The consumer price index rose by 0.3% in April 2021

The consumer price index rose by 0.3% in April 2021, according to a statement from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) published today (Friday), compared with an expected increase of 0.5%. It also shows that housing prices continue to rise, and in February-March added 4.5% compared to the corresponding months last year.
Since the beginning of the year, the consumer price index has risen by 1.1%, and in the last 12 months (April 2021 compared to April 2020) it has risen by 0.8%.
Significant price increases were recorded in the vegetable and fruit sections - 3.0%, clothing and footwear - 2.8%, and food - 0.7%. Significant price decreases were recorded in the Communications section - 1.2%.
In parallel with the publication of the index data, the CBS also publishes the housing price index for April, from which it appears that the upward trend in housing prices continues.
A comparison of the prices of transactions made in February-March with the transactions made in January-February found that housing prices rose by 0.8%, thus completing an increase of 4.5% compared with the corresponding period last year.
In the segmentation of apartment prices by districts compared to the corresponding period last year, February-March 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2020, price increases were found in all districts. The largest increase is in the Southern District - 6.6%, in the North - 5.7%, in the Center - 5.3%, in Tel Aviv - 3.7%, in Haifa - 3.2%, and in Jerusalem - 0.8%.
On the other hand, the prices of new dwellings decreased by 1.5% in February-March 2021 compared to the previous months January-February 2021, but completed a 1.6% increase compared to the corresponding period last year.
An interesting statistic concerns the index of residential construction inputs, to which most contracts for the purchase of new apartments are attached: it rose by 0.8% in April, and has already recorded a 2.1% increase since the beginning of the year. For those who bought an apartment "on paper" at a price of NIS 1.5 million, this is an increase of NIS 31.5 thousand within four months of the price of the apartment.
The index of construction inputs for commerce and offices jumped by 1% in April, completing an increase of 2.7% since the beginning of 2021.