How expensive is the cost of living in Israel?
Israel consistently ranks among the more expensive countries in the OECD. Groceries, dining out, and housing are all notably pricier than in most of Europe. But Israelis have developed a culture of discount-seeking that new olim can tap into immediately. Knowing where to shop, when to buy, and which apps to use can cut your monthly food and entertainment budget by 20-40%.
Which Israeli supermarket chains are cheapest?
Not all Israeli supermarkets are equal in price. Here's the general hierarchy from cheapest to most expensive:
- Rami Levy (רמי לוי): Israel's budget champion. Prices are typically 15-30% lower than mid-market chains. The stores are no-frills and can be busy, but the savings are real. Check if there's a branch near you first.
- Victory (ויקטורי) / Yochananof (יוחננוף): Mid-range regional chains with competitive prices and good quality.
- Shufersal (שופרסל) Deal / Big: Shufersal's discount formats offer decent prices with the convenience of a large national chain.
- Shufersal Sheli / Mega: Mid-range, convenient but not the cheapest.
- AM:PM / Tiv Ta'am: Convenience and specialty stores. Much more expensive for daily staples.
Doing your main weekly shop at Rami Levy or a budget chain and supplementing with a local convenience store for top-ups can save 400-600 NIS per month for a family.
Should you get a supermarket club card in Israel?
Every major Israeli supermarket chain has a free club card (kluv) that unlocks member pricing. Without the club card, you pay full price. With it, most items drop to the advertised sale price. Sign up immediately - it takes two minutes in the store.
- Shufersal Club: significant discounts, free to join
- Rami Levy Club: additional discounts on top of already-low prices
- Victory Club, Yochananof Club: similar structure
Club memberships are typically set up through הוראת קבע (Hora'at Keva) for any associated monthly fee, though most basic cards are genuinely free.
When are the best supermarket sale days in Israel?
Israeli supermarkets run deep weekly deals, usually publicized on their apps and websites. Shufersal's biggest sale day is typically Wednesday or Thursday. Rami Levy runs rotating promotions. Check the weekly flyer (עלון) on the chain's app before shopping to plan around discounts.
Which food delivery apps offer the best deals in Israel?
Wolt and 10bis are the dominant food delivery platforms in Israel. Both regularly offer discount codes, cashback, and corporate meal allowance programs:
- 10bis: Primarily a corporate lunch benefit card - many Israeli employers load a monthly allowance (typically 300-600 NIS) onto a 10bis card for employee meals. Ask your employer if this is offered.
- Wolt: Consumer delivery app. Sign up for Wolt+ for a monthly fee that covers free delivery - worthwhile if you order more than once a week.
- Watch for first-order discount codes shared in WhatsApp olim groups - often 30-50 NIS off your first order.
Where can you buy second-hand goods in Israel?
Israel has a thriving second-hand market that olim often overlook. For furniture, appliances, baby gear, electronics, and clothing:
- Yad2 (יד2): Israel's Craigslist and Gumtree combined. Everything from sofas to cars. Essential for furnishing an apartment cheaply when you first arrive.
- Facebook Marketplace: Active in most Israeli cities. Many olim communities have dedicated groups ("Anglo olim selling/buying" groups in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, etc.).
- WhatsApp group freebies: Neighborhood WhatsApp groups (shchuna groups) regularly post free items - especially mattresses, baby items, and furniture from families who are moving.
When furnishing your first Israeli apartment, buying 80% second-hand and 20% new can save you 5,000-15,000 NIS compared to buying everything at IKEA or local furniture stores.
Other Daily Savings Tips
- Carrefour / Osher Ad: Worth visiting for bulk staples, cleaning products, and pantry items at lower prices.
- Shuk (market): Fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, and fish at the local market are typically fresher and cheaper than supermarkets. The Mahane Yehuda in Jerusalem and Carmel Market in Tel Aviv are famous, but every city has its own shuk.
- Use אשראי (Ashrai) for Tashlumim: For larger purchases (appliances, electronics), always ask for interest-free installments rather than paying in full upfront. This preserves your cash flow at zero cost.
- Pharmacy chains vs. hospital pharmacies: Super-Pharm and Newpharma offer significant discounts on over-the-counter medications and supplements compared to hospital pharmacies. Sign up for their club cards too.
