Crossing the million: how much does it really cost to raise a child in Israel?

Did you have a child? Congratulations. From the moment the paper with two lines turns into a first look that melts you in the delivery room, your life changes from one end to the other. But along with the excitement comes a heavy price tag that accompanies you for the next 21 years.

How much does it really cost us to raise a child in Israel today? We decided to check it with the help of an expert who surveyed families from all walks of life. We compiled the financial timeline of our children—from the first diaper to the day of release from the IDF. The results are far higher than anything you thought.

6,000 shekels a month

“I have credit on my phone that parents load, as if remotely,” says Lian Menashe. “So he allocates me, say, 400 shekels, and that’s enough for about three weeks.” Her friend Ariel doesn’t agree: “Liar, you’re lying. That’s enough for you for a week at most.”

When they try to estimate the cost of annual shopping, the numbers start climbing. “For the year, with the parents, maybe around 6,000 shekels,” says Ariel. “Shopping—6,000 shekels a year? If not more,” replies Efrat. “It depends: if there are good sales, I go wild,” Ariel answers.

The gap between the children’s perception and the parents’ reality is evident. Ariel said 6,000 a year, but the mother explains that ongoing expenses are more than 6,000 a month. “I’m talking about a month of routine. And when it comes to July-August, it’s double—at least double.”

The significant expense starts before the birth

The significant expense even comes before the birth. From the cradle to the stroller, from food to diapers—three years of a new type of expense that weighs heavily on the family. Preparing for a birth that includes a bed, a dresser, a wardrobe, and a car seat today ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 shekels at the base, and up to 22,000 and more. And this is before the stroller, whose price ranges between 2,000 and 6,000 shekels.

The baby grows, learns to speak and is weaned from diapers, and now the private kindergarten account, after-school care, and the transition bed are added. The calculation for these ages includes diapers, kindergarten or a caregiver, and heavy one-time expenses. The amount reaches 7,100 shekels a month—totaling 426,600 shekels for a child over 5 years.

Nitzan Zamir-Hershkovitz, a teacher living in Ra’anana and mother of two, mentions a figure that crosses 13,000 shekels a month just for the children.

“We don’t have money to keep a third child”

The child grows and goes into first grade. The equipment changes, and now you need a backpack, notebooks, and school supplies. Extracurricular activities become more expensive. “Last year I moved my first daughter into first grade, and I thought: that’s it, the private kindergarten phase is over,” says Mora Shimonie-Ran, a parenting instructor. “You get to first grade, and I understood that the expenses only change their name. You need after-school care and payments for the school, and you want to give your child the best possible ‘package.’”

Nitzan is a teacher, and her partner is in reserve duty for hundreds of days each year. When asked how they fund all this, the answer is painful: “Where from? It’s really hard for us. My salary as a teacher is very low, and I’m constantly taking on more roles to increase income.” When asked about a third child, she answers emphatically: “Wow, we don’t have money to manage a third child. No way.”

In ages 5–12, the biggest expenses are for educational equipment, summer camps, and clothing. The budget stands at 4,860 a month, totaling 408,198 shekels for those years. After 12 years, the expenses stand at 834,729 shekels.

From Shein to the trip in motion

Ariel, Lian, and Orian are 15-year-old girls who invest in themselves during the summer vacation. They buy brands, shoes, and accessories, combining mall shopping with online orders. “In Shein there’s an experience,” they say. “Yesterday I made an order for 500 shekels,” one of them says, and her friend corrects her: “That’s much more than 500.”

In their schools, a personal computer is required, which adds costs for the device and digital books. Social activity also becomes expensive. “Now I went on a trip, and it cost 900 shekels for three nights,” Ariel says. “And it doesn’t end with just those 900 shekels. There are purchases, a mattress, a sleeping bag, snacks, and personal hygiene.” Many girls simply give up because their parents prefer to spend that money elsewhere.

Then the child finishes high school, and he’s about to enlist. On the one hand, expenses for education go down, but on the other hand, you need to organize for the army. “You enlist or go to a preparatory program, and the payments are on the parents,” experts explain. “If it’s food, laundry, equipment, and the child who goes home and needs a car and pocket money.”

The myth that was shattered: more than a million shekels for a child

It is now possible to sum up: the total amount of expenses for raising one child in Israel in 2026, on average, is a number that hits hard. If in the past we were used to the myth of a million shekels for a child, the economic reality of recent years has already crossed that threshold a long time ago. What used to be a fantasy has become a reality that squeezes the middle class.

“Previously the question was whether we’re ready to have a child because they said it’s a million shekels until age 18,” says an expert. “Today the thought is whether I can give him the best. Without help from the parents’ generation, a large part of families simply can’t keep their heads above water.”

“I live on help, mainly from my mother,” Nitzan admits. “If it weren’t for those, we wouldn’t be able to provide my children with what they have now. Without the parents, I couldn’t have given my children this lifestyle.” It’s important to emphasize that this calculation is an average and does not include unexpected expenses. And when the child reaches age 21, your economic story really doesn’t end there. That’s exactly where you should start thinking about academic studies and help with housing.