Cost of living for single

amother

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 12:39 pm

My daughter is studying in Israel. She is living in Jerusalem. I am trying to work out a budget for her.

She has to buy and cook her own food and pay for transport. She travels every day from katamon to the city, (one bus) and probably will go away most shabbosim to relatives. Relatives live in the Tel Aviv area, Ramot, Beitar and other places.

She is not a big eater. She like coffee so probably spends money on that as well.

What should I estimate for those costs?

I think she has a student rav kav so travel should be cheaper.

Elfrida

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 1:52 pm

Are you factoring rent and utilities into her budget, or are you paying them separately? And what about her phone? Is she someone who will want to spend a lot on clothes, or will whatever she has last her for the year?

A student bus pass for Yerushalayim costs around 1,200 NIS, but she needs to buy now. She can pay in up to six installments. An extra 30 - 50NIS weekly for travelling out of Yerushalayim will probably more than cover her needs.

For food and treats 200 NIS weekly would be more than ample, especially if she is not making Shabbos at home. I've no idea how much to add for coffee!

She needs a certain amount available for discretionary spending. You have to agree on that part of the budget between you.

There should also be an emergency fund she can draw on in case if emergency. (And make sure to define in advance what an emergency is!) About thirty years ago, when I was in a similar situation, my mother put my name on her bank account, so that I could use it as necessary if there was an emergency - but she could also see whenever I did use it. There are probably more technological ways of doing it now.

amother

Aqua

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 1:59 pm

I think 200 shekel for food could be low, depending on her eating habits. Don't forget to budget for utilities, and for buying used furniture and appliances.
Obviously rent depends on her location and roommate situation. I know young women spending anywhere from 1200 to 2000 shekel a month for a shared room in Jerusalem.

amother

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 2:19 pm

I know how much her rent and utilities are. We will pay them ourselves.

I want her to be a little independant and I am hoping she can get a part time job to cover day to day expenses. Or alternatively if she can't find a job we need to know how much money to put in her bank account.

She has furniture, and is able to use the appliances of her landlord. (she is renting a room from a family)

Thanks for info about bus passes - that is helpful. Where does she get that? .

She is a very small eater. If it was one of my other kids they eat a lot more...

She has a bank account and we can transfer money instantly.

Elfrida

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 2:54 pm

I should have been clearer about the bus pass. Egged offer students a discounted bus pass, which you can buy either for a semester at a time or for a year at once. The yearly pass is cheaper, but you need to factor in when she will be coming back to America to see if it is worth it.

If she already has a student RavKav she may be able to buy the bus pass online. If not, she needs to go to the tachana merkazit to do it. The discount is approximately 50%, but you have to pay up front. Israelis can split it into up to six payments, but I don't know if this is possible with a foreign credit card.

The most practical option for her would probably be a chofshi for Yerushalayim, and then she could pay erech zavur whenever she travels out of Yerushalayim.

The chofshi has fixed dates, so it is worth getting it as soon as possible. If she is taking two buses a day during the week, plus evenings out and going away for Shabatot, it is cost effective.

Whatever budget you agree on open it to review in a few months - maybe after chanuka. Then both of you will have a better idea of how she individually uses the money.

amother

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 4:17 pm

sub wrote:

https://I.imgur.com/wZrxcGH.jpg

Wow I guess we are getting a good deal on rent. We are paying less then that buts its not so central.

No arnona...not sure what that is. She is renting a room from a family, I assume they pay that? She is paying a share of the electricity bill.

sub

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 5:13 pm

My daughter shares an apt with other girls. Each girl pays based on room size. One has the master suite with it’s own bathroom so she pays more. They are in nachlaot which is more expensive. But that means that everything( shuk, kosel,geula, tachana merkazit etc ) is within walking distance. She also said that she paid 120$
For a year Cell phone service ( but she joined my father’s plan)
Obviously she wrote a general idea. Every person is different. She is not a big shopper, doesn’t mind using israeli products(ie soap, shampoo) has learned-to shop for food in the shuk.
And I forgot- she is quoting shekel not dollars.

ora_43

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 5:15 pm

For food, it's more about what she eats than how much.

For a single, small eater, I actually might budget a little more, since it might not be worthwhile for her to actually cook food very often. Why make a pot of chicken soup if you're just going to eat half a bowl?

I'd start by seeing if she can keep to 200 a week, but assume privately that you'll need to give her more like 300 (shekels, not dollars). If she can keep to 200, great, if she ends up going over that budget, don't be surprised.

(200 would be enough for a bowl of cereal, a couple pieces of fruit, a sandwich, and a frozen shnitzel + vegetables, each day for a week. Plus a few cups of coffee from Cofix (cheap coffee place). But she might end up, say, buying a sandwich and coffee for lunch most days, and that would cost a bit more.)

(if she's buying nice coffee (ie, not at cofix... sorry cofix...) more than once a day, budget another 150 shekels or so per week just for that. a single cup of coffee at a cafe in Jerusalem costs around 13 shekels).

BTW if she's traveling between cities, there tends to be a single-day between-cities bus pass option. Eg today I went to Tel Aviv, so I started the day by paying a 40-shekel flat fee that covered everything in both my city and the Tel Aviv area for the entire day (bus to the train station, train, bus, etc, and then back again). Just FYI.

Elfrida

Sun, Nov 03 2019, 5:24 pm

Quote:

For a single, small eater, I actually might budget a little more, since it might not be worthwhile for her to actually cook food very often. Why make a pot of chicken soup if you're just going to eat half a bowl?

In order to freeze the rest in single portions and not have to to cook from scratch every time.

etky

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 12:33 am

ora_43 wrote:

The minute she starts buying anything prepared, even a sandwhich, the money will go very quickly. The only way 200 sh will be enough is if she eats every meal at home or takes food from home to eat during the day.

DrMom

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 12:55 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Will she have access to a kitchen? That will be the biggest factor in determining food costs.

Once you have no kitchen, the chance of you relying on prepared food/eating out goes up, as will your food budget.

baby12x

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 2:55 am

DrMom wrote:

That's huge. Also will she have freezer space?
A big part of coooking for a single person is freezing in portions which is obviously not applicable if you don't have a freezer.
If she has minimal ways of cooking and storing than she will need a LOT more money for food

Rappel

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 3:43 am

baby12x wrote:

Depends. It's possible to live with a sandwich maker and a Kum Kum, if you think laterally about your food options. If she's living in jlem, then she'll have access to cheap fresh produce every day. It's still possible to live on a budget and go shopping every day or two.

ora_43

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 7:19 am

etky wrote:

Right. Which is why I mentioned 200 shekels as the "if she makes her own sandwiches at home" option, and 300 as the "eating out" option.

300 isn't much for eating out every day but then, I"m assuming she's buying herself a sandwich at cofix or half a falafel, etc, not a sit-down restaurant meal. And that breakfast is still at home.

DrMom

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 7:23 am

Rappel wrote:

I guess. I mean we do that when we travel abroad and have no access to kosher restaurants.

But that's for a week or two, not for a year or more.

amother

Mon, Nov 04 2019, 7:46 am

She has access to a very nice kitchen. Not sure about freezer space, although I can't imagine her freezing stuff. I did suggest she can make a big batch of food and eat during the week. Its the first time she is cooking for herself except for simple meals like grilled cheese sandwiches at home. Right now she has mostly morning classes except for one full day so she has time to cook. If she finds a job she will be busier. (but have more money...)

I don't think she cares that much about eating out so hopefully won't spend too much on it.

Thank you so much for all your tips.