Tzfat צפת

A mountain city of stone lanes, blue doors and long views to the Kinneret.

Sunset over the rooftops and old stairways of Tzfat, with the Galilee hills behind — Photo

Population: 38,687 (2024)
Elevation: About 850 m, rising to 937 m
Average recorded sale price: ₪1,346,579 (all home types)
Locality tax credit (2026): 12% on earned income up to ₪213,240 a year

Tzfat (Safed) is one of Judaism’s four holy cities and was the center of Kabbalah in the 16th century. Its Old City holds dozens of historic synagogues and an artists’ quarter that has drawn painters since the 1950s.

Beyond the Old City, newer neighborhoods offer apartments with views over the Galilee hills, the Golan and the Kinneret, and new projects are bringing new housing to the city after decades with little construction.

Neighborhoods to know

Old City and Artists’ Quarter
Ibikor / Merom Canaan (Lev HaShmura)
Mitzpe HaYamim (Tzafenet)
Canaan, Ramat Menachem Begin, Neve Oranim

Living in Tzfat

Quality of life

The highest city in the Galilee: cooler summers and clear mountain air.
Nachal Amud, which residents call one of the most beautiful hikes in Israel, runs from Tzfat towards Meron.
The Golan, the Hula Valley and the Kinneret are each about half an hour away.
Ziv Medical Center and Zefat Academic College are in the city.

Community

An established English-speaking community, with its own English-language library and theater group.
Residents describe a city big enough for privacy and small enough to know people.
The municipality has an absorption department and an Anglo olim coordinator.
A year-round artists’ colony, more than 100 synagogues and an annual Klezmer Festival each August.

Value for money

Average recorded sale price around ₪1.35M, against ₪2.36M nationally.
Residents get a 12% income-tax credit on earned income up to ₪213,240 a year (2026).
New projects such as Lev HaShmura and Tzafenet are adding apartments with parking, storage and safe rooms.

Good to know

Neighborhoods differ a lot in character, from the Old City to the newer hills. Visit more than one.
The city has no cinema; culture centers on galleries, festivals and the community.
The tax credit needs 12 months’ residence and a letter from the municipality.

Nearby

Tzfat is part of Tzfat and Rosh Pina, with Rosh Pina close by.

Homes and projects in Tzfat

Tzfat, Ibikor (Merom Canaan)

Lev HaShmura

A large new project at the edge of the Biriya forest, from ₪1,725,000, with the first phase already lived in.

4 to 6 rooms. 275 homes

From ₪1,725,000

Tzfat, Mitzpe HaYamim

Tzafenet

New boutique buildings high on the hill in new Tzfat, with views towards the Kinneret.

4 to 6 rooms. 244 homes

Price on request

Sources

Average sale prices are Madlan’s averages across all recorded sales, mixing sizes and home types, and are a guide only.