Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashkelon and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,394 in Ashkelon, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ashkelon
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Ashkelon Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Ashkelon

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,394

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashkelon and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ashkelon and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Ashkelon versus $1,839 in Nosara.

Ashkelon $2,394
Nosara $1,839

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,551 in Ashkelon versus $2,828 in Nosara.

Ashkelon $3,551
Nosara $2,828

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,708 in Ashkelon versus $3,818 in Nosara.

Ashkelon $4,708
Nosara $3,818

Living in Ashkelon is roughly 30% more expensive than in Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ashkelon 77% above, Nosara 36% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.07 ₪71.8

$12.35 ₡5,539

86.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 ₪252

$61.2 ₡27.4K

32.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.60 ₪54.8

$7.52 ₡3,373

134.04%

Cappuccino

$4.58 ₪14.25

$4.41 ₡1,978

3.85%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 ₪10.15

$1.74 ₡780

87.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₪8.71

$1.31 ₡587

113.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.10 ₪37.63

$3.28 ₡1,471

268.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 ₪23.93

$4.47 ₡2,004

72.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₪7.32

$1.56 ₡701

50.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 ₪8.34

$3.02 ₡1,355

-11.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 ₪9.35

$2.51 ₡1,125

19.92%

Eggs

$4.57 ₪14.21

$3.57 ₡1,603

28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ₪67.1

$7.43 ₡3,333

190.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.94 ₪40.26

$10.52 ₡4,717

23.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.38 ₪79.0

$13.97 ₡6,265

81.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 ₪12.86

$2.35 ₡1,052

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.18 ₪9.91

$1.61 ₡720

97.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ₪7.05

$4.80 ₡2,152

-52.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 ₪10.03

$1.61 ₡724

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ₪4.99

$3.80 ₡1,703

-57.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₪6.20

$3.69 ₡1,657

-46.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 ₪8.27

$1.13 ₡507

135.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₪2.93

$2.66 ₡1,191

-64.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 ₪42.84

$5.18 ₡2,321

165.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.65 ₪36.23

$19.88 ₡8,916

-41.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 ₪8.02

$2.90 ₡1,300

-11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₪6.12

$3.63 ₡1,626

-45.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 ₪7.88

$1.12 ₡504

125.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.33 ₪138

$72.6 ₡32.6K

-38.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.17 ₪34.76

$2.14 ₡958

421.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 ₪5.20

$1.57 ₡703

6.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.23 ₪122

$8.52 ₡3,823

360.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 ₪8.20

$1.52 ₡682

73.68%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$57.8K ₪179.8K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

167.39%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$56.8K ₪176.7K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

64.58%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$214 ₪667

$96.3 ₡43.2K

122.50%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.73 ₪36.49

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-67.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 ₪129

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-22.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 ₪143

$71.6 ₡32.1K

-35.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.25 ₪100

$34.91 ₡15.7K

-7.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.56 ₪51.5

$7.89 ₡3,539

109.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,220 ₪3,797

$494 ₡221.6K

146.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ₪334

$53.9 ₡24.2K

98.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.6 ₪235

$55.4 ₡24.8K

36.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₪352

$77.9 ₡34.9K

45.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 ₪453

$79.6 ₡35.7K

82.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 ₪3,560

$788 ₡353.4K

45.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$961 ₪2,989

$794 ₡356.2K

20.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 ₪5,595

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-54.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 ₪4,575

$1,419 ₡636.5K

3.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,741 ₪17.9K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

-16.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,602 ₪17.4K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

357.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,977 ₪9,263

$864 ₡387.3K

244.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.98

8.62

-42.23%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ashkelon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ashkelon

$961 40.1%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 17.3% $167

Groceries & Markets

Ashkelon

$422 17.6%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 16.5% $70

Eating Out

Ashkelon

$392 16.4%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 46% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashkelon

$267 11.2%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 30.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Ashkelon

$199 8.3%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 39.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Ashkelon

$79 3.3%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 10.5% $8.3

Getting Around

Ashkelon

$74 3.1%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 17.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,144 in Ashkelon and $788 in Nosara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashkelon pays 245% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Ashkelon vs $61.0 in Nosara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $352 per month, with Nosara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Ashkelon

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

02:38 2:38 AM

9 h behind Ashkelon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

152,439

4,912

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.285 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.285 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 505 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ashkelon Nosara 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashkelon
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ashkelon vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nosara wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Ashkelon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nosara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 245% higher in Ashkelon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,144 in Ashkelon versus $788 in Nosara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Nosara – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $81.0 in Ashkelon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,394 per month in Ashkelon versus $1,839 in Nosara – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,839 in Nosara versus $2,394 in Ashkelon, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Nosara but tight or insufficient in Ashkelon. The gap between the two cities makes Nosara the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nosara delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,839 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nosara hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ashkelon and Nosara are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nosara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Ashkelon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.