Living in Israel as a French Citizen: Aliyah, Cities, Cost of Living, Schooling and Safety

The main asset is the support given to new immigrants: a personal integration adviser, the My Aliyah app, coordinators in municipalities and an information line (*2994) that answers in French, among other languages (Ministry of Aliyah and Integration). Here are the points to weigh before settling.

• Pros: a lively Mediterranean coastline, a leading technology sector, a life expectancy of 81.4 years for men and 85.5 years for women in 2024 (Central Bureau of Statistics) and targeted help for olim during the first years.
• Points to note: expensive housing (home prices up 7.7% in 2024, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics), learning Hebrew, a pace of life and transport timetable built around Shabbat, and the security context detailed below.

The country’s economic indicators appear in the economic indicators block above; the page on working in Israel details salaries, taxation and employment.

The Law of Return of 1950 gives every Jewish person the right to immigrate. The 1970 amendment extends it to the children and grandchildren of a Jewish person, to their spouse and to the spouse of their child or grandchild (Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Eligibility is examined by the Population and Immigration Authority; the Pre-Aliyah service of the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, available in French, guides the opening of the file.

On arrival at Ben Gurion airport, the new immigrant receives an oleh document and a temporary identity card valid for 3 months, and can register with a health fund. They then book an appointment with the Population Authority for the final biometric card, with passport, birth certificate and documents proving eligibility. During the first year, the state issues a travel document; an Israeli passport can be requested after one year of actual residence. According to the ministry, 32,087 people made aliyah in 2024.

The teudat zehut is the Israeli identity card, useful for all dealings with administrations and institutions. The National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) describes several type A visas: the A/1 is a temporary visa for people eligible under the Law of Return who have not yet decided to make aliyah, with a temporary identity card valid for up to 5 years; the A/2 is the student visa, renewed periodically; the A/4 is for those accompanying an A/2 holder; the A/5 is a transitional visa of 1 to 2 years for people going through a process towards permanent residence or citizenship, for example by marriage.

Type B visas (tourist, foreign worker) do not confer resident status. Recognition as a resident rests on the “centre of life” in Israel, which the institute examines case by case. It conditions access to national health insurance, detailed in the guide to the Israeli healthcare system.

The absorption basket (sal klita) supports the new immigrant during ulpan, with no income test. The ministry’s 2026 rates are ₪21,694 for a single person, ₪35,071 for a single parent and ₪41,359 for a couple; for a retiree, they reach ₪22,779 (single) and ₪34,263 (couple). A first instalment is handed over at the airport on a prepaid card, and the balance arrives in monthly payments over six months, provided a bank account is supplied (joint for a couple). Payment stops if the person leaves the country.

Other help completes the scheme: income support for olim with no job or on a low income until the end of the first year, rent assistance from the 7th to the 30th month, an arnona (municipal tax) reduction of up to 90% on 100 m², a reduction in the property purchase tax from one year before to seven years after aliyah and customs duty exemption on three shipments of personal belongings. The ministry’s Easy-Zechut calculator estimates entitlements according to family situation.

Ulpan is the funded Hebrew course for olim: a morning programme generally lasts five months for about 420 to 450 hours, with no tuition fees from age 17, with entitlement to help open up to 10 years after aliyah (Ministry of Aliyah and Integration). During ulpan, the absorption basket covers living and transport costs.

In Israel, every child is in school from age 3 to the end of 12th grade, free of charge excluding textbooks and outings. Enrolment goes through the municipality’s website. For children aged 3 months to 3 years, subsidised nurseries apply to olim an income-independent fee grading for two years, when the parent has no job or attends ulpan at least 24 hours a week. Pupils receive extra Hebrew hours (one year in nursery and primary school, two years in middle school, six years in high school) and accommodations on the Israeli matriculation exam (up to 10 years after aliyah or up to age 23, whichever is later). Families who prefer the French curriculum have four schools listed by the French embassy, in Holon, Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

The Ministry of Aliyah and Integration’s Your Place in Israel site presents about thirty cities in French. A few benchmarks:

• Tel Aviv-Jaffa: a technological and cultural metropolis, 2,817 olim settled in 2025 and 31,299 over the last decade, or 5.2% of the population.
• Jerusalem: public-sector employment, high-tech and medicine, 2,370 olim in 2025 and 28,511 over ten years.
• Haifa: the country’s largest port, high-tech, biotechnology and hospitals, with a profile that highlights the ratio of quality of life to housing prices.
• Raanana: a city in the Sharon region, known for its schools.
• Eilat: tourism, renewable energy, biotechnology and dedicated support for professionals who settle there.
• Netanya and Ashdod: large coastal cities for which the Central Bureau of Statistics publishes average rent.

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Herzliya and Ramat Gan top the list of large cities for average rent in 2024.

Housing weighs heavily on the budget: in 2024, average rent reaches ₪4,717 a month (index up 3.5%) and the average home price ₪2,340,300, with a 7.7% rise in the price index (Central Bureau of Statistics). Of the country’s homes, 70.6% are owner-occupied and 28.8% rented.

In the 2023 household expenditure survey, average monthly consumption is ₪18,088, of which 25.3% for housing and 17.9% for food. To ease settling in, the ministry offers a preferential-rate mortgage to olim without housing, public housing on criteria and, for seniors, dedicated housing solutions. Price levels change every month: current inflation appears in the economic indicators block. To budget for healthcare, see the guide to budgeting for healthcare abroad.

On its Safety page, updated on 15 September 2026, France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) maintains a recommendation to reserve travel to Israel for compelling reasons, including tourist and family visits. Its advice describes missile and drone fire that regularly reaches the whole territory, a high risk of attack and areas where travel is formally advised against: the northern border with the Golan Heights and the area around the Gaza Strip. In Jerusalem, vigilance is advised, especially in the Old City on Thursday, Friday and Saturday late in the day.

The practical instructions are the same everywhere: follow the news before each trip, avoid gatherings, follow the instructions of the local authorities (Home Front Command), register on Fil d’Ariane (the French foreign ministry’s traveller registration service) and consult the websites of the consulates general in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. France Diplomatie also notes a high seismic risk, the currents on Mediterranean beaches and summer heat. Before leaving, check your health and repatriation cover: the guide to repatriation and assistance and the Israel health insurance guide set out the options. Expavy compares these covers through the diagnostic.