Jerusalem - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
Housing in Jerusalem is smaller than housing for people not living in the city of Tel Aviv but assigned to Tel Aviv (Ramat Aviv, Herzliya, and Kfar Shmaryahu). The housing pool is smaller, and it is very difficult to find compliant homes to add to the housing pool. Don't let the housing differences bother you. None of it is intentional. Housing is very difficult in Jerusalem. That said, we were very happy with our housing. Before coming, make sure you get a very good idea on the size and storage of your housing and do not bring too much stuff. Every home is supposed to come with a security space (where you go when there are incoming rocket attacks), which can be used to some extent for storage but for safety reasons should NOT be filled up. There must be room for all humans and animals to fit inside comfortably for about 15 minutes at all times as rocket attacks can come at any time but are very infrequent. In my opinion, more important than the size and quality of the homes is the location. Non-Shabbat observant employees and their families have had a difficult time living in Jewish religious neighborhoods. Jewish employees, women who go for runs, and gay employees have all had a difficult time living in Sheikh Jarrah. I don't know for certain, but it could be that employees with mobility issues might have a hard time living in Malka, because it's so hilly there. If you don't drive or don't have a car, try to live in city center or not far from a light rail stop. The light rail takes you to the central train station, which takes you all over Israel. Commuting time depends. The US Embassy has nine buildings in Talpiot, Arnona, city center, and north of the Damascus Gate. While the buses are pretty good, it's even better to be able to walk to work, especially because almost all public transport ceases at 2pm in winter and 3pm or 4pm in summer on Fridays for Shabbat. - Nov 2022
Housing is superficially nice: spacious, well laid out, good amenities. The problem is maintenance. Things here aren't built to the same standard you'd expect in other countries and they break all the time. During the 18 months we've spent here, we spent 4 of them without hot water in a house that was heated through a boiler, and a different 4 months without reliable light or electricity. We've had multiple plumbing problems and A/C problems, and while none of these are uncommon for Israelis living in the area either, it seems to take the Embassy's facilities team a really long time to diagnose problems and correct them. - Oct 2019
Beautiful small apartment in the City Center. Five minute walk to the consulate, 5 minute walk to the Old City and 5 minute walk to the downtown area. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a tiny balcony and one parking space in the garage with a storage garage. Not all the apartments have storage or even closets for that matter. Most apartments are quite nice and located in interesting neighborhoods in both West and East Jerusalem. Traffic during rush hour is bad and can double or triple the commute time from 15 minutes to 30 or 40 minutes between Arnona (where the new US Embassy is located) and the Consulate General near City Center. - Aug 2018
Brand new apartment in East Jerusalem. Fairly big and modern, with very nice light. 20 minute commute to the consulate, 30-45 min. to Arnona. You could take the tram to the consulate with a short walk at the end, but a car is necessary for Arnona. The apartments in East Jerusalem are the nicest and biggest, but also the furthest from work and the least nice in terms of walkability of the neighborhood. The ones in central Jerusalem are smaller and not as new (for the most part, there are a couple of amazing, big ones with great views), but they are walkable to work and lots of restaurants. The only downside is West Jerusalem shuts down for Shabbat, while East Jerusalem doesn't. The apartments near Arnona are the worst ones in my opinion. They are much older, much smaller, and very dark. That said, they are walkable to work if you work in Arnona. - Apr 2018
All mission community members live in apartments. Apartments in the city center are small and tend to increase in square footage as you move out. Places in East Jerusalem tend to be larger.
The commute is based on whether or not you are close enough to walk to the consulate. Most people prefer to walk because parking is not provided. - Dec 2016
Almost all apartments and almost universally smaller than you'd expect. We had a decent apartment, but it was smaller than our modest house in Northern Virginia. Parks are available, though, and are generally good. Commute time was 10 minutes without traffic (or a 35 minute brisk walk). With traffic, it could rise to about 30 minutes. Housing is pretty scattered. - Aug 2015
Housing for families with kids were generally great. Nice big apartments, often with a view of the old city and/or a huge patio. Apartments for singles and couples without kids was a mixed bag. They were usually much smaller, though some were in a nice location. - Aug 2015
When we stayed here, we lived in a very tiny apartment. The apartments we visited were average sized. - May 2015
Consulate housing is typical condos located in several areas within the city. A few larger families have houses. It's very rare to have any yard. Residences are typically located in City Center (5-10 minute walk to Consulate), near Consular Facility in Arnona, or in East Jerusalem with a few other residences scattered throughout the city. - Mar 2014
Mostly apartments, very, very small, with no closets. We somehow managed to fit our king-size bed but you literally open the door, and walk into the bed. Most have balconies or patios. Some people who live further away get bigger houses with patios or balconies. Commute depends on where you live, but during rush hour it can go between 25 to 45 minutes to get to downtown. - Aug 2013
Most people live in apartments, although homes are available in certain older neighborhoods in the center of the city or in newer developments on the fringes of the city. Traffic can be significant during peak hours, but it is also easy to walk or take public transportation, such as the light rail. Most diplomatic missions and NGOs scramble to rent houses or apartments in East Jerusalem for political reasons. As a result, rents are artificially elevated there even though the quality of housing is lower, in general, and the municipality provides only spotty public services. - Jul 2013
Mostly apartments in east Jerusalem (Arab zone), maybe the housing is not that good, but the people is more friendly. In West Jerusalem maybe you can get a better housing, but people is not gentle at all. Don't expect a big closet and a lot of storage place, some of the apartments in Frechhill are old but big, the average is 3 bedrooms for a family with 2 kids. The people who live in David Village don't even need a car, but the other people need it. - Feb 2009
