Cost of Living in the West Bank: For those who are visiting the West Bank, Palestine, Israel or Engage in Palestine in the city of Hebron for the first time, it is important to estimate the cost of living in the West Bank. For Engage in Palestine’s participants, you might find a slight difference depending on whether you are staying with a host family or in our dormitory. 

So, how much does it cost once you have arranged your placement and found your way at Engage in Palestine? Below we will briefly explain about expenses for meals, daily necessities, groceries, alcohol and/or tobacco, fitness Centers and gyms, clothing, transportation and leisure activities in the city of Hebron, West Bank, Palestine as well as give you some advice.

Staying With A Host Family Versus In Our Dormitory

Foreign visitors to the West Bank who choose to stay with a Palestinian host family may be provided with some meals when they are at home, such as dinner or on weekends. Participants staying at Engage in Palestine’s dormitory, which is another housing option, will have access to a kitchen can easily find inexpensive groceries nearby. Our participants also often arrange to eat dinner together at a restaurant or cafe. 

The exciting thing is that internationals can generally look forward to receiving a few dinner invitations from locals. Moreover, visitors to Palestine staying with a host family sometimes invite their friends from Engage in Palestine to their home and eat together. Additionally, Engage in Palestine’s staff organize a dinner to share with participants at our center from time to time. Which gives all participants the chance to try home cooked traditional Palestinian food. 

Fast Food And Meal Costs

The average cost of fast food in Hebron, West Bank per week can range anywhere from 30 up to 200 shekels because there are food options for people of all budgets. How much you spend really depends on how many times you eat out, the type of meals you buy and if you purchase any drinks. The breakdown of that will be as follows. 

• 0 shekels per breakfast (breakfast at our center is included in your program every day except Friday)

• 4-20 shekels per lunch (you can buy a delicious falafel, chips & salad sandwich for only 4 shekels in Hebron! Shawarma costs more.)

• 4-30 shekels per evening meal (depending if you buy falafel or eat at a restaurant)

• a free evening meal if you are invited by a family for dinner or are invited by your host family

Here you may find the average of Fast Food and Meal prices in Hebron:

Groceries 

Average grocery prices in the West Bank in a major international retail store for 1kg apples is US$2.78, 1kg oranges US$2.26, 1 head of lettuce US$1.69, 1kg potatoes US$1.63, 1kg boneless, skinless chicken breast US$9.48, 1kg cheddar cheese US$8.10, 1 dozen large eggs US$3.89, 500g loaf white bread US$0.92, 1L full cream milk US$2.33, and 1.5L water US$1.04.

Cost Of Other Necessities

We recommend that you bring daily necessities such as toiletries, razors and feminine hygiene products from your own country. Although you can buy them at a supermarket in Hebron as well, good quality products will not be cheaper than in your home country and your favourite brand may be more expensive. Some things can be quite cheap in the West Bank, such as olive oil soap made in Nablus but available for purchase around the West Bank for a few shekels. 

Alcohol And/Or Tobacco

The cost is very high for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. It may be better to bring cigarettes from your home country (the duty-free allowance is 200 cigarettes). If you roll your own cigarettes, it is best to bring these from home as it can be challenging to find filters and papers for sale. 

Average price in a store for a midrange bottle of wine is US$17.41, domestic/local beer (500ml) US$3.12, imported/international beer (330ml) US$3.89 and a pack of 20 cigarettes is US$8.71. Note that in Hebron and Nablus, you will not be able to purchase or consume alcohol (it is not illegal but it is not socially acceptable).

Communication

Communication costs in the West Bank, Palestine are average for items such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data. A basket costing US$200 in New York costs US$180. Average price for a monthly standard plan internet subscription is US$53, while the benchmark mobile tariff is USD$0.14 per minute. It is also easy to buy Palestinian sim cards in the West Bank, just make sure you bring your passport with you. While mobile phone contracts may vary, for around 50 shekels per month, you can get a Palestinian sim card with plenty of data.

Clothing

Average price for an international brand of men’s jeans in the West Bank is 178.33 ₪ (US$62), a quality international brand of running shoes 375.00 (US$90), mens leather shoes suitable for office wear US$67 while a medium size international summer dress from a global chain store is US$74.

Healthcare

Health care facilities in the West Bank are good but can be expensive. Hospitals may insist on payment and may delay departure until bills are met.

Average healthcare cost in the West Bank for a private practice doctor’s visit to an uninsured patient is US$60 and a private hospital stay per day including nursing care, medications, diagnostic tests, food, and related costs is US$1,842.

Fitness Centers And Gyms 

Hebron has many gyms scattered around the city. There are generic gyms that offer personal trainers and quality equipment, like Prestige Gym, Hebron University Gym and Sama Al-Khalil. There are also specialised gyms available if you have specific fitness goals or needs—for example, there are entire gyms dedicated to pilates, yoga, and intense muscle training in Hebron. Many gyms are open 12 hours a day, making them very accessible. 

In Hebron gyms are either separated into separate female gyms and male gyms or there are separate times for men and women. In the case of separate times, usually from the morning until the afternoon the gym is for women, and in the evening and night it is for men.

