The summer vacation is supposed to be the time when children slow down. For parents, especially when three children are involved, the exact opposite usually happens. Summer camps start, shopping increases, the air conditioner works overtime, and every outing from the house becomes another charge on the credit card statement. August arrives with many free hours and very few free solutions.
To fully understand the claims, we built a scenario for a family with two working parents and three children aged 6 to 10. As of January 2026, in a regular school month, child-related expenses reach approximately NIS 8,600 according to calculations based on a survey published in Calcalist. The amount includes food, after-school care, extracurricular activities, transportation, family entertainment, occasional babysitting, and household expenses.
In a scenario where the family stays in Israel and does not go on a vacation with overnight stays, child-related expenses climb to roughly NIS 17,300. This is an addition of about NIS 8,700 compared to a regular month, representing an increase of slightly more than 100%. The calculation was built from price ranges of summer camps, babysitting, attractions, and additional services, alongside assumptions about the family's usage volume.
This is a scenario designed to illustrate the magnitude of the burden, not an official average suitable for every household in Israel. It assumes that both parents continue to work, that all three children require structured frameworks, and that paid assistance is needed on some days. A family with available grandparents, flexible work, or children who can stay home alone for part of the day might spend significantly less.
Where the money goes
The heaviest item is summer camps. The average cost for a summer camp in the Center region is about NIS 3,500 per child for a full summer framework, including extended hours. If you do not have subsidies from work or other frameworks, the bill for three children can reach about NIS 10,500. A family that chooses shorter and cheaper municipal summer camps will pay less, while private or specialized camps could push the amount higher.
When both parents work full-time, the cost of the summer camp is only part of the story. Many frameworks end at noon, while the workday continues. According to a scenario of three hours of babysitting per day for 15 days, at a price of NIS 60 per hour, the expense reaches about NIS 2,700.
Available grandparents, working from home, or a flexible split between parents can save a large portion of this amount. For a family without a support network, the hours between the end of summer camp and the end of the workday quickly become another item on the bill.
In August, three children are at home for a larger portion of the day, and this gap is felt in the shopping basket. There are more meals prepared at home, more snacks and drinks between meals, and sometimes a quick order when there is no time or energy to cook. For the calculation, we assumed an addition of NIS 20 per day for each child, accumulating to about NIS 1,860 per month.
A full month at home is difficult to fill only with public parks and meetings with friends. Two family outings per week already create eight days of entertainment: A movie for a family of five costs about NIS 250, a family ticket to the Science Museum costs NIS 235, a visit to a national park ranges between NIS 94 and NIS 173, and a day at Yamit 2000 reaches NIS 590.
A mix of eight such outings accumulates to about NIS 2,100 to NIS 2,300 per month, even before popcorn, food, and parking. A family that goes out three times a week could reach about NIS 3,000.
When summer costs rival two salaries
The comparison to income from work illustrates just how heavy an expense this is. The median gross wage for a salaried worker in Israel stood in the first half of 2025 at about NIS 10,586 per month. In other words, the August bill in this scenario is nearly equal to two full median salaries, even before taxes and before the family has paid rent, a mortgage, municipal taxes, utility bills, or loan repayments.
At Pitchon Lev, about 60% of aid recipients are families of working age. For the organization, this figure illustrates that work alone no longer guarantees protection from poverty. For a family without available grandparents, workplace flexibility, or subsidized frameworks, August can quickly turn from an extra paycheck into a deep hole in the budget.
The organization invites anyone who feels they need assistance to get in touch through the aid request form on the Pitchon Lev website.
The author is the CEO of the Pitchon Lev organization.