Putting Food on the Table

Omer Yaniv

Data accumulated from the Household Expenditure Survey carried out by the Central Bureau of Statistics show that the average household expenditure in Jerusalem is lower than the national average. In 2015, the average household expenditure in an Israeli household was NIS 15,410 a month, while in Jerusalem the average household expenditure was NIS 13,420 – lower than the average household expenditure in Tel Aviv (NIS 17,710) and higher than the average household expenditure in Haifa (NIS 12,253).

An examination of household expenditure on food (excluding fruits and vegetables) reveals that the average household expenditure on food in Jerusalem (NIS 1,850) is also lower than the national average, which stands at NIS 2,030. In this instance as well the expenditure in Jerusalem is lower than that in Tel Aviv (NIS 2,240), but higher than the household expenditure in Haifa (NIS 1,670). 
The main reason for the high household expenditure on food in Tel Aviv relative to Jerusalem derives from the high expenditure of Tel Aviv residents on meals outside their homes. The survey results show that in 2015 a household in Tel Aviv spent an average of NIS 1,020 a month on meals outside the house, as opposed to only NIS 260 a month spent by a Jerusalem household, and NIS 460 a month by a household in Haifa (while the national average is NIS 440 a month).
When examining the expenditure clauses for the purchase of food products it becomes apparent that Jerusalem households generally spent more than households in Tel Aviv and in Haifa. Jerusalem households usually spent 88% more than households in Tel Aviv, and 72% more than households in Haifa on meat and poultry; about 36% more than in Tel Aviv and 27% more than in Haifa on bread, grains, and baked goods; and about 28% more than households in Tel Aviv and 47% more than Haifa households on fruit and vegetables. However, on alcoholic beverages, Jerusalem households spent 71% less than households in Tel Aviv, and 45% less than households in Haifa.

Household expenses on food products, by main clauses:

Translation:Gilah Kahn

The High Cost of Housing

Eitan Bluer 

One of the most significant expenditures per household in Israel’s major cities is the expense of housing. The average Jerusalem household spent about NIS 3,650 monthly on housing in 2011; this amount constituted about 28% of all household expenses. The percentage of expenditures that went towards housing in Jerusalem was higher than the average for Israel (where 25% of total household expenditures was spent on housing) and Haifa (22%), but lower than the figure for Tel Aviv (31%). In recent years there has been a steady increase in household expenditures for housing. In the last five years, housing costs for Jerusalem households increased by 44%, from an average cost of NIS 2,537 per month in 2006 to NIS 3,648 per month in 2011. The rate of increase in Jerusalem (44%) was lower than the figure for Israel – where housing expenditures rose by 47% during the same period – and higher than the figure for Tel Aviv (41%) and Haifa (36%). 

The supply of apartments, as well as their size and number of rooms, also affects the expense of housing for renters. In 2011 the average monthly expense for renting an apartment in Jerusalem was NIS 2,613 for a 2.9-room apartment. That is, the average cost per room was NIS 901 per month. This price is higher than the average for Israel (NIS 837 per room), Haifa (NIS 626), and Be’er Sheva (NIS 380) but lower than the figure for Tel Aviv (NIS 1,420), Ramat Gan (NIS 1,120), and Rishon LeZion (NIS 985). 

An examination of the average cost per room as valued for homeowners’ apartments reveals the discrepancy in pricing between cities in the center of the country and in the periphery. The average value of an apartment in Jerusalem for the homeowner in 2011 was NIS 1,727,000 for an apartment with an average of 3.9 rooms (NIS 442,820 per room). The cost per average room in Jerusalem was higher than the figure for Israel (NIS 345,365 per room), Haifa (NIS 293,846), Be’er Sheva (NIS 205,609), and Rishon LeZion (NIS 379, 047), yet lower than the figure for Ramat Gan (NIS 532,571) and Tel Aviv (NIS 647,297). 

Source: Press Release for 2011 Survey of Expenses, Central Bureau of Statistics 

How Do Jerusalemites Spend Their Money?

Aviel Yelinek 

The Central Bureau of Statistics recently published new data regarding the breakdown of monthly expenditures of households in Israel’s cities. The breakdown of monthly expenditures is one of the indices used in assessing the socio-economic standing of cities’ residents.

In 2011 the average expenditure for household consumption in Jerusalem stood at NIS 13,100 per month, which was lower than the figure for Tel Aviv (15,400) and Rishon LeZion (14,900) but higher than the figure for Haifa (12,100) and Ashdod (12,500). But these figures do not give the full picture. An average Jerusalem household comprises 3.9 persons, which is the highest number among the major cities. A more accurate picture therefore requires us to examine the total average expenditure per person. Accordingly, the statistics put Jerusalem in the last place among the major cities – the average expenditure per person in Jerusalem stood at NIS 3,300, which was lower than the figure for Tel Aviv (NIS 6,800), Haifa (NIS 5,100), Rishon LeZion (NIS 4,800), and Ashdod (NIS 3,700).

The greatest expenditure of Jerusalem’s households, like that of the households in most of Israel’s major cities, is housing. Jerusalem’s residents expended some NIS 3,650 monthly on housing, and this figure constituted 28% of their total monthly expenditures. Other major expenditures included food (16%), transportation and communication (16%), education, culture, and entertainment (13%), and maintenance of the home and household (10%). Haifa residents were the exception in this context, as they expended more on transportation and communication (23%) than on housing (22%).

The amount of expenditures on food is relatively consistent across the major cities, but there are differences in taste. For example, in 2010 the average Jerusalem household expended about NIS 340 per month on bread, grains, and bread products, as compared to NIS 230 in Tel Aviv and NIS 240 in Haifa. The average Jerusalem household expended about NIS 400 per month on meat and poultry, as compared to only NIS 225 in Tel Aviv and Haifa. In contrast, the average monthly expenditure of Jerusalem households for meals outside the home stood at NIS 240, significantly lower than the figure for Tel Aviv (NIS 690) and Haifa (NIS 330). 

Source: Analysis of data from the Central Bureau of Statistics