Moving to Israel from Japan

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Japan to Israel — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Japan to Israel, you would find that Israel is 94.7% more expensive than Japan overall. A ¥11,948,175 salary in Japan would need to be roughly ₪369,648 in Israel to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic and Hebrew. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Japan to Israel.

What does your salary buy?

¥11,948,175 ₪369,648

To maintain the same standard of living in Israel

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 3.1 times more

Groceries

pay 14.9% more

Transportation

pay 37.3% more

Housing

pay 86.9% more

Childcare

pay 2.2 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 98.6% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 JPY = 0.0176 ILS (June 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Japan to Israel, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
2 ↓ 60% vs 2022

people moved from Japan to Israel · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Israel?

Top countries of origin for Israel's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Japan and Israel stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

JP
0.2
IL
1.6
Feel safe walking at night United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

of residents who feel safe walking alone at night

JP
83%
IL
80%

Japan performs better than Israel across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

JP
$5,365
IL
$4,033
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

JP
26.1
IL
37.1

Israel performs significantly better than Japan across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

JP
12.0
IL
15.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

JP
7.8t
IL
5.8t

Japan generally does better on environment, though Israel leads in co₂ emissions per capita.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

JP
37.2
IL
29.4
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

JP
36.0%
IL
132.0%

Japan performs better than Israel across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

JP
2.6%
IL
3.4%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

JP
$46,300
IL
$48,300

Israel generally does better on employment & economy, though Japan leads in unemployment rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

JP
84.8 yrs
IL
83.3 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

JP
1.9
IL
3.6

Japan generally does better on family life, though Israel leads in education spending.

Data: National Tax Agency Japan, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Tokyo Rain: 62.9 in/yr (1598 mm)
69° / 54°F

Avg. annual high / low

Jerusalem Rain: 21.1 in/yr (537 mm)
72° / 57°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Tokyo Jerusalem
Jan–Mar 53°/37°F (12°/3°C) 58°/46°F (15°/8°C)
Apr–Jun 73°/58°F (23°/14°C) 78°/60°F (25°/15°C)
Jul–Sep 85°/72°F (30°/22°C) 85°/67°F (29°/20°C)
Oct–Dec 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) 68°/55°F (20°/13°C)
View all months
Month Tokyo Jerusalem
Jan 50°/34°F (9.8°/1.2°C) 55°/44°F (12.8°/6.9°C)
Feb 52°/36°F (10.9°/2.1°C) 57°/45°F (13.8°/7.1°C)
Mar 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) 63°/49°F (17.0°/9.2°C)
Apr 67°/50°F (19.4°/9.8°C) 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.1°C)
May 74°/58°F (23.6°/14.6°C) 79°/61°F (25.9°/16.0°C)
Jun 79°/65°F (26.1°/18.5°C) 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.2°C)
Jul 86°/72°F (29.9°/22.4°C) 86°/68°F (30.0°/20.2°C)
Aug 88°/74°F (31.3°/23.5°C) 86°/68°F (29.9°/20.0°C)
Sep 82°/69°F (27.5°/20.3°C) 83°/66°F (28.4°/18.7°C)
Oct 72°/59°F (22.0°/14.8°C) 78°/62°F (25.3°/16.8°C)
Nov 62°/48°F (16.7°/8.8°C) 68°/55°F (19.9°/12.8°C)
Dec 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.8°C) 59°/48°F (15.2°/9.0°C)

Data: Japan Meteorological Agency Japan Meteorological Agency, Israel Meteorological Service Israel Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Japan and Israel. To live, work, or study long-term in Israel, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Israel's immigration authority.

Japan passport

Japan passport holder visiting Israel

Electronic Travel Authorisation
Japan passport holders need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to enter Israel.
Israel passport

Israel passport holder visiting Japan

Visa Free
Israel passport holders can enter Japan without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Israel than Japan?

Day-to-day costs in Israel run about 76% higher than Japan on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Israel?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ¥11,948,175 comparable salary, that's around ₪92,412 in Israel for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, deposits, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Israel?

With 29.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Israel can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Japan and Israel.

Is Israel safe for expats?

Japan performs better than Israel across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Israel is 1.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.2 in Japan. About 80% of people in Israel feel safe walking alone at night.

How is healthcare in Israel compared to Japan?

Israel performs significantly better than Japan across all health & wellbeing metrics. There are 37.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Israel, compared to 26.1 in Japan. Israel scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Japan: 83).

What's the weather like in Israel compared to Japan?

The average high temperature in Jerusalem is 72°F, compared to 69°F in Tokyo. Jerusalem receives around 21.1 in of rainfall per year, while Tokyo gets 62.9 in.

What language do they speak in Israel?

The official languages in Israel are Arabic and Hebrew. In Japan, the official language is Japanese.

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At a Glance

JP IL
Population 124,214,766 8,914,885
Currency Japanese Yen (¥) Israeli New Sheqel (₪)
Languages Japanese Arabic, Hebrew
Driving side Left Right
Calling code +81 +972
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 110 100