Less on the supermarket, more on vacations: How Israeli spending has changed

Despite the high cost of living, Israelis have not stopped using their credit cards. Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics published on Wednesday shows that between April and June 2026, credit card expenditures rose by 5.7% compared to the same period, indicating that private consumption continues to grow, albeit at a more moderate pace than earlier this year.

Leading the increase were major purchases. Spending on clothing, footwear, electrical appliances, electronics, and furniture jumped by 9.6% — the sharpest increase among all consumption categories. Spending on services, including flights, hotels, tourism, and government services, also rose by 4.7%.

In contrast, in the category most felt during daily life — food and beverages — a moderate increase of only 1.2% was recorded. This indicates that Israelis did not significantly increase their supermarket shopping, but spent more money on other acquisitions.

In the technology sector, a notable increase was also recorded. Purchases of computers and software rose by 10.8%, and spending on transport equipment and services increased by 10.2%. On the other hand, spending on fuel, electricity, and gas fell by 0.4%. In the leisure sector, an opposite trend was observed: spending on entertainment and leisure fell by 6.5%, while spending on flights, tourism, and hospitality continued to rise by 4.5% — a figure indicating that more Israelis are choosing to spend money on vacations and travel.

The Central Bureau of Statistics notes that the largest category in Israeli spending is "other products and services," which includes computers, communications, medicines, and fuel, and accounts for about 45% of all credit card purchases. This is followed by spending on services (about 20%), industrial products such as fashion and electronics (about 20%), and food and beverages (about 15%).

Bottom line, the data indicates that Israelis continue to consume and spend more money, but the main growth is no longer in the supermarket shopping basket, but rather in larger purchases, technology, fashion, electrical appliances, and vacations.