Cost of living comparison

Israel

compared to

United States

New York City vs. Jerusalem Cost of Living Summary

New York City is 38.6% more expensive than Jerusalem.

Restaurants: pay 2.7% less in New York City
Groceries: pay 43.2% more in New York City
Transportation: pay 20.3% less in New York City
Housing: pay 2.0 times more in New York City
Childcare: pay 2.2 times more in New York City
Entertainment and Sports: pay 39.5% more in New York City
Clothing: pay 25.9% less in New York City

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

Planning a move to United States? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

New York City vs. Jerusalem Cost Breakdown

If you lived in New York City instead of Jerusalem, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.7% less for restaurants

	Jerusalem	New York City
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$23.11 ₪71.52	$26.50	+14.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$19.53 ₪60.44	$14.50	-25.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.52 ₪10.89	$3.95	+12.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.86 ₪8.84	$2.97	+3.8%
Average			-2.7%

Jerusalem vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 43.2% more for groceries

	Jerusalem	New York City
Bread 1 loaf	$3.32 ₪10.26	$4.78	+44.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$8.64 ₪26.72	$9.47	+9.7%
Milk (1 gallon)	$9.02 ₪27.92	$5.13	-43.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.85 ₪15.01	$6.03	+24.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$6.59 ₪20.39	$7.93	+20.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.96 ₪6.08	$3.11	+58.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.51 ₪4.67	$0.96	-36.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$1.20 ₪3.70	$2.83	+137.0%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$1.09 ₪3.37	$3.08	+182.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.86 ₪2.65	$1.83	+113.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.76 ₪2.36	$2.04	+168.1%
Average			+43.2%

Jerusalem vs. New York City - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 20.3% less for transportation

	Jerusalem	New York City
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$9.96 ₪30.84	$4.31	-56.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$69.33 ₪214.57	$140.00	+101.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$57,582.76 ₪178K	$35,458.00	-38.4%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$14.19 ₪43.92	$20.44	+44.0%
Average			-20.3%

Jerusalem vs. New York City - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.0 times more for housing

	Jerusalem	New York City
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$41.92 ₪129.73	$71.57	+70.7%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,862.84 ₪5,764.93	$4,447.32	+138.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,279.70 ₪3,960.28	$3,217.65	+151.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$219.72 ₪679.98	$164.80	-25.0%
Average			+101.5%

Jerusalem vs. New York City - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 2.2 times more for childcare

	Jerusalem	New York City
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,411.37 ₪4,367.75	$3,379.10	+139.4%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$28,921.58 ₪89,503.63	$60,882.67	+110.5%
Average			+124.5%

Jerusalem vs. New York City - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 39.5% more for entertainment and sports

	Jerusalem	New York City
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$8.14 ₪25.18	$8.50	+4.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.89 ₪15.14	$6.50	+32.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$13.54 ₪41.91	$19.00	+40.3%
Monthly membership at local gym	$73.40 ₪227.16	$121.41	+65.4%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$14.65 ₪45.33	$22.50	+53.6%
Average			+39.5%

Jerusalem vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 25.9% less for clothing

	Jerusalem	New York City
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$117.06 ₪362.25	$75.86	-35.2%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$75.86 ₪234.78	$54.45	-28.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$151.21 ₪467.96	$120.38	-20.4%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$161.99 ₪501.31	$132.00	-18.5%
Average			-25.9%

Jerusalem vs. New York City - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Jerusalem vs. New York City

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in New York City?

More cost comparisons

Jerusalem vs.

Vienna

Jerusalem vs.

Lima

Jerusalem vs.

Reykjavik

Jerusalem vs.

Ho Chi Minh City

Jerusalem vs.

Rome

Jerusalem vs.

Paris

Jerusalem vs.

London

Jerusalem vs.

Moscow

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Israel vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Israel and United States.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Jerusalem

Add prices for New York City

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about New York City or Jerusalem. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.