Har Homa, Jerusalem.

Where it is

Har Homa, officially Homat Shmuel, sits on a hill at the south-eastern edge of the city. To the west lie Talpiot, Arnona and Ramat Rachel; to the south and east lie Bethlehem and its surrounding villages. The neighbourhood is bounded on one side by the security barrier.

At around 770 metres, it is slightly lower and drier than much of Jerusalem. Local lore says it gets less snow than the rest of the city, which fits its position towards the desert. The views over the Judean Desert and Herodion are among the best in Jerusalem.

From a contested hill to a new neighbourhood

The hill, known in Arabic as Jabal Abu Ghneim, was captured by Israel in 1967. Plans for a Jewish neighbourhood emerged in the 1980s but were held up by environmental objections and diplomatic sensitivity. Construction finally began in 1997, and the decision drew heavy international criticism at the time.

Israel regards Har Homa as a neighbourhood of its capital. Much of the international community regards it as lying beyond the 1967 Green Line and does not recognise the annexation. For buyers, Israeli land registration normally applies (Tabu, or leasehold through the Israel Land Authority), Israeli mortgages are available on the usual terms, and some foreign-jurisdiction or consumer-labelling implications may arise.

The neighbourhood filled up quickly. By the 2020s it had roughly 25,000 residents, most of them in blocks built within the last 25 years.

What it is actually like today

Har Homa feels new. Streets are wide, buildings are mostly six to ten storeys, and many flats have lifts, parking and a mamad. That alone sets it apart from the older neighbourhoods closer to the centre.

It is also very young. Local reporting counts thousands of children under five and around 8,000 of school age. Pushchairs, playgrounds and nursery runs define the daily rhythm.

The growing pains are real. Residents complain of parking shortages, traffic at the entrances, and a lack of permanent synagogue buildings, with minyanim meeting in car parks and lobbies. A neighbourhood swimming pool has reportedly stayed shut over a dispute between religious and secular residents about how it should run.

Growth, roads and schools

Har Homa is still expanding. Plans reported in recent years add several thousand units to the west and north of the existing neighbourhood, and the adjacent Givat HaMatos is being built out with projects already on the market. Newer sections are often referred to locally as Har Homa Gimmel and beyond.

That growth brings modern stock but also pressure. Schools were expanded with a large classroom-building programme, and a new access road towards Route 60 was planned to ease the bottleneck. Further south, the upgraded Tunnels Road on Route 60 towards Gush Etzion has opened new sections.

Public transport relies on buses, including faster Superbus lines to the central bus station and the Malha hi-tech area. The new Green Line of the light rail, which opened its first section in August 2026, does not serve Har Homa. If rail matters to you, this is not the neighbourhood.

Schools and community

Har Homa has around eight elementary schools across the state, state-religious and Haredi streams, and a state high school, Derech, opened in 2019. Har HaMor yeshiva moved into the neighbourhood in 2017. For a neighbourhood this young, the education offer is broad.

The mix is its defining trait. Secular, national-religious and Haredi families live side by side, often in the same streets. That makes for a less uniform atmosphere than in Ramot or Bayit VeGan, and also for occasional friction over public space.

Who lives here

The largest group is national-religious, alongside a substantial secular population and a growing Haredi presence. Most residents are young Israeli families who came for space they could not afford elsewhere in Jerusalem.

There is an English-speaking presence, but it is modest compared with Ramot, Baka or the German Colony. Anglo families who settle here tend to be comfortable living in Hebrew. Do not expect an English-speaking infrastructure of the kind found in the older Anglo hubs.

Prices and what you get

Har Homa is where Jerusalem's money goes furthest for a modern flat.

Registered sales, Jan 2023 – Jul 2026 (Har Homa); comparators to Aug 2026

The median sale price sits just below the city figure, but the price per square metre is about a fifth lower. In plain terms, buyers here get larger, newer flats for Jerusalem-average money.

Recent registered deals:

• HaRav Aryeh Bina Street: 4 rooms, 109 m², ₪3,220,000 (July 2026)
• HaMaharal MiPrague Street: 4 rooms, 90 m², ₪2,550,000 (July 2026)
• Yehuda Leo Picard Street: 3 rooms, 78 m², ₪2,080,000 (July 2026)
• Shlomo Baum Street: 5 rooms, 132 m², ₪4,600,000 (July 2026)

At the median, a four-room flat of about 90 m² with a lift and mamad is realistic. On the median, a first-home buyer pays about ₪25,200 in purchase tax; an oleh under Regulation 12A pays about ₪3,100; a foreign resident or additional-home buyer pays ₪207,400.

The honest risk is price momentum. Median price per square metre has barely moved, from about ₪27,900 in 2023 to about ₪28,300 in 2026, while much of Jerusalem rose. Heavy new supply next door may keep it that way.

Buying here: what to check before you sign

Who it suits

The verdict