The most sought-after neighborhoods for rent in Israel

The most sought-after neighborhood for rent in the summer of 2026 was Neve Sha'anan in Haifa. It is followed by the Nachlaot neighborhood in Jerusalem and the central Herzliya neighborhood, and only in fourth place does the Lev Tel Aviv neighborhood appear. This emerges from an analysis of demand data for residential rentals in Israel this summer.

The check, based on data from the Madlan board, examined the demand for residential rentals from the beginning of July to the end of August this year compared to the same period last year. A total of 1,614 neighborhoods across the country were surveyed with the aim of answering two questions: which neighborhoods are the most sought-after for rent today, and in which neighborhoods was the most significant increase in demand recorded compared to last summer.

The ranking is based on a combined index of three parameters: the total volume of inquiries for rental properties in the neighborhood, the number of inquiries per ad, and the number of views on the property. The goal was to prevent a situation where large neighborhoods would automatically reach the top just because they have a large number of apartments and ads.

At the top of the ranking of the most sought-after neighborhoods stands Neve Sha'anan in Haifa, followed by Nachlaot in Jerusalem, central Herzliya, Lev Tel Aviv, and Ramot Remez in Haifa. Haifa holds 6 out of the first 20 places, while Tel Aviv holds 7, but in lower places.

Tal Koppel, CEO of the Madlan website, believes that there is a clear common denominator for the neighborhoods that reached the top: "We see that the list of sought-after neighborhoods is a very urban list, close to city centers. There are no new neighborhoods or tower neighborhoods in it, which says something about the tastes of tenants at this time: whoever is renting is interested in living close to the center of things, and silence interests them less."

Sharon Eshel, an Anglo Saxon franchisee in Haifa, refers to the neighborhood ranked at the top of the list and says that Neve Sha'anan is the largest neighborhood in Israel and currently leads the demand in Haifa due to its proximity to the Technion and the university. "Neve Sha'anan is undergoing significant urban renewal processes and has a large supply of new apartments with MAMADs (protected rooms). In the current market situation, where there are few purchase transactions, people prefer to rent an apartment with a protection solution. The neighborhood offers a relatively cheap alternative to the Carmel, with a wide price range of about 3,000-7,000 shekels per month," he explains.

Eshel adds that in Haifa, there is a dramatic price increase of 20%-30% in rental prices compared to last year, driven by the growing need for protection.

Change in demand

The increase in the number of inquiries per ad was led by the Lev Tel Aviv neighborhood (the western part), where a jump of 116% was recorded compared to last summer. It is followed by HaYeruka HaMerkazit in Herzliya, with an increase of 76%, and Ahuza in Haifa with 70%.

According to the appraiser and jurist Erez Cohen, the demands in the rental market show that tenants are looking today not only for Tel Aviv, but also for quality and accessible alternatives in other cities. "The slowdown in apartment purchases is pushing the rental market up in the volume of transactions and prices. More households are delaying the purchase and remaining in rentals, and this is evident in the high demands in a series of neighborhoods across the country. There is great variation within the rental market, where beyond the location and quality of the apartment, the MAMAD component creates a preference for new neighborhoods or those with urban renewal over old apartments," notes Cohen.