Transportation Expenses

You can save on transportation costs if you live within walking distance of Engage in Palestine’s center. However, if you choose to take a taxi by necessity or choice, it will cost about 15-30 shekels per week, assuming you use a shared taxi. When traveling between cities, a shared taxi (servees in Arabic) is a small van transportation  for a maximum of 7 passengers. When traveling within a city in the West Bank, regular-sized taxis can usually be shared if passengers are going in the same direction. A shared taxi ride within the city of Hebron costs 3 shekels per person.

For shared taxis between cities, there is no timetable and they will depart when all 7 seats are full. 

The fare is fixed depending on the destination. However, if the shared taxi departs with fewer than 7 passengers, the other passengers will have to pay for the vacant seat.

How To Use A Shared Taxi:

• Go to the bus terminal (this is where the taxis depart from)

• Tell the drivers where you wish to go, they will tell you which shared taxi to take.

• Get into the taxi, it will depart once full. It is possible to leave before the seats are all taken but the passengers will have to cover the cost of the empty seats.

• Ask the driver or your fellow passengers about the fare for the journey when you enter the taxi. Generally passengers will make their payment along the journey and the driver will ask in case you forget. If you can reach the driver, you can pass them your payment, but if you are in the very back of the van, ask the passenger in front of you to hand the driver your money. Any change due will then be passed back.

• Passengers usually disembark from the taxi at a terminal or designated parking place. If you wish to be dropped off at a different point along the way, you can ask the driver to do so.

Free Time

As for non-essential costs, Arabic coffee in a cafe usually costs 5-10 shekels, a cappuccino 6-10 shekels, an iced coffee 8-15 shekels, and smoothies usually 10-15 shekels, depending on the cafe. A cake or doughnut in a cafe can cost anywhere between 5-20 shekels. A meal in a nice restaurant costs around 30-80 shekels. If you want to visit various places in your free time, it will cost more for a taxi and for a hostel or hotel if you stay overnight.

A barber charges 20 shekels for a man’s haircut. The gym or swimming pool at Hebron University is a great place to get some exercise, which costs 50 shekels for one session as a guest.

Minimum Monthly Cost Of Living In Palestine 

To sum up, you can estimate that the minimum cost of living in Palestine will be no more than around 500 shekels ($150) per month if you are conserving your money. You can cut even more costs if you stay with a host family and within walking distance of our center. It is possible to live comfortably on a limited budget. However if you have a larger budget, there are plenty of enjoyable ways to spend your money in Hebron or Palestine in general.  

Additional Information: Public Transportation In Palestine 

Palestine does not have a train or bus service so the only way of transportation here is a private or shared taxi. Intercity shared taxi services are relatively convenient, so you don’t need to worry about it. Many cabs leave the central bus stations frequently. Prices for shared taxi service from Hebron are as follows per person:

• Ramallah – 28 shekels
• Nablus (via Ramallah) – around 50 shekels
• Bethlehem – 10 shekels
• Jerusalem – 25 shekels
• Jericho – 50 shekels

Cost Of Living In Israel Compared To The West Bank

Israel is quite expensive. General living expenses for an international student per month are approximately NIS7,000 (US$1,500).

It is at least 2 to 3 times more expensive than living in the West Bank. Room rent per week, bus fare, meals, coffee are double the price or even more than Hebron. E.g A falafel sandwich in Israel costs around 20 NIS (around US$5), whereas falafel sandwich in Hebron costs 4 NIS (US$1). Salaries and wages in Israel are double that of the West Bank and the standard of living is much higher in Israel than Palestine.

Additional Information: Public Transportation In Israel

Coach travel is an affordable and efficient method of transport in Israel. Each bus route with its fare and some time estimations are as follows:

Souvenirs And Sight-Seeing

Other things you may wish to spend money on are souvenirs and entrance tickets to popular tourist spots. Depending on the taste of your friends/family, there are a variety of things you can buy cheaply in Hebron that would make nice gifts,such as dates, ornaments, pottery, glassware, clothing, scarves, bags, accessories and prayer mats.

Hebron is home to the Hirbawi textile factory- the last remaining factory to produce keffiyehs in Palestine. You can also find pottery and glassware factories in Hebron, you may even be lucky enough to see some items being made right in front of you. It is very interesting to see the craftsmen at work. 

Final Remarks

The cost of living in the West Bank varies and depends mainly on which city in Palestine. E.g Ramallah tends to be more expensive than Hebron. You will find that some items are cheaper than in your country of origin and while others are more expensive. 

If you want to try to save money, it is possible to live, eat and travel at a low expense and in basic comfort. You might even find that you have more interesting experiences this way. However if you want a higher level of luxury and some home comforts, this will cost a little more. Whatever you choose, you are guaranteed a warm welcome and a great experience here at Engage in Palestine and throughout the West Bank, Palestine.

It is also worth mentioning that living in Israel is much more expensive than living in any city in the West Bank. If you are travelling to both Palestine and Israel take this point into consideration. 

NB: at the time of writing, The exchange rate is  4.2 shekels ＝1.00 UK pound, 3.6 Shekels ＝ 1.00 Euro and 3.1 shekels ＝ 1.00 US dollar.