When buying property in Israel, there is naturally an adjustment period to how things work and how people live compared to other countries. One of the most common reactions I get from foreign clients purchasing in Israel is one of surprise and sometimes shock at just how different Israeli living is compared to their countries of origin.
Often, people understandably arrive with expectations shaped by North America, the UK or Australian standards. Usually this means larger bedrooms, big living rooms, more storage, car garage and a private backyard. Then they walk into a new project in Tel Aviv or Herzliya and realize apartments here are a lot smaller and tighter.
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Planned urban renewal project on Shalom Road, Tel Aviv
(Illustration: Oron Real Estate)
But once you understand the Israeli lifestyle, the puzzle pieces fall into place. In Israel, put simply, life happens mainly outside your home, and living indoors is not conducive to the lifestyle here. Your apartment is your anchor, but the real living happens outside at your neighborhood park down the street, the cafes just a short walk away, the beaches, the boardwalks and life that defines Israeli culture.
In fact, clients coming from abroad are usually in shock to see kids here running around outside alone, even in the evening hours. And although Israel faces security challenges that unfortunately can result in terrorism from time to time, everyday crime is extremely low and the streets are very safe compared to major Western cities today.
That freedom to roam wherever your heart desires is what essentially makes your neighborhood and your city become your actual backyard, as opposed to a fenced plot at the back of your house. And then there are the intangibles: the sound of people talking on balconies, the smell of Shabbat dinners drifting through the streets, the warmth and familiarity of neighborhood life. These are things you can only understand once you live here, and they reshape what “home” really means.
Why new construction feels tight
When it comes to new developments, especially, part of the size difference comes from economics. Land is scarce and expensive, especially in central Israel, and developers maximize every centimeter. Bedrooms of 10–12 square meters are standard. The safe room (Mamad) is often designated as another functional bedroom in new builds, and those are often less than 10sqm in size.
For someone coming from North America, that might feel like a walk-in closet. Here? It works. People adapt because the lifestyle supports it. Modern regulations also take up space, such as thicker walls for insulation, fire systems, accessibility standards, elevator shafts, utility rooms, underground parking and more. Add Israel’s love of balconies - which is completely justified given the climate - and it's easy to understand why interior spaces become more compact.
Also, from a profitability standpoint, when developers look at how to utilize floorplans efficiently, a large one-bedroom almost always will sell for less than a compact two-bedroom unit. And for developers, that means fitting in an extra bedroom, even if tight, can make a development significantly more profitable. Of course, this varies from project to project and city to city, but in Tel Aviv especially, small bedrooms and lean floorplans are common.
Foreign buyers sometimes arrive expecting a 120-square-meter one or two-bedroom apartment. In Tel Aviv, a standard two-bedroom can range from 65 to 90 square meters. And yes, you can absolutely find larger homes, and you can certainly reconfigure floorplans to suit your needs, but spacious living on a North American scale is not the norm in Israel.
Yet, as the saying goes, "good things come in small packages," and in Israel, that could not be truer. And evidently so, many new immigrants find that once they settle in, what they lose in indoor space, they gain tenfold in lifestyle. The country’s greatest amenities - the beaches, parks, cafés, nature trails, culture, community - are the very things people abroad travel thousands of miles to experience a few weeks a year. Here, it’s all just outside your door: a short walk, a short bike ride or a short drive away.
Life happens outside your apartment
Spend enough time in Israel and you quickly understand why, despite the pressure, the pace and the occasional chaos, people here are genuinely happy. The climate, the culture, the food and the social fabric all push life outward. Children run freely in nearby parks, parents meet friends for coffee and families stroll the promenades in the evenings. Weekends are spent at the beach, hiking trails, community events or with relatives. Here, the city and the countryside become an extension of your home.
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A large-scale urban renewal plan in Bnei Yehuda, Petah Tikva
(Illustration: Barely Levitzky Kassif Architects & Town Planners)
It creates a deep sense of belonging that’s hard to describe to someone who hasn’t lived it - a feeling of being part of something larger, and once you feel that, the size of the apartment becomes far less central to your quality of life.
Buyers who understand this reality early on adjust quickly. They look beyond the exact square meters and focus on the lifestyle the neighborhood offers. Those who don’t often face frustration, not because the properties are inadequate, but because they are comparing Israeli living to what they’re used to abroad, instead of embracing the context here.
If you’re planning to buy in central Israel, especially in a new project, prepare for compact layouts, smaller bedrooms and efficient design. That’s the norm. But prepare for something else too: a lifestyle that is warmer, richer, more active and more connected than anything you may have experienced abroad. And for many new immigrants, that trade-off ends up being more than worth it.
Final thoughts
The true value of living in Israel isn’t measured in square meters. It’s measured in the life happening around you, the weather, the energy, the community, the rhythm of the streets and that feeling of “home” stretches far beyond the walls of your apartment.
At the end of the day, the size of your living room matters far less than the life you build outside of it. With the right mindset and realistic expectations, you will find the perfect property much quicker, and as I’ve seen time and time again with internationals, you’ll likely be much happier.
- Noah Sander is a Canadian-born real estate agent based in Tel Aviv, specializing in helping international buyers and new olim navigate the Israeli property market. For inquiries: [email protected], his brokerage: Daon Group Real Estate