Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tel Aviv-Yafo and Migdal HaEmek

For one person, living is cheaper in Migdal HaEmek: $2,822 a month against $3,664 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

176

Cost of Living Index in Tel Aviv-Yafo
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Tel Aviv-Yafo Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
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Migdal HaEmek Living Index

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,664

/mo nomad

Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,822

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tel Aviv-Yafo and in Migdal HaEmek

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

A single person spends $3,664 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $3,664
Migdal HaEmek $2,822

A couple spends around $5,410 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $4,051 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $5,410
Migdal HaEmek $4,051

A family of three spends $7,156 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo vs $5,279 in Migdal HaEmek, rent included.

Tel Aviv-Yafo $7,156
Migdal HaEmek $5,279

Tel Aviv-Yafo costs about 30% more than Migdal HaEmek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tel Aviv-Yafo and Migdal HaEmek sit above the global median – Tel Aviv-Yafo by 169%, Migdal HaEmek by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.13 ₪82.0

$25.56 ₪80.2

2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$128 ₪402

$91.1 ₪286

40.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.15 ₪63.2

$19.26 ₪60.5

4.62%

Cappuccino

$5.47 ₪17.18

$4.52 ₪14.20

21.02%

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

$3.88 ₪12.19

$3.40 ₪10.68

14.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₪9.74

$2.79 ₪8.75

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.09 ₪34.80

$9.86 ₪30.94

12.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.81 ₪33.94

$10.22 ₪32.06

5.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.57 ₪8.06

$2.56 ₪8.02

0.39%

White Bread (500g)

$4.42 ₪13.88

$3.57 ₪11.22

23.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.72 ₪11.67

$3.43 ₪10.76

8.45%

Eggs

$5.28 ₪16.56

$4.51 ₪14.15

17.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.19 ₪66.5

$12.92 ₪40.55

64.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.93 ₪50.0

$12.96 ₪40.68

22.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.64 ₪80.5

$24.12 ₪75.7

6.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.66 ₪14.63

$4.31 ₪13.52

8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$3.77 ₪11.84

$2.83 ₪8.89

33.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.51 ₪7.89

$2.30 ₪7.22

9.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 ₪10.56

$2.56 ₪8.03

31.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 ₪6.05

$1.99 ₪6.23

-3.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 ₪6.02

$1.74 ₪5.46

10.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.73 ₪8.56

$2.39 ₪7.50

14.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 ₪8.16

$2.48 ₪7.78

4.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.73 ₪46.24

$10.08 ₪31.64

46.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 ₪50.7

$12.94 ₪40.62

24.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 ₪11.50

$3.21 ₪10.07

14.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 ₪14.86

$4.01 ₪12.59

18.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 ₪8.03

$2.86 ₪8.98

-10.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$103 ₪322

$114 ₪357

-9.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 ₪13.07

$4.16 ₪13.05

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 ₪3.44

$1.25 ₪3.92

-12.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.67 ₪61.7

$36.39 ₪114

-45.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.65 ₪8.32

$2.66 ₪8.33

-0.38%

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

$54.6K ₪171.4K

$54.9K ₪172.3K

-0.53%

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

$54.5K ₪171.1K

$54.5K ₪170.9K

0.10%

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

$441 ₪1,383

$259 ₪814

69.94%

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

$11.53 ₪36.19

$11.69 ₪36.68

-1.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 ₪109

$35.55 ₪112

-2.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$93.8 ₪294

$81.1 ₪255

15.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.56 ₪70.8

Cinema Ticket

$16.09 ₪50.5

$16.07 ₪50.4

0.12%

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

$1,665 ₪5,224

$1,147 ₪3,600

45.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.2K ₪97.9K

$24.5K ₪76.9K

27.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ₪391

$103 ₪324

20.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$85.2 ₪267

$63.9 ₪201

33.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$170 ₪533

$131 ₪411

29.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$201 ₪630

$158 ₪496

27.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,294 ₪7,198

$1,384 ₪4,342

65.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 ₪5,385

$1,222 ₪3,836

40.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,794 ₪11.9K

$2,759 ₪8,659

37.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,861 ₪8,978

$1,739 ₪5,456

64.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$20.7K ₪64.9K

$9,836 ₪30.9K

110.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.9K ₪43.7K

$7,546 ₪23.7K

84.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,170 ₪13.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.03

5.04

-0.20%

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

Last update for Tel Aviv-Yafo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$1.7K 46.9%

Migdal HaEmek

$1.2K 43.3% 28.8% $494

Groceries & Markets

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$511 13.9%

Migdal HaEmek

$428 15.2% 16.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$487 13.3%

Migdal HaEmek

$307 10.9% 37.1% $180

Eating Out

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$440 12%

Migdal HaEmek

$411 14.6% 6.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$261 7.1%

Migdal HaEmek

$205 7.3% 21.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$126 3.4%

Migdal HaEmek

$113 4% 10.1% $13

Getting Around

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$122 3.3%

Migdal HaEmek

$135 4.8% 10.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,294 in Tel Aviv-Yafo versus $1,384 in Migdal HaEmek. 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 $128 in Tel Aviv-Yafo versus $91 in Migdal HaEmek. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $511 vs $428 – making Migdal HaEmek the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Tel Aviv-Yafo

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

Same time as Tel Aviv-Yafo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

438,818

24,700

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.285 EUR

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.285 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tel Aviv-Yafo Migdal HaEmek 79 km

From you

Tel Aviv-Yafo
Migdal HaEmek

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 Migdal HaEmek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tel Aviv-Yafo costs about 30% more than Migdal HaEmek, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,495 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $4,233 in Migdal HaEmek. 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 $2,294 in Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Tel Aviv-Yafo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,665 per month in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $1,147 in Migdal HaEmek. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,664 in Tel Aviv-Yafo and $2,822 in Migdal HaEmek. 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.