Communities / draft for approval, not indexed
Living in Haifa
Israel's third-largest city, on the Carmel, with a veteran English-speaking community and no English-language shul.
- 297,083
- residents, end of 2024
- 63 min
- fastest train to Tel Aviv
- ₪1,413,750
- median sold price, all homes
- ₪3,195
- median rent a month
Haifa and the bay from the Bahá'í terraces on Mount Carmel, December 2010. Photo by the State of Israel (Flickr), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Haifa, in short
Suits
English speakers who are comfortable praying and living in Hebrew, want a large city with the Technion and the University of Haifa, and want homes well below the national median price.
Not for
Families who want an English-speaking shul or a large Anglo community, anyone commuting daily to Jerusalem by train, and buyers who want a short trip to Tel Aviv.
A 4-room home sold for a median ₪1,532,950 over the last year, new and older homes together. Train to Tel Aviv: 63 min fastest on a weekday. Train to Jerusalem: no direct train.
The numbers that decide it
7 of 10
Socio-economic cluster
Rank 164 of 255 authorities, 1 is lowest. CBS, 2021.
1.3%
Population growth in 2023
297,083 residents at the end of 2024. CBS.
₪1,413,750
Median sold price, all homes
Last 12 months, +6.2% on the year. nadlan.gov.il.
₪3,195
Median rent a month
Recorded rents, -0.9% on the year. nadlan.gov.il.
2.7%
Gross rental yield
As nadlan.gov.il computes it, before arnona, upkeep, vacancy and tax.
1,756
Homes started in 2023
613 completed the same year. CBS city profile.
What do these numbers mean for your budget?
Message us on WhatsAppThe English-speaking community
Haifa had 297,083 residents at the end of 2024 (CBS). Nefesh B'Nefesh calls it home to a veteran English-speaking community with a small but steady stream of English-speaking olim. Its guide gives no size, and we found no count we could check: two much higher figures circulate in articles, but neither cites a source we could check. Of the 32,320 olim who settled here from 2014 to 2023, 764 came from the US and 96 from the UK, against 29,069 from the former Soviet Union (Ministry of Aliyah).
We found no English-language congregation. The Jerusalem Post reported in February 2025 that prayers and weekly sermons in Haifa's 240 plus synagogues are in Hebrew; an American family it profiled in Ahuza are the only fully Anglo family at their shul. Kehilat Moriah in Ahuza calls itself the Masorti community in Haifa, with egalitarian services in Hebrew. The olim association's older page mentions one English shiur in Ahuza and one in Neve Shaanan; we could not confirm they still run. The same Post article describes a weekly online Torah study group on Zoom, running since 2020, that draws Haifa English speakers.
ESRA's Haifa branch brings together English speakers in Haifa and the Krayot, with a Monday morning meet and greet at the Haifa Auditorium, clubs, trips and volunteering, and an English secondhand bookshop at 5 Kiryat Sefer Street. Nefesh B'Nefesh lists an Anglo oleh coordinator for the city and 26 volunteer contacts in ten neighbourhoods. The Ministry of Aliyah lists eight coordinators in Haifa, two of whom speak English. We found no AACI office in Haifa.
764
olim from the US
96
from the UK
32,320
olim in total
Settling in Haifa, 2014 to 2023. Canada, South Africa and Australia are not counted separately, and the figures stop before most of the recent growth.
