Moving to United States from Israel
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Israel to United States — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Israel to United States, you would find that United States is 9.8% more expensive than Israel overall. A ₪225,799 salary in Israel would need to be roughly $75,883 in United States to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Israel to United States.
What does your salary buy?
₪225,799 → $75,883
To maintain the same standard of living in United States
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 17.4% less
Groceries
pay 32.9% more
Transportation
pay 14.4% less
Housing
pay 47.6% more
Childcare
pay 62.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.4% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in United States cost about 26% more than cities in Israel.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Israel to United States, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Israel to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
52.133,771
Israel
Key Indicator Comparison
How Israel and United States stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
of residents who feel safe walking alone at night
per 100,000 people per year
Israel performs better than United States across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Israel generally does better on health & wellbeing, though United States leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Israel generally does better on environment, though United States leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
United States performs significantly better than Israel across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
United States generally does better on employment & economy, though Israel leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Israel performs better than United States across all family life metrics.
Data: Israel Ministry of Finance Tax Authority, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Jerusalem | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 58°/46°F (15°/8°C) | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/60°F (25°/15°C) | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/67°F (29°/20°C) | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 68°/55°F (20°/13°C) | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Jerusalem | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 55°/44°F (12.8°/6.9°C) | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) |
| Feb | 57°/45°F (13.8°/7.1°C) | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) |
| Mar | 63°/49°F (17.0°/9.2°C) | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) |
| Apr | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.1°C) | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) |
| May | 79°/61°F (25.9°/16.0°C) | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) |
| Jun | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.2°C) | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) |
| Jul | 86°/68°F (30.0°/20.2°C) | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 86°/68°F (29.9°/20.0°C) | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) |
| Sep | 83°/66°F (28.4°/18.7°C) | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.3°/16.8°C) | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) |
| Nov | 68°/55°F (19.9°/12.8°C) | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) |
| Dec | 59°/48°F (15.2°/9.0°C) | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) |
Data:
Israel Meteorological Service,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Israel and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Israel passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Israel
Electronic Travel AuthorisationData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in United States than Israel?
Headline costs are within a few percent between United States and Israel; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to United States?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ₪225,799 comparable salary, that's around $18,971 in United States for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from United States?
With 37.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, United States can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Israel and United States.
Is United States safe for expats?
Israel performs better than United States across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in United States is 6.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.6 in Israel. About 63% of people in United States feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in United States compared to Israel?
Israel generally does better on health & wellbeing, though United States leads in health coverage index. There are 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people in United States, compared to 37.1 in Israel. United States scores 86 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Israel: 85).
What's the weather like in United States compared to Israel?
The average high temperature in Washington is 66°F, compared to 72°F in Jerusalem. Washington receives around 41.5 in of rainfall per year, while Jerusalem gets 21.1 in.
What language do they speak in United States?
The official language in United States is English. In Israel, the official languages are Arabic and Hebrew.
