Housing is the biggest number in any move to RBS. Below are the price ranges that brokers and aggregators publish, the tax rules for olim, and the paperwork step that people miss.
What rent costs
These are indicative ranges from brokers and aggregators, not official statistics, so use them as a starting point:
- 3-room flats NIS 4,000-4,500 a month, 5-room NIS 7,000-8,500. In RBS Gimmel, about NIS 5,500 for 3 rooms and over NIS 9,000 for 6 rooms. Larger cottages in Nofei Aviv NIS 9,000-10,000 (Semerenko Group, broker, Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab)).
- Another set (Feb 2026): 2 bedrooms NIS 3,500-5,000 to rent or NIS 2.0-2.8 million to buy; 4 bedrooms NIS 5,000-7,000 to rent or NIS 3.0-4.5 million to buy (AliyahNet, aggregator (opens in a new tab)).
Put your own numbers into the cost-of-living worksheet.
Where listings are posted
NBN points to Madlan and Yad2 (NBN (opens in a new tab)). There's also a real-estate WhatsApp group and a Telegram group via ShemeshPhone's social page (yes.shemesh.co.il (opens in a new tab)). English-speaking agents, lawyers, mortgage brokers and insurance agents are in the directory.
Purchase tax for olim
From 15 August 2024 the olim purchase-tax brackets are (NBN (opens in a new tab)):
| Price (NIS) | Tax |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,978,745 | 0% |
| 1,978,745 - 6,055,070 | 0.5% |
| 6,055,070 - 20,183,565 | 8% |
The benefit applies only to the oleh's single residence, bought between 1 year before and 7 years after aliyah. Purchase tax must be paid within 50 days of signing (NBN (opens in a new tab)).
New building and Dira BeHanacha
In June 2024 a Housing Ministry / Israel Land Authority tender sold 2,720 apartments in Beit Shemesh. 80% of them (2,175) went into the discounted "Dira BeHanacha" lottery for first-time buyers (ShemeshPhone, Dec 2024 (opens in a new tab)). More is planned in RBS Vav (see neighbourhoods compared).
Don't skip: register the lease for arnona
To get the olim arnona discount on a rental, the lease has to be registered in your name with the city. The city asks for the property number and the previous tenant's details (ShemeshPhone (opens in a new tab)). The discount is then applied only once you have a direct debit or have paid the year in full (ShemeshPhone (opens in a new tab)). The first-week guide has the office hours.