Source: Ministry of Aliyah, 2014 to 2023
Where this section comes from (21 sources)
- olimhaifa.co.il/religious-communities-and-services/?lang=en, page text undated (about 2009 to 2013, see note), accessed 2026-10-14; JPost 16 Feb 2025
- jpost.com/judaism/article-841974, page text undated (about 2009 to 2013, see note), accessed 2026-10-14; JPost 16 Feb 2025
- kehilatmoriah.org, own site undated (image dated 2026-08-23), accessed 2026-10-14; JPost 16 Feb 2025
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_Reali_School, accessed 2026-10-14
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haifa, accessed 2026-10-14
- nbn.org.il/life-in-israel/community-and-housing/community-guide/haifa, Last updated 4 May 2026; snapshot undated
- nbn.org.il/aliyah-inspiration/nbn-blogger-network/go-beyond-north-blog/community-snapshot-haifa, Last updated 4 May 2026; snapshot undated
- nbn.org.il/community-guide-contacts, Last updated 23 Sep 2026
- esra.org.il/event/gold-haifa-branch, undated (image 2025/09), accessed 2026-10-14
- esra.org.il/secondhand-shops, undated, accessed 2026-10-14
- aaci.org.il/regional-offices/haifa-north, accessed 2026-10-14 (links page undated, old)
- olimhaifa.co.il/links-for-olim-services/?lang=en, accessed 2026-10-14 (links page undated, old)
- cbs.gov.il/he/publications/doclib/2019/ishuvim/bycode2024.xlsx, CBS 2024-12-31; Wikipedia accessed 2026-10-14; JPost 16 Feb 2025
- jewishlink.news/nefesh-bnefesh-closes-2025-with-over-4100-north-american-olim, 31 Dec 2025
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neve_Sha'anan,_Haifa, undated (about 2009 to 2013); Wikipedia accessed 2026-10-14
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiryat_Shmuel_(Haifa, Wikipedia accessed 2026-10-14 (figure 2007); JPost 16 Feb 2025
- en.globes.co.il/en/article-1001549009, 12 Jul 2026
- jpost.com/business-and-innovation/real-estate/article-854890, 21 May 2025
- olimhaifa.co.il/higher-education/?lang=en, undated; accessed 2026-10-14
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technion_International_School, undated; accessed 2026-10-14
- olimhaifa.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Help-Us-Strengthen-the-Anglo-Community-in-Haifa.pdf, undated; accessed 2026-10-14
Haifa
Ahuza on the Carmel ridge, seen from the south, August 2011. Photo by Orderinchaos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Where people live
Ahuza
One of the three neighbourhoods Nefesh B'Nefesh names as popular with olim. The olim association's older page says hundreds of religious Western olim have settled in Ahuza, many working at the universities, in high tech and in medicine, and describes it as modern Orthodox in flavour with a wide range of observance. It counts 22 Orthodox synagogues there, plus a Conservative (Masorti) and a Reform one, a state-religious primary school and a Bnei Akiva branch.
Neve Shaanan
The same older page calls Neve Shaanan the other large religious community, with a sizable population of English speakers and other Western olim, about 15 synagogues from modern Orthodox to Haredi, and a more Haredi tone than Ahuza; housing, it says, generally costs less than in Ahuza. Wikipedia gives Neve Sha'anan proper a population of 44,100 in 2021. An Israel Land Authority tender (418/2025) offers land for 800 homes in apartment buildings in Neve Shaanan; bids open on 26 Oct 2026 and close on 30 Nov 2026.
Kiryat Shmuel
The third neighbourhood Nefesh B'Nefesh names. Wikipedia describes it as mostly Orthodox, with its streets closed to traffic on Shabbat, and gives 5,500 residents in 2007; the Jerusalem Post put it at 8,000 in 2025 and placed it on the edge of Haifa's low-lying industrial zone, which it said is not known for its air quality.
Where the volunteers live
Nefesh B'Nefesh's community contacts list has 26 volunteer entries for Haifa: 9 in Neve Shaanan, 5 in Ahuza, 3 each in Hadar and Merkaz HaCarmel, and one each in Kiryat Shmuel, Neot Peres, the German Colony, Western Carmel, Masada and Sprinsak.
Who lives here
In the 2022 census the most common household described itself as secular, the median age was 37 and 20.4% of residents were 65 or older. The CBS puts the city in socio-economic cluster 7 of 10 (2021). About nine in ten of the decade's olim came from the former Soviet Union.
Source: CBS · Ministry of Aliyah
55.7%
of households own their home
38.0%
rent
37
median age
2.4
people per household
3.3%
born in the Americas
28.7%
work outside the city
Schools
106 active schools in Haifa, by stream
72 State
25 Haredi
9 State religious
Schools
The Ministry of Education lists 106 active schools in Haifa: 72 state, 9 state-religious and 25 Charedi. The list has no language field.
Source: Ministry of Education
Hebrew help for children
Nefesh B'Nefesh lists extra help in Hebrew for olim schoolchildren, a full exemption from school service fees, a summer Hebrew ulpan and individual help after school hours. Its Haifa snapshot (undated) says middle and high school ulpan classes are held at a high school between Ahuza and Neve Shaanan, where many English speakers live.
English-language study
We found no school or gan in Haifa that teaches in English. At university level, the Technion offers engineering programmes in English through Technion International, founded in 2009, and the olim association says many English-speaking olim work at the Technion.
Getting around
Direct trains from חוף הכרמל station, 4.9 km in a straight line from the city's centre point, on one weekday of the current timetable.
