Rishon Letzion holds the title of the city with the highest
rate of monthly consumption per household: NIS 11,150, while
Ramat Gan is the runner-up at NIS 10,620, according to a
Central Bureau of Statistics study of cities with more than
100 thousand residents. Bat Yam and Ashdod had the lowest
rates of consumption per household at NIS 7260 and 7,210
respectively.
The study found per capita monthly expense in Ramat Gan was
4500; in Tel Aviv: 4360. In comparison, in Ashdod and Bnei
Brak the average consumption per capita was 2700.
In Bnei Brak, breadwinners provide for an average 4.37
family members: a rate that is the highest on the list. In
Ramat Gan, Rishon Letzion and Tel Aviv this ratio is the
lowest of all: 2.13-2.21 family members per breadwinner.
An analysis of the consumer habits of urban households
indicates that families in Bnei Brak spend the most for
clothing and footwear: 4.7%. Expenses for "education,
culture and amusement" at 16.7% are higher in Bnei Brak and
Beersheba, in contrast to 12-15% in other cities. The outlay
for transportation and communications in Bnei Brak was the
lowest of all at 11.4%, in contrast to 16%-21% in other
cities.
This is the first time that the Central Office for
Statistics has published statistics on nine cities of 100-
200 thousand residents, in addition to the customary
statistics on the three largest cities.
The survey included a sampling of 1999 households: 120-220
in each of the aforementioned cities and 330-530 households
in larger cities.
Findings in cities with 100-200 thousand residents have a
relatively larger margin of error than those of the three
large cities.
The following are some of the survey's findings. Housing: In
the socioeconomic grading of local municipalities, the 12
cities with 100 thousand or more residents are ranged from
the highest level to the lowest. Ramat Gan is on the top of
the list, while Bnei Brak is on the bottom.
The estimated value of an apartment as stated by the survey
reveals that the most expensive apartments are found in the
cities of the upper socioeconomic class: Ramat Gan, Tel
Aviv, Yaffo and Rishon Letzion. In Jerusalem and Bnei Brak,
however, the average cost of an apartment is clearly higher
relative to their place on the list. This is because of the
unusually large demand for apartments in these cities.
Petach Tikvah has the largest amount of homeowners, 83%, in
comparison with Tel Aviv where only 55% of the residents own
their own apartments.
In Rishon Letzion, residents pay the highest land property
tax (NIS 250 a month). One of the reasons is that apartments
there are bigger than those of other cities, averaging 3.79
rooms.
In 1999, Jerusalem householders spent an average of 134 NIS
a month for electricity, the lowest rate of all the cities.
One of the reasons for his is the paucity of air-
conditioners in the city. Only 12.3% of Jerusalem's homes
have air- conditioners, in comparison to 40% of the
householders in southern cities and 72% in Ramat Gan. This
is probably due in part to the differences in weather and
not just to differences in purchasing ability. Ownership of
consumer goods is highest in Rishon Letzion, Ramat Gan;
lowest in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak.
