Price Comparison Reveals Duty-Free Shopping at Ben Gurion Airport Often Not Cheaper
As August approaches, with over 100,000 travelers expected daily at Ben Gurion Airport, many plan to shop at the duty-free stores, assuming they offer better deals due to VAT exemption. However, a recent price comparison of popular items commonly bought by Israelis before flights, including electronics, chocolates, cosmetics, coffee machines, and wine, challenges this assumption.
The investigation found that duty-free prices are frequently not the lowest and sometimes significantly higher than prices in Israel. For example, Apple AirPods 4 cost about 440 shekels at the duty-free store but are available for 419 shekels at Ivory and even cheaper in Eilat at 355 shekels, a 19.3% difference. Similarly, a 390-gram box of Elite chocolates sells for roughly 30 shekels duty-free, while Rami Levy online offers it for 21.90 shekels, a 37% price gap favoring local purchase.
Small appliances showed minimal price differences; a Nespresso Inissia C40 coffee machine is priced at 395 shekels duty-free and 399 shekels at Super-Pharm online, a negligible 1% difference. Wine prices were also comparable, with Teperberg Inspire Sauvignon Blanc costing about 64 shekels duty-free and 65 shekels locally. Cosmetics revealed notable disparities; a MAC Macximal Lipstick costs 84 shekels duty-free but only 70 shekels on MAC Israel’s official website, a 20% difference.
The findings suggest the common belief that duty-free shopping always offers better prices is outdated. While some products may be attractively priced, many are similarly priced or more expensive than in Israel. Travelers are advised to compare prices before purchasing to avoid impulsive spending and save money for their trips.
