A cost survey conducted by Halperin Optics as part of preparations to expand several stores revealed surprising findings, most notably that the cost of rent for storefront property in Jerusalem’s Geula neighborhood is $200 per square meter — four times the cost of renting a store on Tel Aviv’s Rechov Ibn Gvirol and comparably to rents charged for stores in the prestigious Ramat Aviv Shopping Mall.

According to Halperin Optics, due to the lack of commercial space in Geula store owners have the audacity to demand — and receive — outrageous rent. The same applies on a smaller scale along Rechov R’ Akiva in Bnei Brak, where monthly rent ranges from $80 to $100 per meter, which is 30 percent higher than nearby Rechov Bialik.

(M. Green for Dei’ah veDibur)