Cost of Living
94 episodes
#6361: Why the Kibbutz Had to Unbundle Security
In 1985, runaway inflation and real interest rates overwhelmed Israeli kibbutzim that had financed collective life with external debt.
#6262: Do Free Buses Actually Pay for Themselves?
When Swansea offered free weekend bus travel, ridership surged over 50% and footfall jumped, but local spending did not rise at all.
#6085: Israel Votes, Part 5: Rent and Noise, Side by Side
657,000 noise complaints in 2.5 years, 1 in 7 fined — and only one party platform even mentions noise. What the parties actually wrote on rent and ...
#6082: Brazen, Not Fraudulent: Hunting Staycation Deals in Israel
Last-minute staycation hacks for Israel: empty-hotel leverage, the zimmer sites, card and reservist discounts, and Hilbert's laminated rules for asking a hotel for a deal.
#6065: Israel Votes, Part 3: A Renter's Voting Recommendation
A Jerusalem renter wants to know which party actually helps him. We scored Israel's parties against his views on rent, prices, and daily life.
#6004: Nobody Can Buy Unlimited AI Inference
Every published tier, every reserved deal, every prepaid reservation — all bounded. Even Azure says it out loud: quota isn't capacity.
#5729: Why There Are 1,500 Kosher Certifications
One product, three seals, and no way to tell which is "the" kosher one. How a single biblical sentence became a 1,500-agency industry.
#5710: Tristan da Cunha: Life on the World's Most Remote Island
222 people, one village, and a dialect that conjugates like a single person — what life is actually like on the world's most remote inhabited island.
#5653: Ireland, Israel, and the Protectionism Question
Ireland tried protectionism for 30 years and got stagnation. Israel's running a different version now. What does the record actually say?
#5645: Who Teaches You to Fix Your Own Home?
Wiring a plug but never welding metal — why hands-on skills have holes, and what a real DIY curriculum would cover.
#5612: Who Keeps Working During Sukkot?
An ideal of universal rest meets a city that doubles in size. Who kept the lights on during the pilgrim festivals?
#5568: Israel's Pragmatic Center: Housing, Groceries, and the 2026 Vote
Israelis say housing and cost of living decide their vote — but the campaign is about everything else. Can the pragmatic center break the pattern?
#5552: Why Ireland and Israel Feel Poorer Than Their GDP Says
Ireland ranks 2nd in the world by GDP per capita. Israel's prices rank 5th highest. Neither number tells you how wealthy life actually feels.
#5451: Who Captures the Savings: Zoning Windfalls vs. Import Margins
A zoning windfall gets audited. A tariff cut doesn't. Why two public decisions that create private value are treated so differently.
#5445: Israel's Periphery: Why It's Not About Distance
What "peripheria" really means in Israel — and why a $10B Intel fab sits in a town that still tops unemployment.
#5326: What Makes a Bar a Third Place?
A listener's search for a bar where you can actually hear your friend — and the 35-year-old sociology that explains why it's so hard to find.
#5268: 10 Absurd Power Tools That Actually Got Made
A motorized leaf pruner, a chainsaw bayonet, and the Suck Kut — ten power tools that solve problems nobody had.
#5228: Why Israeli Road Signs Still Spell It "Tiqwa
Israel's Academy of the Hebrew Language is finally standardizing how place names get written in English — but the Q on the signs has survived every...
#4915: Did El Al Price Gouge During the War?
El Al raised fares 16% after foreign carriers fled. Was it profiteering or survival pricing?
#4885: Cold Sanctuaries: A Radical AC Policy for Heat Survival
What if every neighborhood had a free, permanent air-conditioned refuge? One man's radical idea for surviving extreme heat.
#4872: Can Tourism Save a City or Only Hollow It Out?
Jerusalem risks becoming a two-tier city. Barcelona and Kyoto show a better path.
#4817: US vs Israel: The Shrinking Cost-of-Living Gap
US prices are up, wages flat. Israeli purchasing power has grown. The gap is narrowing faster than you think.
#4716: Connecticut's Real Cultural DNA: Austerity or Sturdiness?
Is Connecticut's frugality a joyless austerity or a functional sturdiness? We untangle the Puritan and Yankee threads.
#4601: Why Essential Services Break at 4 PM
A SIM activation, a medication refill, and a system that only works for the median life.