Moving to Israel from United States
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from United States to Israel — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from United States to Israel, you would find that Israel is 8.9% more expensive than United States overall. A $75,000 salary in United States would need to be roughly ₪225,135 in Israel to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Arabic and Hebrew.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from United States to Israel.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → ₪225,135
To maintain the same standard of living in Israel
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 22.8% more
Groceries
pay 8.6% less
Transportation
pay 38.8% more
Housing
pay 22.1% less
Childcare
pay 36.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 16.4% more
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 Israel cost about 21% less than cities in United States.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from United States to Israel, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from United States to Israel · OECD (latest data available)
Key Indicator Comparison
How United States and Israel 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 significantly 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
United States generally does better on environment, though Israel leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
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 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 significantly better than United States across all family life metrics.
Data: Internal Revenue Service, 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 | Washington | Jerusalem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/28°F (9°/-2°C) | 58°/46°F (15°/8°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/51°F (24°/11°C) | 78°/60°F (25°/15°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/62°F (29°/17°C) | 85°/67°F (29°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) | 68°/55°F (20°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Washington | Jerusalem |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42°/24°F (5.8°/-4.5°C) | 55°/44°F (12.8°/6.9°C) |
| Feb | 46°/26°F (8.0°/-3.3°C) | 57°/45°F (13.8°/7.1°C) |
| Mar | 56°/33°F (13.1°/0.5°C) | 63°/49°F (17.0°/9.2°C) |
| Apr | 67°/42°F (19.3°/5.6°C) | 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.1°C) |
| May | 75°/51°F (23.9°/10.7°C) | 79°/61°F (25.9°/16.0°C) |
| Jun | 84°/61°F (28.8°/16.1°C) | 83°/65°F (28.4°/18.2°C) |
| Jul | 88°/65°F (31.1°/18.6°C) | 86°/68°F (30.0°/20.2°C) |
| Aug | 87°/64°F (30.3°/17.9°C) | 86°/68°F (29.9°/20.0°C) |
| Sep | 79°/56°F (26.3°/13.5°C) | 83°/66°F (28.4°/18.7°C) |
| Oct | 68°/44°F (20.1°/6.6°C) | 78°/62°F (25.3°/16.8°C) |
| Nov | 58°/35°F (14.2°/1.8°C) | 68°/55°F (19.9°/12.8°C) |
| Dec | 46°/27°F (7.8°/-2.7°C) | 59°/48°F (15.2°/9.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service,
Israel Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between United States 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.
United States passport holder visiting Israel
Electronic Travel Authorisation
Israel passport holder visiting United States
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 Israel than United States?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Israel and United States; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
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 $75,000 comparable salary, that's around ₪56,284 in Israel for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, 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 United States and Israel.
Is Israel safe for expats?
Israel performs significantly better than United States across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Israel is 1.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.4 in United States. About 80% of people in Israel feel safe walking alone at night.
How is healthcare in Israel compared to United States?
Israel generally does better on health & wellbeing, though United States leads in health coverage index. There are 37.1 doctors per 10,000 people in Israel, compared to 36.1 in United States. Israel scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (United States: 86).
What's the weather like in Israel compared to United States?
The average high temperature in Jerusalem is 72°F, compared to 66°F in Washington. Jerusalem receives around 21.1 in of rainfall per year, while Washington gets 41.5 in.
What language do they speak in Israel?
The official languages in Israel are Arabic and Hebrew. In United States, the official language is English.
