Maybe you’d rather spend money on staying a few more days in Israel than spending a big chunk of your budget on eating on. It can be worthwhile!

Is Israel Really That Expensive?

Well…

A proper meal would cost you $30-$40 per person. A regular meal would cost you $20. A bigmac in Israel would cost you $14.  A falafel sandwich costs $3. A plate of hummus costs $5.

Dining costs in Israel are high. But it really depends on where you come from. But from where I come from… we get a nice business lunch for $3-6, and it’s very good for value and taste is amazing. (Yay visit Taiwan!) Any meal above $15 would be in a relatively fancy setting, where you go for once a week or two weeks. So for me… either I don’t compare, or I end up spending more money than I want.

And the other reason is the kosher rule, you cannot have cheese and meat together. Or you cannot have yogurt and meat in the same meal. So if you aren’t used to such rule, your stomach will feel something is missing.

Cook Your Own Meals

I usually have cereals for breakfast. So let’s take a took of our lunches and dinners! We brought our own lunch boxes to Israel. For that lunch, we had chicken rice, chicken, and fruit (loquats). For the 4 of us, we used 1 kg of chicken, 1 kg of rice, and about 1 kg of loquats. Including seasonings, the cost was about 60 shekels in total. It was satisfying.

To replace chicken rice, you can simply cook egg fried rice or fried noodles.

Making rice balls is fun and convenient too! You can get Sushi rice from any supermarket in Israel. If you eat with milk, that’s not kosher but my point is that it costs only 4 shekels!

If you aren’t big on rice…. making sandwiches isn’t a bad option. A box of ham (not really ham) is 35 shekels for 700 grams. Yogurt (for one) is for 4 shekels, bread is for 1 shekel. So for 4-6 people, the cost is around 60 shekels.

For dinner, we had noodles in Chinese style.  This is around 30 shekels for 5 people.

You can get sushi sheets and pickles from Asian supermarkets in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.  This was around 30 shekels too.

What are Grocery Prices like in Israel?

Taxes are pretty high in Israel, so prices are high in Israel. After visiting Israel, even Amsterdam and London seems to relatively cheap.

These are supermarket prices, check here for more prices:

• Milk 1 liter 5-7 shekels  (cheap!!!)
• Hummus 10-15 shekels
• 1 kg Chicken. 20-25 shekels
• 1 dozen eggs 10-12 shekels
• Bread 7 shekels
• 1 kg rice 10 shekels
• 1L  juice 6-8 shekels

1. Skyscanner: Avoid High Season

I use Skyscanner, which is the airline search engine many of us use, is a great tool to find cheap tickets by month.

We know prices fluctuate based on seasons. So if you are flying from Europe or USA, try avoiding October/November, and March/April, as many people return to Israel to celebrate Sukkot and Pesach.

2. Fly to Europe First

It’s more common to see flight deals that fly to European cities than to Tel Aviv. So make good use of these travel deals that fly to Europe from where you are! (if visa isn’t an issue). Fly to Europe, and you are just a foot away from Israel.

For example, the chance is higher for you to see a deal from Mexico to Spain for 350 euros (return)! So what you can do is to grab that deal, and then buy another set of tickets to Israel from that that place.

These are two websites that you can check if there’s any secret deal:

http://fly4free.com/

and http://secretflying.com

3.Fly Low-Cost Airline

Flights from Budapest to Israel can cost as low as $10 one way! Isn’t that crazy? Currently WizzAir and Ryan Air provides such crazy fares. But it depends on where you want to go, Easyjet and other low cost carriers also fly to Israel. Bear in mind that checked-in luggage is usually counted by piece, and the charge is as expensive as the ticket… ! And every airline has a different policy on carry-ons. Better to check first!

4.Fly to Eilat

Eilat is in the southern part of Israel. Flights from Budapest to Israel can cost as low as $10 one way! (Being member)  Er, you do get a seat, even though it’s probably cheaper than taking a bus from Budapest to Bratislava….  So if you cannot find great deals for Tel Aviv, try Eilat or Ovda.  (2 airports will emerge into just Eilat next year)

5.Fly to Amman (maybe) or Egypt

If you’re in Asia, it COULD be significantly cheaper flying to Amman in Jordan. And it’s super easy to cross land borders from Amman to Israel. If you use King Hussein Bridge border (the middle one) both ways, you don’t need to pay for Jordanian visa again.

See the difference, flying to Tel Aviv is about $270 one way from New Delhi.

But if you fly to Amman, it is $100 cheaper. If you are planning on visiting both Jordan and Israel, then it is a good idea to fly to Jordan instead of Israel.

And flying to Cairo can be an option too. It’s possible to go into Israel from land border (Taba).

Conclusion

These are some tips that you can use. Hopefully some will be helpful and applicable!

Groo in 2018

https://www.groo.co.il/

Though it’s unfortunate that there’s no English version to this (but the interface is the same as other Groupon sites.)

So I use chrome, and read it in Google translation. Thanks to technology, you don’t need to be fluent in Hebrew to enjoy discounts!

Attraction Deals:

1.Dead Sea Beach

There are a few private Dead Sea beaches in Israel. 39NIS with entrance plus a meal? It’s very good for value!!!!

2.Kayak

Kayaking on Jordan River could be a fun activity especially if you are traveling with kids! 64NIS instead of 96NIS.

Restaurants Deals:

Deals like this. Very typical of Groupon, though there isn’t a whole lot of deals in Israel like it is in UK. You can try Beteavone too if you don’t see anything you like here.

But breakfast for 2, for only 69NIS? That’s a good deal!!

Spa&Beauty Deals:

And of course… spa deals! 45 minutes massage plus usage of sauna, jacuzzi and with refreshment for 129NIS! (instead of 260) That’s a definitely deal to grab!

