Living in Khān Yūnis, Palestinian Territories

Khān Yūnis is a smaller coastal city in Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Territories (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 21°C over the year with about 246 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,980 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in the Palestinian Territories is hard to obtain.

See which cities rank best for you

12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).

Est. cost: €2,980; a month for a couple
Climate: 21°C; 246 mm rain a year
Size: Smaller; under 250,000 people
Safety: 52/100; country-level
Residency: Hard to obtain; for most foreigners

Limited data for Palestinian Territories. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in the Palestinian Territories are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for the Palestinian Territories, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

Travel advisory. As of 13 October 2026, the US State Department advises against travel to Gaza Strip, the region Khān Yūnis is in. Our quiz and best-cities lists leave Khān Yūnis out, and the safety figures below are country averages that do not reflect the advisory. Read the current advisory on travel.state.gov and your own government's travel advice.

What stands out about Khān Yūnis

Dry: about 246 mm of rain a year
Long-term residency is hard to obtain
On or near the sea

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. No general immigration route exists: Israel controls entry and the population registry, and current rules foreclose long-term residence for all foreigners except spouses of Palestinians (a route that is itself largely frozen).

For short visits, 156 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 42 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Climate

Khān Yūnis averages 21°C across the year with about 246 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 56% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Healthcare

The Palestinian Territories scores 54 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 8% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in the Palestinian Territories: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Safety and stability

The Palestinian Territories scores 52 out of 100 on safety, safer than 20% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 3.6 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in the Palestinian Territories: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2022) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €2,980 a month to live centrally in Khān Yūnis, 9% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 34% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Khān Yūnis

Is Khān Yūnis a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety and healthcare. Our figures for the Palestinian Territories are partial: no tax, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, very dry climate (21°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Khān Yūnis?

We estimate about €2,980 a month for a couple living centrally, 9% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for the Palestinian Territories, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

Can foreigners live in the Palestinian Territories long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. No general immigration route exists: Israel controls entry and the population registry, and current rules foreclose long-term residence for all foreigners except spouses of Palestinians (a route that is itself largely frozen).

What is the weather like in Khān Yūnis?

Khān Yūnis averages 21°C across the year with about 246 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 56% of the cities we track.