To Tel Aviv HaHagana
63min
fastest; median 66 min, 54 direct trains a weekday
To Tel Aviv Savidor
53min
fastest; median 56 min, 59 direct trains a weekday
To Jerusalem Yitzhak Navon
None
no direct train, a change is needed
Several stations, none to Jerusalem
Wikipedia counts six railway stations in Haifa and an underground line, the Carmelit. Of the five stations in our timetable data, Hof HaCarmel is the fastest to Tel Aviv, with 59 direct weekday trains to Savidor; none of the five has a direct train to Jerusalem (Ministry of Transport, 14 Oct 2026).
Distance
Wikipedia puts the city about 90 km north of Tel Aviv.
Source: Wikipedia · accessed 14 Oct 2026
Work
In the 2022 census 28.7% of Haifa's employed residents worked outside the city.
Source: CBS Census 2022
Hof HaCarmel station, the fastest of Haifa's stations to Tel Aviv, June 2023. Photo by Gal Ben-David, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
What homes sold and rented for
Recorded deals from the Tax Authority, last 12 months. They mix new apartments and older homes, so they are neither the new-build price nor the resale price.
Sold, median price
- 3 rooms₪1,148,500
+0.8% on the year
- 4 rooms₪1,532,950
-9.0% on the year
- 5 rooms₪2,798,150
-2.3% on the year
Latest quarter (to Mar 2026): ₪1,406,400 here against ₪2,058,800 nationally.
Rented, median a month
- 3 rooms₪3,300
0.0% on the year
- 4 rooms₪4,450
-1.1% on the year
- 5 rooms₪5,725
+0.4% on the year
The CBS rent survey, a different series, puts average free-market rent at ₪3,405 a month (Q2 2026) for Haifa.
What else is being built
1,756
homes started in 2023
613 completed. CBS.
720
state land tenders since 2000
80 opened since 2023. Israel Land Authority.
32
Dira BeHanacha lotteries
Latest 27 Jan 2025: 127 homes, 23,424 applicants.
Land offered to developers right now (4)
A tender is land, not homes: anything built on it is years away.
Running costs and safety
Arnona, average billed
₪70.2
per square metre a year, 2023. The city’s total residential billing over billed area, not your street’s tariff.
Source: CBS city profile, 2023
Bank of Israel rate
3.25%
The base for mortgage pricing, not a mortgage rate.
Source: Bank of Israel, 13 Oct 2026
Siren warning time
90seconds
to reach a protected space. New buildings must have one: usually a safe room in the apartment (mamad), in some a shared one per floor (mamak). Ask which.
Source: Home Front Command, 14 Oct 2026
The downsides
No English-speaking shul
We found no English-language congregation; the Jerusalem Post reported in 2025 that services across the city are in Hebrew. The two English shiurim we found are on a page from about 2009 to 2013.
Source: Jerusalem Post · 16 Feb 2025
Most olim are from the former Soviet Union
Of 32,320 olim from 2014 to 2023, 29,069 came from the former Soviet Union and 860 from the US and UK together. The Ministry of Aliyah lists two English-speaking coordinators in Haifa against five who speak Russian.
Far from Tel Aviv, no train to Jerusalem
Even from Hof HaCarmel, the fastest weekday train takes 53 minutes to Tel Aviv Savidor and 63 to HaHagana, and there is no direct train to Jerusalem from any Haifa station (Ministry of Transport, 14 Oct 2026).
Source: Ministry of Transport GTFS
Thin, dated Anglo record
Much of what is written about English-speaking Haifa is old: the olim association's English pages date from about 2009 to 2013, we found no AACI office, and no count of English speakers that cites a source we could check.
An older city
20.4% of residents were 65 or older in the 2022 census, and the median age was 37.
Source: CBS Census 2022
Who should pick Haifa, and who should not
Pick it if you are
- Religious families happy to join a Hebrew-speaking shul in Ahuza, Neve Shaanan or Kiryat Shmuel.
- Families working at the Technion, the University of Haifa, in high tech or in medicine, as many Western olim in Ahuza do.
- Retirees who want ESRA's English-speaking circle and prices below the national median.
Look elsewhere if you are
- Families who want an English-speaking shul or a large Anglo community.
- Anyone commuting daily to Jerusalem, or to Tel Aviv on a tight schedule.
- Families who need English-language schooling.
Questions about Haifa
Is Haifa good for English speakers?
Nefesh B'Nefesh calls it home to a veteran English-speaking community, ESRA runs an English-speaking branch and bookshop, and the city has an Anglo oleh coordinator. But there is no English-language shul, and the Ministry of Aliyah counts 764 olim from the US and 96 from the UK among the 32,320 who settled here from 2014 to 2023.
Is there an English-speaking shul in Haifa?
We found none. The Jerusalem Post reported in 2025 that prayers in Haifa's 240 plus synagogues are in Hebrew, Kehilat Moriah in Ahuza is the Masorti congregation, with services in Hebrew.
