Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Migdal HaEmek and Jerusalem

For one person, living is cheaper in Migdal HaEmek: $2,822 a month against $3,048 in Jerusalem, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
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Migdal HaEmek Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Living Index

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Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,822

/mo nomad

Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Migdal HaEmek and in Jerusalem

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

A single person spends $2,822 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $3,048 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $2,822
Jerusalem $3,048

A couple spends around $4,051 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $4,422 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $4,051
Jerusalem $4,422

A family of three spends $5,279 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $5,795 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $5,279
Jerusalem $5,795

Migdal HaEmek is about 7% cheaper than Jerusalem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Migdal HaEmek and Jerusalem sit above the global median – Migdal HaEmek by 107%, Jerusalem by 124%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.56 ₪79.6

$22.64 ₪70.5

12.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 ₪284

$97.1 ₪302

-6.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.26 ₪60.0

$19.50 ₪60.7

-1.23%

Cappuccino

$4.52 ₪14.08

$5.01 ₪15.59

-9.78%

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

$3.40 ₪10.60

$3.41 ₪10.62

-0.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₪8.68

$2.82 ₪8.77

-1.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.86 ₪30.69

$7.93 ₪24.69

24.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 ₪31.81

$9.95 ₪30.98

2.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.56 ₪7.96

$2.31 ₪7.18

10.82%

White Bread (500g)

$3.57 ₪11.13

$3.27 ₪10.17

9.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 ₪10.67

$3.61 ₪11.23

-4.99%

Eggs

$4.51 ₪14.04

$4.74 ₪14.75

-4.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.92 ₪40.24

$17.42 ₪54.2

-25.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.96 ₪40.36

$14.21 ₪44.25

-8.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.12 ₪75.1

$35.07 ₪109

-31.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.31 ₪13.41

$4.19 ₪13.03

2.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 ₪8.82

$3.38 ₪10.54

-16.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ₪7.17

$2.67 ₪8.32

-13.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 ₪7.96

$2.40 ₪7.48

6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 ₪6.18

$1.93 ₪6.02

3.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₪5.42

$1.70 ₪5.29

2.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 ₪7.44

$1.99 ₪6.21

20.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 ₪7.72

$1.83 ₪5.71

35.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.08 ₪31.40

$13.58 ₪42.28

-25.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.94 ₪40.30

$14.93 ₪46.49

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 ₪9.99

$4.42 ₪13.77

-27.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 ₪12.49

$4.23 ₪13.18

-5.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 ₪8.91

$2.52 ₪7.84

13.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 ₪354

$104 ₪324

9.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 ₪12.94

$4.09 ₪12.74

1.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 ₪3.89

$1.27 ₪3.96

-1.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.39 ₪113

$25.20 ₪78.5

44.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.66 ₪8.27

$2.58 ₪8.03

3.10%

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

$54.9K ₪171.0K

$57.7K ₪179.6K

-4.79%

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

$54.5K ₪169.6K

$56.1K ₪174.6K

-2.87%

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

$259 ₪807

$287 ₪892

-9.52%

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

$11.69 ₪36.39

$12.11 ₪37.71

-3.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.55 ₪111

$41.36 ₪129

-14.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.1 ₪253

$75.5 ₪235

7.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.22 ₪53.6

Cinema Ticket

$16.07 ₪50.0

$14.87 ₪46.30

8.07%

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

$1,147 ₪3,572

$1,428 ₪4,446

-19.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ₪76.3K

$29.0K ₪90.3K

-15.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₪321

$115 ₪359

-10.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.9 ₪199

$75.2 ₪234

-15.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 ₪408

$149 ₪464

-12.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 ₪492

$163 ₪506

-2.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 ₪4,308

$1,915 ₪5,962

-27.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ₪3,806

$1,387 ₪4,318

-11.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,759 ₪8,592

$3,626 ₪11.3K

-23.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 ₪5,413

$2,092 ₪6,512

-16.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,836 ₪30.6K

$17.8K ₪55.5K

-44.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,546 ₪23.5K

$9,436 ₪29.4K

-20.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,657 ₪11.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

4.99

1.00%

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

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jerusalem: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Migdal HaEmek

$1.2K 43.3%

Jerusalem

$1.4K 45.5% 13.5% $165

Groceries & Markets

Migdal HaEmek

$428 15.2%

Jerusalem

$481 15.8% 12.4% $53

Eating Out

Migdal HaEmek

$411 14.6%

Jerusalem

$384 12.6% 6.6% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Migdal HaEmek

$307 10.9%

Jerusalem

$340 11.2% 10.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Migdal HaEmek

$205 7.3%

Jerusalem

$226 7.4% 10.1% $21

Getting Around

Migdal HaEmek

$135 4.8%

Jerusalem

$125 4.1% 8.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Migdal HaEmek

$113 4%

Jerusalem

$105 3.5% 7.1% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,384 in Migdal HaEmek versus $1,915 in Jerusalem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Migdal HaEmek versus $97 in Jerusalem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $481 – making Migdal HaEmek the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🕒 Local time

11:00 11:00 AM

Same time as Migdal HaEmek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,700

882,652 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.287 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.287 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Migdal HaEmek Jerusalem 100 km

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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

Migdal HaEmek vs Jerusalem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek, $3,048 in Jerusalem – Migdal HaEmek comes out roughly 7% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,233 per month in Migdal HaEmek and $4,572 in Jerusalem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Migdal HaEmek, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,384 there versus $1,915 in Jerusalem.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Migdal HaEmek and $97 in Jerusalem. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek and $3,048 in Jerusalem. That makes Migdal HaEmek about 7% cheaper.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek and $3,048 in Jerusalem. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Migdal HaEmek – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.