Relocating to Herzliya: A Practical Guide for Expats, Diplomats and Tech Workers
Herzliya has an unusually large foreign population for an Israeli city of its size. Diplomats live in the villas of Herzliya Pituach. Engineers transfer in to the R&D centres of Microsoft, Apple and dozens of smaller firms. Students come for Reichman University's English-language degrees. And a steady stream of immigrants from English-speaking countries chooses it over the more obvious Anglo towns inland.
If you're one of them, here's what to sort out first.
Housing: where and what it costs
The basic split is east and west of Highway 2. West of it, Herzliya Pituach and Nof Yam are villas and large apartments by the sea, and the most expensive part of the city. East of it, the older town and its neighbourhoods offer apartments and some houses at lower prices, with Herzliya B, Gan Rashal and the tower district of Neve Amirim popular with families.
Herzliya isn't cheap anywhere. At the end of 2025 the average apartment sold for about 3.97 million shekels, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, second only to Tel Aviv. The property site Madlan put average rent across the city at about 8,800 shekels a month in October 2026. Expect much more for a house in Pituach.
Israeli leases usually run for a year, and landlords often ask for post-dated cheques or a bank guarantee as security. Unfurnished is the norm. Apartments built since the early 1990s have a protected room, a mamad, which doubles as a bedroom or study.
Schools
Herzliya's municipal school system runs from kindergarten to high school, all in Hebrew. Many families moving from abroad put younger children straight into local schools, where younger children tend to pick up Hebrew quickly.
For an English-language education, the main option is the Walworth Barbour American International School, which started out in neighbouring Kfar Shmaryahu and now has its campus in Even Yehuda, about 20 kilometres north of Tel Aviv. It runs an American college-preparatory programme. Check transport from Herzliya directly with the school.
At university level, Reichman University's Raphael Recanati International School teaches full degrees in English.
Dealing with the city
Herzliya is one of the few Israeli municipalities with a proper English-language section on its website, en.herzliya.muni.il. It covers parking permits for residents, the Arnona property tax, online payments, schools and an emergency guide.
The municipality also has a department for new immigrants, olim, that works with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration. It offers personal guidance for individuals and families, help claiming benefits from government offices, and advice on Arnona, National Insurance and registering for city services. It runs community events in several languages and two WhatsApp groups, one for city announcements and one for the immigrant community. The office is at the municipality, Ben Gurion Boulevard 22, phone 09-970-5256.
Getting around
Herzliya railway station has direct trains to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Ben Gurion Airport, which makes commuting and flying out easier than from most of the Sharon. Local buses take a Rav-Kav card. Inside the business district, traffic is the daily frustration; many people who work in Pituach try to live within walking or cycling distance. For details, see Getting to and Around Herzliya.
Three things people wish they'd known
Your shelter matters. Check where the nearest protected space is in any flat you consider, whether a mamad inside the apartment or a shared shelter in the building. The municipality's English emergency guide explains the system.
Shabbat changes the city. Trains and most buses stop from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, and kosher restaurants close. Plan airport runs and weekend shopping around it.
Arnona is per square metre. The municipal property tax is paid by the occupant, not the owner, and is calculated on the size of the property. Ask for the annual figure before you sign a lease.
For a comparison with the cities around it, see Herzliya vs Ra'anana vs Kfar Saba.