Source: Jerusalem Post · 16 Feb 2025
Where do English speakers live in Haifa?
Nefesh B'Nefesh names Ahuza, Neve Shaanan and Kiryat Shmuel as the neighbourhoods popular with olim. Its volunteer contacts are mostly in Neve Shaanan (9 of 26) and Ahuza (5).
What does Haifa offer new olim?
Nefesh B'Nefesh lists a project manager on arrival, employment help, subsidised temporary housing for 2 to 4 weeks, a 90% arnona discount on the first 100 square metres for 12 months of the first 24, extra ulpan hours, free entry to municipal museums and libraries, and an Anglo oleh coordinator. Nefesh B'Nefesh says the Sapir absorption centre in Kiryat Yam is close by.
What do English speakers do together in Haifa?
ESRA's Haifa branch holds a meet and greet on Monday mornings at Greg Cafe in the Haifa Auditorium, a games club, a Hebrew conversation group, trips, lectures and volunteering, and runs the English secondhand bookshop at 5 Kiryat Sefer Street.
How much does a home cost in Haifa?
The median recorded sale over the last 12 months was ₪1,413,750, new and older homes together, and ₪1,532,950 for 4 rooms, 9% lower than the year before (nadlan.gov.il, 20 Aug 2026). In the quarter ending Mar 2026 the median was ₪1,406,400, against ₪2,058,800 nationally.
Source: nadlan.gov.il
How much is rent in Haifa?
The median recorded rent over the last 12 months was ₪4,450 a month for 4 rooms and ₪3,195 across all homes (nadlan.gov.il, 20 Aug 2026). nadlan.gov.il computes a gross rental yield of 2.7%, before arnona, maintenance, vacancy and tax.
Source: nadlan.gov.il
How long is the train from Haifa to Tel Aviv?
From Hof HaCarmel, the fastest of Haifa's stations, the fastest weekday direct train takes 53 minutes to Tel Aviv Savidor and 63 minutes to HaHagana (59 direct trains to Savidor that day), per the Ministry of Transport timetable fetched 14 Oct 2026. There is no direct train to Jerusalem.
Source: Ministry of Transport GTFS
Is anything being built in Haifa?
The CBS counted 1,756 homes started in Haifa in 2023. Globes reported in July 2026 that an urban renewal project in Kiryat Eliezer will replace 128 apartments with 618 in three towers, one of 65 floors. In Neve Shaanan, an Israel Land Authority tender for 800 homes closes on 30 Nov 2026.
Source: Globes · 12 Jul 2026
Is Haifa beyond the Green Line?
No. Haifa is inside the 1949 armistice line. Wikipedia notes that the 1947 UN partition plan designated it as part of the proposed Jewish state.
Source: Wikipedia · accessed 14 Oct 2026
How long do you have to reach a shelter in Haifa?
90 seconds from the siren, according to the Home Front Command.
Source: Home Front Command · 14 Oct 2026
Thinking about Haifa?
Send us your budget and the size you need. We reply with what is on offer, new-build and resale kept apart.
Get a price alert for Haifa
One email when the official numbers on this page update. Nothing else from this form.
Sources and method
- CBS Localities File 2024, 31 Dec 2024
- CBS Census 2022, data.gov.il, 31 Dec 2022
- Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, olim by receiving locality (new-olim-by-cities), data.gov.il, 2014 to 2023
- Ministry of Education institutions (mosdot_edu), data.gov.il, 14 Oct 2026
- Ministry of Construction and Housing, Dira BeHanacha lotteries (mechir-lamishtaken), data.gov.il, 27 Jan 2025
- Home Front Command alert areas (districts_heb.json), 14 Oct 2026
- Bank of Israel interest rate (SDMX BR), 13 Oct 2026
- CBS, Local Authorities in Israel 2023, authority profile (publication 1987), 31 Dec 2023; 2023; 2022; Jun 2024; 2021
- CBS, Characterization and Classification of Geographical Units by Socio-Economic Level, 2021, table 2, 2021
- CBS Price Statistics Monthly, table 4.9, average free-market rent, Q2 2026
- Ministry of Transport GTFS, Israel Railways (agency 2), 14 Oct 2026
- nadlan.gov.il (Tax Authority deal records), site's own summary, 20 Aug 2026
- Israel Land Authority tenders (michrazim), 14 Oct 2026
Official figures fetched 14 Oct 2026. Each date is the period the source covers, or for live lists (schools, tenders, timetable, warning times) the day we fetched it. Page written 14 Oct 2026.