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cost of living

Ben Sales
Analysis
Ben Sales
Israelis are feeling economic anxiety. Why aren’t politicians talking about it?
People shop at a supermarket in Jerusalem, a day before the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, September 10, 2026. (Rachel Alroey/Flash90)
Voters say they care about kitchen-table issues at a time of rising costs. But in the wake of Israel's worst catastrophe, and amid political polarization, experts say the path to victory, as always, runs through matters of war and peace
Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron speaks at a press conference in Jerusalem, April 7, 2025. (Sharon Wrobel/ The Times of Israel)
July 6, 2026, 8:12 pm
Central bank trims borrowing costs to 2022 low, sees room for further rate cuts
Finance minister and manufacturers criticize Bank of Israel’s 0.25% rate cut to 3.5% as insufficient, say it doesn’t reflect the needs of businesses and households
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: Mothers and daughters walk across from the Congregation Shaarei Tefila synagogue in Los Angeles on October 7, 2023. (AP/Damian Dovarganes)
May 29, 2026, 8:54 am
How much does Orthodox life cost in America? Increasingly, more than families can afford
The challenge is not only to remain financially afloat today, but also to ensure Orthodox middle-class life in America remains sustainable for future generations
By Zev Stub
A woman takes out money from a Bank HaPoalim ATM machiine in Tel Aviv on December 9, 2024. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
May 6, 2026, 11:11 pm
Israel’s competition watchdog declares top 5 banks an oligopoly, targets deposits
Hapoalim, Leumi, Mizrahi Tefahot, Discount and First International control 98% of banking sector’s assets, competition watchdog says; critics denounce their huge profits, excessive fees
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: A worker stacks dairy products at a Shufersal supermarket in the Golan Heights town of Katzrin, on July 1, 2022. (Michael Giladi/ Flash90/ File)
May 3, 2026, 8:09 pm
Biggest supermarket chain pulls some dairy products from shelves in spat over Tnuva price hikes
Dairy giant raises prices of butter and soft cheeses ahead of Shavuot, while other major food manufacturers will follow suit after the dairy-heavy Jewish holiday
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: Shoppers at the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem, November 13, 2025. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)
May 1, 2026, 12:18 am
Israel has higher cost of living than wealthier European nations, study shows
Sharp rises in food and housing prices in the past two decades are the main factors, fueling the ever-rising cost of living in Israel, the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy finds
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: Plush toys are displayed at a Camp store in New York. Camp, November 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
April 25, 2026, 3:19 am
From soft toys to bandages, Iran war may drive up cost of petroleum-derived goods
While rising cost of travel is most visible effect of war, experts say supply chains will be pressured if oil holds above $90 per barrel, impacting thousands of consumer items
By Anne D'Innocenzio
Illustrative: Shoppers evacuate Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market and seek shelter as an air raid siren goes off on March 13, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
March 17, 2026, 5:28 pm
For Israeli consumers, Iran war will likely fuel price hikes well beyond the pump
Already paying for war directly, Israelis facing prospect of higher costs for food and other goods due to energy crunch, which could spike inflation and cause economic downturn
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: Amazon packages move along a conveyor at an Amazon warehouse facility in Goodyear, Arizona, December 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
February 25, 2026, 10:23 pm
Ad hoc tax changes for overseas online orders cause confusion for Israelis about charges
Consumers may face VAT charges on their purchased orders after Knesset revokes tax exemptions; finance minister hours later signs a new order to expand exemption on personal imports
By Sharon Wrobel
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich heads a Religious Zionist party faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 23, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
February 24, 2026, 5:39 am
Knesset revokes Smotrich’s tax exemption for online purchases from abroad of up to $150
Tax-exempt cap lowered back to $75, reversing move that had been praised by consumers, decried by small businesses; finance minister lashes out at coalition colleagues who defied him, calls them leftists, vows to try again
By Ariela Karmel and ToI Staff
Avi Fraiman, the CEO of Kibbutz Alumim's dairy in southern Israel, January 13, 2026. (Sue Surkes/Times of Israel)
February 4, 2026, 1:19 pm
Amid Finance Ministry dairy reform, besieged Gaza border farm’s fate is curdling, says CEO
Outgoing head Avi Fraiman, who has spent 43 years working at Kibbutz Alumim’s milk farm, says the government should target big food cartels rather than have a cow about the dairies
By Sue Surkes
Krembo, the iconic go-to winter treat, sold at a Rami Levy supermarket in Jerusalem, on October 19, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
January 18, 2026, 6:53 am
Israelis hit by soaring food prices as producers, grocers feast on wartime windfall
Manufacturers and supermarkets have been feeding off a captive public worried about missiles rather than rising Krembo costs; experts say deep reforms are needed to make the market competitive
By Sharon Wrobel
Illustrative: New Israeli shekel bills, September 24, 2023. (Hadar Youavian/ Flash90)
January 1, 2026, 7:14 pm
Wave of price rises and tax hikes takes effect, fueling costs for Israelis in 2026
As of Jan. 1, the cost of electricity, water and cooking gas increases, while municipal property tax rates and other taxes rise, shrinking disposable income for Israelis
By Sharon Wrobel
An illustrative photo of a gas station in the southern city of Sderot, July 28, 2025. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
December 31, 2025, 5:32 pm
Price of gasoline to fall on January 1 to a two-year low
Israelis to pay NIS 6.85 a liter to fill up at start of 2026; despite falling gasoline price, household electricity and gas bills expected to rise as result of increased carbon tax
By Sharon Wrobel
IDF armored forces at a staging area in southern Israel near the border with Gaza. January 1, 2024. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)
December 30, 2025, 5:40 pm
Mammoth defense spending at risk of overburdening Israel, report warns
Think tank cautions that welfare expenditures could suffer unless economy revs back up and state invests in infrastructure and human capital; cost of living still sky-high
By Sharon Wrobel
A homeless person in the streets of Jerusalem. December 18, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/ FLASH90)
December 9, 2025, 9:32 pm
Over quarter of families suffer from food insecurity, as living costs jump – study
Latet charity says 867,256 families in Israel, including 1.2 million children, struggle to get proper nutrition, as economic war toll and rise in cost of living squeeze incomes
By Sharon Wrobel
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