Israel ranks among the more expensive OECD countries for groceries, dining, and housing, but olim can cut their monthly food and entertainment budget by 20-40% by shopping where and when locals do. Do your main weekly shop at a budget chain like Rami Levy (the Israeli equivalent of Aldi or Lidl), which runs 15-30% cheaper than mid-market chains, and join the free club card (kluv) at every chain you use, because without it you pay full price. Buy fresh produce, fish, and spices at your local shuk (market), which is fresher and cheaper than supermarkets, and check the chain's weekly flyer (alon) on its app before shopping to plan around sales. For furnishing a first apartment, buying second-hand on Yad2, Facebook Marketplace, and neighborhood WhatsApp groups can save 5,000-15,000 NIS versus buying everything new. For larger purchases, ask for interest-free installments (tashlumim) to preserve cash flow at zero cost. The olim who struggle most are those who shop like tourists, buying imported brands and using convenience stores for daily shopping.
Rami Levy is Israel’s budget champion, with prices typically 15-30% lower than mid-market chains. UK expats can think of it as the Israeli equivalent of Aldi or Lidl. The stores are no-frills and can be busy, but the savings are real, so check whether there is a branch near you first. Mid-range regional chains like Victory and Yochananof also offer competitive prices and good quality, and Shufersal’s discount formats (Deal and Big) give decent prices with the convenience of a large national chain. The most expensive options for daily staples are convenience and specialty stores like AM:PM and Tiv Ta’am.
Knowing where to shop, when to buy, and which apps to use can cut your monthly food and entertainment budget by 20-40%. Doing your main weekly shop at Rami Levy or another budget chain and supplementing with a local convenience store for top-ups can save 400-600 NIS per month for a family. Apps like Too Good To Go, Groo, and coupon apps help cut food and entertainment costs, and joining supermarket loyalty clubs adds cumulative discounts that build up significantly over a year.
Yes. Every major Israeli supermarket chain has a free club card (kluv) that unlocks member pricing. Without the club card you pay full price; with it, most items drop to the advertised sale price. Sign up immediately, since it takes about two minutes in the store. Shufersal Club offers significant discounts free to join, the Rami Levy Club adds discounts on top of already-low prices, and Victory Club and Yochananof Club work similarly. Most basic cards are genuinely free, though club memberships are typically set up through a standing order (Hora’at Keva) for any associated monthly fee.
Israeli supermarkets run deep weekly deals, usually publicized on their apps and websites. Shufersal’s biggest sale day is typically Wednesday or Thursday, while Rami Levy runs rotating promotions. Check the weekly flyer (alon) on the chain’s app before shopping so you can plan around the discounts. For fresh produce specifically, buying at your local shuk on Friday afternoons gets you the best prices.
Wolt and 10bis are the dominant food delivery platforms in Israel, and both regularly offer discount codes, cashback, and corporate meal programs. 10bis is primarily a corporate lunch benefit card, since many Israeli employers load a monthly allowance (typically 300-600 NIS) onto a 10bis card for employee meals, so it is worth asking your employer whether this is offered. Wolt is a consumer delivery app where signing up for Wolt+ (a monthly fee covering free delivery) is worthwhile if you order more than once a week. Watch for first-order discount codes shared in WhatsApp olim groups, often 30-50 NIS off your first order.
Israel has a thriving second-hand market that olim often overlook. Yad2 is Israel’s Craigslist and Gumtree combined, covering everything from sofas to cars, and is essential for furnishing an apartment cheaply when you first arrive. Facebook Marketplace is active in most Israeli cities, and many olim communities have dedicated Anglo buying and selling groups in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and elsewhere. Neighborhood WhatsApp groups (shchuna groups) also regularly post free items such as mattresses, baby gear, and furniture from families who are moving. When furnishing your first apartment, buying about 80% second-hand and 20% new can save 5,000-15,000 NIS compared to buying everything at IKEA or local furniture stores.
For larger purchases like appliances and electronics, it is worth asking for interest-free installments (tashlumim) on your credit (Ashrai) rather than paying in full upfront. This preserves your cash flow at no cost. The article frames this as a daily-savings habit alongside other tactics, such as buying bulk staples and cleaning products at chains like Carrefour or Osher Ad, buying fresh fruit, vegetables, spices, and fish at the local shuk, and using pharmacy chains like Super-Pharm and New Pharm (with their club cards) for cheaper over-the-counter medications and supplements than hospital pharmacies.
The Bigger Picture
Living affordably in Israel is a skill that takes a few months to develop. The olim who struggle with cost of living are usually those who shop like tourists - buying familiar imported brands, using convenience stores for daily shopping, and not leveraging the many discount systems that locals use automatically. Once you know the cheaper chains, have all your club cards, and know your local shuk, the cost of living becomes much more manageable.
