Rehovot, not Tel Aviv, is city with highest household income
By LIDAR GRAVÉ-LAZIUpdated: DECEMBER 20, 2016 00:39New 200 shekel bill(photo credit: COURTESY OF THE BANK OF ISRAEL)
Rehovot has surpassed Tel Aviv as the city with the highest average monthly household income, according to a survey released Monday by the Central Bureau of Statistics.The report outlined findings from the 2015 household expenditure survey of the 14 largest cities in Israel and provided a comparative picture of the average household socioeconomic situation in each city.According to the findings, the average monthly income before taxes for households in Israel stands at NIS 18,671, while the average monthly household expenditure stands at NIS 12,323.In Rehovot, the average household earns NIS 19,099 per month; while in contrast, Bat Yam is the municipality with the lowest monthly income, standing at NIS 11,005.Still, the report found that the average income per person was highest in Tel Aviv, standing at NIS 8,053, as was the average expenditure per person at 6,419.In contrast, Bnei Brak, a predominantly ultra-Orthodox neighborhood had the lowest monthly income and expenditure per person standing at NIS 2,639 and NIS 2,585, respectively.Tel Aviv also has the highest monthly household expenditures standing at NIS 14,284, compared to Bat Yam, which has the lowest at NIS 9,632.The report also found that in Rehovot, Ashdod, Petah Tikva and Rishon Lezion 80% of income came from employment, while in Bnei Brak a fourth of income came from government allotments.The findings also indicated that the average Israeli household has 3.3 people and 1.5 earners while Bnei Brak averaged 4.8 people per household, the highest.Tel Aviv had the lowest, averaging 2.2 people per household.With regards to expenditures, the report found that 24.7% of household expenditures in the 14 largest cities are spent on housing.On average, 67.6% of Israelis own houses, while 26.7% rent housing. Of those who own a house, some 40% pay mortgages which average NIS 3,260 per month.With regards to rental housing, the findings indicated that Tel Aviv had the highest monthly rent fees at NIS 4,563 and the lowest number of rooms per apartment at 2.7 rooms. In contrast, Beersheba had the lowest rental fees at NIS 1,712 and the largest average number of rooms per apartment at 3.1 rooms.