Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tel Aviv-Yafo and Jerusalem

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerusalem: $2,891 a month against $3,559 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

175

Cost of Living Index in Tel Aviv-Yafo
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Tel Aviv-Yafo Living Index
142

Cost of Living Index in Jerusalem
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Jerusalem Living Index

Jump to prices

Tel Aviv-Yafo

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,559

/mo nomad

Jerusalem

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tel Aviv-Yafo 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 Tel Aviv-Yafo and in Jerusalem actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,559 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $2,891 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $3,559
Jerusalem $2,891

A couple spends around $5,309 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $4,203 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $5,309
Jerusalem $4,203

A family of three spends $7,059 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $5,516 in Jerusalem, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $7,059
Jerusalem $5,516

Tel Aviv-Yafo costs about 23% more than Jerusalem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tel Aviv-Yafo and Jerusalem sit above the global median – Tel Aviv-Yafo by 164%, Jerusalem by 114%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.69 ₪79.9

$22.87 ₪71.2

12.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$131 ₪408

$96.2 ₪299

36.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.64 ₪64.2

$19.77 ₪61.5

4.40%

Cappuccino

$5.42 ₪16.86

$4.77 ₪14.84

13.63%

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

$3.88 ₪12.06

$3.50 ₪10.87

10.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₪9.65

$2.79 ₪8.69

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.26 ₪35.04

$8.08 ₪25.13

39.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.80 ₪33.61

$10.06 ₪31.29

7.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.63 ₪8.17

$2.34 ₪7.27

12.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.64 ₪14.43

$3.39 ₪10.53

36.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 ₪11.37

$3.60 ₪11.21

1.39%

Eggs

$5.28 ₪16.42

$4.83 ₪15.03

9.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.55 ₪67.0

$16.93 ₪52.7

27.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.14 ₪50.2

$14.77 ₪45.96

9.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.15 ₪78.3

$34.27 ₪107

-26.61%

Apples (1kg)

$4.80 ₪14.94

$4.31 ₪13.41

11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 ₪12.24

$3.25 ₪10.11

20.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 ₪7.77

$2.66 ₪8.27

-6.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.48 ₪10.84

$2.47 ₪7.69

40.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 ₪5.81

$1.91 ₪5.93

-2.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 ₪5.75

$1.70 ₪5.29

8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.63 ₪8.19

$2.06 ₪6.41

27.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₪8.40

$1.84 ₪5.71

46.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.43 ₪44.91

$13.69 ₪42.60

5.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.26 ₪50.6

$14.93 ₪46.45

8.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.82 ₪11.89

$4.55 ₪14.15

-16.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 ₪14.96

$4.17 ₪12.99

15.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 ₪7.97

$2.58 ₪8.01

-0.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$102 ₪318

$70.4 ₪219

45.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 ₪13.42

$3.97 ₪12.36

8.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ₪3.57

$1.24 ₪3.86

-7.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.46 ₪60.5

$24.92 ₪77.5

-21.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 ₪8.22

$2.67 ₪8.31

-1.12%

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

$55.5K ₪172.6K

$57.0K ₪177.4K

-2.70%

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

$55.7K ₪173.4K

$59.3K ₪184.6K

-6.06%

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

$441 ₪1,371

$286 ₪891

53.81%

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

$11.40 ₪35.46

$12.61 ₪39.24

-9.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.76 ₪108

$41.51 ₪129

-16.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$110 ₪342

$74.0 ₪230

48.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.52 ₪70.1

$17.26 ₪53.7

30.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.05 ₪49.92

$14.38 ₪44.74

11.61%

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

$1,719 ₪5,348

$1,428 ₪4,444

20.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.1K ₪96.6K

$29.3K ₪91.0K

6.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$126 ₪391

$117 ₪365

7.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.9 ₪267

$76.9 ₪239

11.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$172 ₪537

$153 ₪475

12.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$196 ₪609

$159 ₪496

22.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,195 ₪6,828

$1,852 ₪5,761

18.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,591 ₪4,949

$1,261 ₪3,922

26.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,611 ₪11.2K

$3,781 ₪11.8K

-4.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,709 ₪8,427

$1,880 ₪5,848

44.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$19.6K ₪61.1K

$19.7K ₪61.1K

-0.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.1K ₪40.7K

$9,096 ₪28.3K

43.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,065 ₪12.6K

$3,671 ₪11.4K

10.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.03

4.99

0.80%

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

Last update for Tel Aviv-Yafo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Jerusalem: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$1.6K 44.7%

Jerusalem

$1.3K 43.6% 20.8% $330

Groceries & Markets

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$518 14.6%

Jerusalem

$483 16.7% 6.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$487 13.7%

Jerusalem

$341 11.8% 30% $146

Eating Out

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$438 12.3%

Jerusalem

$385 13.3% 12.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$261 7.3%

Jerusalem

$228 7.9% 12.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$142 4%

Jerusalem

$103 3.6% 27.6% $39

Getting Around

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$122 3.4%

Jerusalem

$91 3.1% 25.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,195 in Tel Aviv-Yafo versus $1,852 in Jerusalem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Tel Aviv-Yafo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $131 in Tel Aviv-Yafo versus $96.0 in Jerusalem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $518 vs $483 – making Jerusalem the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Tel Aviv-Yafo

🇮🇱 Jerusalem

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

Same time as Tel Aviv-Yafo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

438,818

882,652 Capital

💱 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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Tel Aviv-Yafo Jerusalem 54 km

From you

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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

Tel Aviv-Yafo vs Jerusalem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,559 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, $2,891 in Jerusalem – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,338 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $4,336 in Jerusalem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jerusalem, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $131 in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $96.0 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 $3,559 in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $2,891 in Jerusalem. That's a gap of about 23%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,559 in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $2,891 in Jerusalem. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Tel Aviv-Yafo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,891 in Jerusalem to $3,559 in Tel Aviv-Yafo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jerusalem. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tel Aviv-Yafo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.