The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) published the Home Price Index on Wednesday, showing that housing prices in Israel fell by 1.0% in April-May 2026 compared with transactions carried out in March-April. The decline reflects the overall index, which includes both new and second-hand homes, adjusted for quality changes.
The annual downward trend is also continuing. A comparison of transactions conducted in April-May 2026 with those from the same period last year shows that the Home Price Index fell by 2.0%.
The CBS noted that this is one of the periods in the past decade in which annual declines were recorded, following drops in 2018 and the second half of 2023.
By district, the sharpest decline was recorded in the Tel Aviv District, where prices fell by 2.3%, followed by Jerusalem with a 1.8% decrease. Prices in the Haifa District declined by 0.5%, and in the Northern District by 0.3%, while no change was recorded in the Central and Southern districts.
On an annual basis, price declines were recorded in the Central District (3.2%), Haifa (2.6%), Tel Aviv (2.5%), and Southern District (0.5%). In contrast, prices rose in the Northern District (1.4%) and Jerusalem District (0.3%).
The new-home market also saw a decline, though a more moderate one. The new Home Price Index dropped by 0.1% compared with the previous period. However, the share of transactions made through government-subsidized housing programs increased from 34.6% to 37.5%. Excluding these transactions, new-home prices actually rose by 0.2%.
The data also show that compared with April-May 2025, the New Home Price Index fell by 3.9%. The CBS further noted that over the past five years, new-home prices have risen by 29.9%, compared with a cumulative 31.2% increase in overall home prices.
