Last Updated on October 23, 2021
How to save on the cost of fruit & vegetables in Israel?
Since the onset of the coronavirus the unemployment rate, in Israel, has increased by five-fold, businesses have collapsed around us and many are without income. We have no idea how long the situation will continue and so now more than ever we need to tighten our belts. Price does matter but the good news is that you can take steps and save. If you do your fruit and vegetable shopping in your local supermarket you will find some top quality produce but it is clearly more expensive but if there is a fruit and vegetable market in your town, head there right now.
Did you know that every year Israel exports more than $2 billion dollars of fruit and vegetables and back in the old country we were sometimes treated to succulent Israeli watermelons, bright orange, juicy Jaffa oranges and top quality grapefruit.
- Local supermarket prices comparisons
- Fruit and vegetables in season
- An Israel shopping experience – The open air market
Prices are accurate as at July 13tth, 2020
| Item | Haifa Shuk | Rami Levi |
Shufersal | Mega/You |
|
| Midweek Price |
Friday Afternoon | Online price per kg |
|||
| Vegetables | |||||
| Bean sprouts | 6.00 | 6.00 | 5.90 | – | 6.90 |
| Beets | 5.00 | 2.00 | 3.90 | 4.90 | 2.90 |
| Mushrooms/punnet | 7.00 | 10 for 2 |
– | 14.90 for 2 | 14.90 for 2 |
| Cabbage (white) | 3.80 | 2.50 | 3.90 | 3.90 | 2.90 |
| Carrots | 3.50 | 4.00 | 3.90 | 3.90 | 2.90 |
| Cauliflower | 5.00 | 5.00 | 10.60 | 9.90 | 9.90 |
| Corn on the cob | 6.00 | 3.50 | 6.90 | 7.90 | 5.90 |
| Cucumbers | 3.00 | 4.00 | 5.90 | 5.90 | 3.90 |
| Eggplant | 5.00 |
3.00 | 4.90 | 7.90 | 3.90 |
| Lettuce (Iceberg) |
7.00 | 6.00 | 5.00 | 6.90 | 6.90 |
| Onions (white) | 2.00 | 2.80 | 3.90 | 3.90 | 3.90 |
| Parsley | 3.00 | 1.00 | 3.90 | 3.90 | 5.90 |
| Potatoes (white) | 2.00 | 2.00 | 3.90 | 3.90 | 3.90 |
| Sweet potatoes/yams | 4.00 | 8.00 |
7.90 | 9.90 | 7.90 |
| Sweet red bell peppers | 7.00 | 4.00 | 9.90 | 14.90 | 6.90 |
| Tomatoes | 6.80 | 5.00 | 4.90 | 5.90 | 5.90 |
| Fruit | |||||
| Apples – Starking |
6.50 | 4.00 | 9.90 | 9.90 | 9.90 |
| Grapes | 10.90 | 12.00 | 15.90 | 15.90 | 22.90 |
| Peaches | 7.90 | 8.90 | 7.90 | ||
| Nectarines | 8.00 | – | – | ||
| Watermelon | 10 whole watermelon | 1.50 | 2.90 | 1.50 | |
Please note that during the Jewish Shmita year, fruit and vegetables are more expensive. Shmita is a sabbatical year where the land is left to lie fallow and all agricultural activity, including plowing, planting, pruning and harvesting, is forbidden by Jewish law (as commanded in the Torah)
Organic Fruits & Vegetables
The prices of organic fruits and vegetables are much higher. At the Shufersal for example, organic Starking apples were selling for 19.90 shekels/kg while non-organic were 9.90 shekels/kg
Conclusions based on this trolley (for a family of 4)
- Friday afternoon shopping at the shuk is about 30 per-cent cheaper than weekday shopping at the shuk.
- Rami Levi’s prices are comparable to the shuk but the selection is sometimes limited.
- Shopping for fruit and veg at the major supermarkets is 50 per cent more expensive than shopping at the shuk on a weekday and nearly 100 per cent more expensive than Friday afternoon shopping at the shuk.
- On this trolley, if you shop at the shuk on Friday afternoons instead of weekdays, you can save around 30 shekels per week which translates to nearly 1,500 shekels per year!
- On this trolley, if you shop at the shuk on Friday afternoons instead of at the supermarket, you can save around 100 shekels per week which translates to around 5,000 shekels per year.
