For many families in Israel, a private home with a yard remains the ultimate dream. Yet new data shows that the dream is slipping further away: high-rise construction has become the norm, especially in sought-after areas, while demand for detached houses is being met mainly in regions outside Israel’s center and in settlement communities.
According to updated data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, most new private home construction starts in 2025 are concentrated beyond the Green Line, in Israeli communities with up to 10,000 residents. In the first half of the year, 438 new detached homes were started there - nearly four times more than in any other city in Israel.
This gap underscores a dramatic shift in the housing market: while cities like Jerusalem, Be’er Ya’akov, and Kiryat Gat are building thousands of apartments in high-rise towers, the opportunity to buy a private house with a garden remains limited - typically available only beyond the Green Line or in the country’s distant periphery.
After the settlements in the West Bank, the city of Katzrin in the Golan Heights leads the list with 109 new private housing starts. The south also shows strong activity, with Be’er Sheva (74), Rahat (70), and Ofakim (64). In contrast, in central cities, almost no new private home construction is recorded, which explains the record-high prices in this segment.
The numbers point to a clear trend: city centers are building upward - towers of 21 stories or more account for 19% of all new construction - while life in a detached home is becoming increasingly rare. The CBS data makes it clear: anyone who wants to live in a private house must understand that Israel’s planning reality is pushing that dream ever farther toward the periphery.