Cost of living comparison

Israel

compared to

United States

Bethesda vs. Ashqelon Cost of Living Summary

Bethesda is 43.9% more expensive than Ashqelon.

Restaurants: pay 26.0% less in Bethesda
Groceries: pay 10.9% more in Bethesda
Transportation: pay 39.5% more in Bethesda
Housing: pay 77.2% more in Bethesda
Childcare: pay 2.9 times more in Bethesda
Entertainment and Sports: pay 30.8% more in Bethesda
Clothing: pay 18.5% less in Bethesda

The cost of childcare, housing, transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Bethesda are more expensive than in Ashqelon. Expenses including restaurants and clothing are lower in Bethesda. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Bethesda.

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Bethesda vs. Ashqelon Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Bethesda instead of Ashqelon, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 26.0% less for restaurants

	Ashqelon	Bethesda
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$23.12 ₪70.43	$16.50	-28.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$17.90 ₪54.53	$8.00	-55.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.25 ₪9.90	$2.50	-23.1%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.33 ₪7.09	$2.40	+3.1%
Average			-26.0%

Ashqelon vs. Bethesda - Cost of restaurants

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pay 10.9% more for groceries

	Ashqelon	Bethesda
Bread 1 loaf	$2.86 ₪8.72	$3.97	+38.9%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.68 ₪26.43	$4.38	-49.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$8.26 ₪25.17	$3.58	-56.7%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.39 ₪13.39	$4.33	-1.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.08 ₪15.48	$4.87	-4.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.90 ₪5.78	$2.08	+9.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.27 ₪3.87	$0.63	-50.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.92 ₪2.79	$1.86	+103.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.09 ₪3.33	$1.90	+74.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.84 ₪2.55	$0.99	+18.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.88 ₪2.68	$1.22	+38.5%
Average			+10.9%

Ashqelon vs. Bethesda - Cost of groceries

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pay 39.5% more for transportation

	Ashqelon	Bethesda
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$8.12 ₪24.74	$3.16	-61.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$29.53 ₪89.97	$100.00	+238.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$47,732.70 ₪145K	$23,000.00	-51.8%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$11.04 ₪33.63	$14.58	+32.1%
Average			+39.5%

Ashqelon vs. Bethesda - Cost of transportation

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pay 77.2% more for housing

	Ashqelon	Bethesda
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$33.76 ₪102.85	$62.50	+85.1%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$954.65 ₪2,908.26	$2,250.00	+135.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$745.82 ₪2,272.08	$1,866.67	+150.3%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$210.39 ₪640.92	$79.25	-62.3%
Average			+77.2%

Ashqelon vs. Bethesda - Cost of housing

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pay 2.9 times more for childcare

	Ashqelon	Bethesda
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$929.30 ₪2,831.01	$3,175.00	+241.7%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$26,581.15 ₪80,976.80	$65,000.00	+144.5%
Average			+193.1%

Ashqelon vs. Bethesda - Cost of childcare

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pay 30.8% more for entertainment and sports

	Ashqelon	Bethesda
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$9.55 ₪29.08	$5.00	-47.6%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.08 ₪12.42	$5.60	+37.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$11.93 ₪36.35	$14.00	+17.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$61.90 ₪188.58	$141.00	+127.8%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.42 ₪40.90	$16.00	+19.2%
Average			+30.8%

Ashqelon vs. Bethesda - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 18.5% less for clothing

	Ashqelon	Bethesda
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$115.96 ₪353.27	$70.00	-39.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$57.43 ₪174.95	$56.67	-1.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$131.76 ₪401.40	$115.00	-12.7%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$163.09 ₪496.83	$130.00	-20.3%
Average			-18.5%

Ashqelon vs. Bethesda - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2026

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