪11.8K

$2,317 ₪7,208

63.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,880 ₪5,848

$1,850 ₪5,755

1.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.7K ₪61.1K

$10.6K ₪32.9K

85.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,096 ₪28.3K

$9,075 ₪28.2K

0.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,671 ₪11.4K

$2,804 ₪8,725

30.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

5.03

-0.80%

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

Last update for Jerusalem: October 11, 2026

Last update for Eilat: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jerusalem

$1.3K 43.6%

Eilat

$1.1K 38.4% 9.2% $116

Groceries & Markets

Jerusalem

$483 16.7%

Eilat

$456 15.3% 5.5% $26

Eating Out

Jerusalem

$385 13.3%

Eilat

$442 14.8% 14.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jerusalem

$341 11.8%

Eilat

$485 16.3% 42.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Jerusalem

$228 7.9%

Eilat

$232 7.8% 1.9% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Jerusalem

$103 3.6%

Eilat

$114 3.8% 10.7% $11

Getting Around

Jerusalem

$91 3.1%

Eilat

$105 3.5% 15.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,852 in Jerusalem and $1,490 in Eilat. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jerusalem pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $96.0 in Jerusalem vs $132 in Eilat. Groceries flip the comparison at $483 vs $456, with Eilat cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Eilat

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

Same time as Jerusalem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

882,652 Capital

66,618

💱 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

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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 Eilat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jerusalem and Eilat differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($2,891 vs $2,978 including rent). Jerusalem is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $1,852 in Jerusalem versus $1,490 in Eilat. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Jerusalem runs roughly 22% less than in Eilat. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,428 in Jerusalem versus $1,677 in Eilat. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Jerusalem 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 Eilat 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 Jerusalem gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Eilat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.