A resident of Tel Aviv spends twice as much on food as a resident of Bnei Brak -NIS 1,017 per month compared with NIS 495 per month - according to analysis of Central Bureau of Statistics data by "Globes". Monthly expenditure on food by a Tel Aviv resident is 46% above the national average of NIS 698 a month.
The data give a picture of the cost of living in Israel: as the number of people in a household increase, per capita expenditure falls. In Tel Aviv, the average family size is 2.2 people, the lowest in Israel. In Bnei Brak, the average family size is 4.48, the highest in Israel.
"A family in Bnei Brak with five children and a father who studies at a yeshiva will buy less expensive products, and will offer cheaper meals to children, than a family with two breadwinners in Tel Aviv," said A, a resident of Bnei Brak.
Shmarit Tzafadia-Goldberg is a resident of Neot Afeka in north Tel Aviv. She is married with two children in the army, one of whom only comes home on weekends. She spends NIS 5,000 a month on food, including NIS 1,000 on meals at restaurants. "We cook at home, we don’t buy prepared meals. Food is very expensive in Israel. Five years ago, I spent 30% less on food and there has been no change in our consumption. It's not as if we've suddenly began eating something different," she says.
Galia Huri, also a resident of Tel Aviv, returned to Israel four years ago, after residing with her family in London for 15 years. She says, "I still travel frequently to London, and prices here are at least 30% higher than in London. When we returned to Israel, it was a great shock to me, and I even felt angry that the country was very expensive, but salaries were not as high as in England. My standard of living has fallen. Life here is very expensive, except for education, which is free."
Israelis spend NIS 62.6 billion a year on food. This expenditure includes spending at supermarkets and grocery stores, as well as restaurants.
An average Israeli family spends NIS 2,298 on food per month - NIS 27,500 a year. The average family size is 3.2 people. In Jerusalem, where the average family size is 4 people, expenditure on food is the highest, at NIS 2,387 per family per month, or NIS 28,600 a year.
Bat Yam has the lowest expenditure on food, at NIS 1,860 per household per month, or NIS 22,300 a year.
In second place after Tel Aviv, which has the highest expenditure on food per capita, is Ramat Gan, at NIS 854.70 per capita per month, followed by Haifa, at NIS 780.60 per capita per month. Per capita expenditure on food is 22% above the national average in Ramat Gan and 12% above the national average in Haifa.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 3, 2014
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2014