How much does an apartment with a shared bomb shelter cost in Tel Aviv?

If a private bomb shelter is out of your budget, a northern Tel Aviv apartment with a shared atomic shelter offers an option. What’s the cost?

 Israelis take cover inside a bomb shelter at the Ben Gurion airport as a siren alert is sounded in Tel Aviv, October 1, 2024 (photo credit: Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)
Israelis take cover inside a bomb shelter at the Ben Gurion airport as a siren alert is sounded in Tel Aviv, October 1, 2024
(photo credit: Dor Pazuelo/Flash90)

In line with current trends, the atomic shelter phenomenon in private homes is currently sweeping the world, and Israel is no exception. We recently reported on an atomic shelter for the wealthy only in our threatened nation, where a cottage in Neot Afeka, featuring 5.5 rooms, 420 square meters, and a bomb shelter, was listed for sale at NIS 9.2 million.

Now, it seems that even people planning to survive the first nuclear strike on Israel—should it occur—and who don’t have the budget for a private cottage with an atomic shelter can find a solution: an apartment on Shaul Avigur Street in the Azorei Hen neighborhood in northern Tel Aviv, which also includes a “giant atomic shelter in the building,” is up for sale, according to the Tel Aviv Online website.

Yes, you’ll likely have a genuine chance to help create the next generation of the state after a potential nuclear attack on Israel, but you’ll probably have to do so with your neighbors. You might be stuck with them for two weeks to a month in an atomic shelter without air or windows.

If you're still interested, the apartment—measuring 135 square meters with a 12-square-meter sun balcony on the seventh floor, overlooking an open sea view—is listed for NIS 5.7 million.

Atomic shelters in shared buildings are not common in Israel due to the requirement for a shelter that protects against both the blast and heat produced by an explosion, as well as against nuclear radiation and fallout. Therefore, it must be completely sealed, designed for extended living when it’s impossible to go outside.

A standard shelter, it is worth noting, only protects against the blast. Even if an atomic bomb hits, you’ll still need to wait for the fallout effects to subside before you can leave the shelter, which could take a long time. If it helps you feel safer, public officials will be protected in the secret shelter built near the outskirts of Jerusalem—a kind of Noah’s Ark for the top command.