Another great deal. Usage of pool and 45 min massage for 179NIS.

Tourism Deals:

I don’t think it’s likely to find a deal on hotels in Israel. It’s still too expensive.

Conclusion

Attraction deal, restaurant deals and spa deals are legitimate! The only question leaves is…. how difficult will it be to communicate with the seller? But there’s always someone who speaks English around. I think language shouldn’t be a problem. Let’s see!

The discount goes like this: You pay 80NIS and you get a 150NIS voucher in return! That’s a bargain!

You need a local Israeli number to register for an account!

Beteavone in 2018

Home

It’s a new website in Israel. The good thing about this website is that it’s in English! Most restaurants that work with Beteavone are in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv at the moment.

Perhaps you’d think only restaurants with bad reviews would offer deals on Beteavone. But…  Anna was on their list too! You can read my wonderful experience dining in Anna here.  It’s definitely worth a visit!  It’s quite a popular restaurant among locals. So I wouldn’t question the authenticity of these restaurants.

Restaurant Types

• Dairy: Only eggs and fish
• Meat: Meat…
• Parve: Offering both dairy and meat

And then Casherout is Kosher.  There are 3 levels of Kosher, Rabanut is the least strict, then Badatz then Mehadrine. It’s all kosher, the small difference is like how long food can be frozen or how many times flour needs to be sifted….

Discount Offers

1.Free Coupon

Something like 10% off or free bottle of wine when dining as 4 adults etc.  Download this and you can use it whenever.

2. Voucher (xx instead of xx)

This is like a gift voucher. You pay 80NIS and you get a voucher worth 150NIS. So if my bill is 200NIS in Anna, I pay with this voucher plus 50NIS cash. If my bill is 130NIS, I pay with this voucher and I’ll not get any change back!

How to Register and Purchase Voucher

You need Israeli number to register an account. And I guess any credit card can be used.  I haven’t tried this yet.

Things to know

1. Voucher will be emailed to your mailbox. You can print it or show it on your phone.

2.No refund on the voucher.

3.One voucher per table.

4.You’ll not receive any change when your bill comes less than the voucher amount.

Updated: Feb 2019.

I tried Beteavone! The one advice I’d give is… Remember to print it out! I had to wait for 5 minutes for the vendor to confirm with her boss whether it’s okay not to have a printed coupon! (Read my experience of eating at Aaris here!)

1. Fly Low-Cost Airline from Europe

Don’t fly directly to Israel because it’s not easy to find cheap tickets to Israel. There are certain routes that are constantly on sale, for example, New York to a European destination for $400. Grab those tickets, spend time in Europe, and fly Wizzair, Ryanair, Easyjet to Israel for less than $100 round trip!  Buy two one-way tickets, one leg to Tel Aviv, and the other to Eilat. It will be even cheaper!

If you are flying from Asia, the same logic. But you can also check the price for flying to Cairo, Egypt. New Delhi to Cairo is $500 round trip…. You can cross land border from Egypt to Tel Aviv.

2. Use Couchsurfing

Yes, couchsurfing still works, and it is a lot of fun couchsurfing in Israel.  My biggest recommendation is that you use couch surfing while in Israel. Why? Besides saving money, you will learn how Israeli live and think. It’s hard to define who is a Jew, but you will find new lenses when you couchsurf.  By the way, I find  it much easier to find a couchsurfing host in Israel than in European countries. It’s harder to find a host in the south though, so stick to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

3. “Plan” what You’ll Eat

Food prices in Israel is insane. A plate of hummus is for $5? Shawarma is for $13? Well if you think in USD, it is fine. But if you are not from US or Europe, this price is not cheap at all!! Interesting enough, Israeli pack their own food too! They don’t eat out that often either.

It won’t be realistic to eat out for all of your meals, even if you plan on living by cofizz, cofix, or Eight burger. You have to cook, and prepare for your own lunches. So make sure your accommodation includes a kitchen. (If you are couchsurfing, there’s got to be a kitchen).

If you live by supermarket’s grocery food/local produce, you need a budget for $7-$10 a day!

4. Use “Annual Pass” for Israeli National Parks

If you compare Israel to Europe, you’ll be surpsied how attractions are either free or so cheap that can be considered free! In Europe, visiting a church or a castle can cost you minimum 3 euros to 20 euros. In Israel, visiting the western wall, Holy Sepulchre, Dead Sea is free….!

Israel is a country with lots of ancient archaeological sites, like Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Megiddo, Beersheva, Beit She’an, Nimrod castle, and Masada etc.  These sites are managed by Israel National Parks. There are several money saving options, the best one being ….. the annual pass! You can have unlimited visits to 68 national parks for ₪181 (US$50), valid for a year!!! So worthwhile!

5. Get Rav-Kav, Buy Day Pass

You cannot save much on transportation, because it is not expensive to begin with. But make sure you get Rav-kav card to get 25% extra stored value, and you’ll be able to buy day pass for certain zones. You’ll save some money!

Israel is not a cheap country to visit, and even some Israeli live under poverty. Most Jewish people who make ‘Aliyah’ to Israel have sacrificed many things in life. They are not in Israel because it’s a nice place to be, but because this is the Jewish homeland.

Conclusion

If you are spendign 2 weeks in Israel, this is the minimum that you need (for a regular backpacker, because I’m not that hardcore)

• Couchsurfing $0
• Food $10×14 days= $140
• Tickets $100
• Bus $100

So the total is $340, excluding airfare. If you want to go even lower… consider helpx or WWOOFing (which is legal with B/2 visa for everyone, if you volunteer not more than 30 days).  I think everybody can afford this budget. If you are determined to visit Israel, nothing can stop you!