Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Givat Shmuel and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,810 in Givat Shmuel, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Givat Shmuel
🇮🇱 Israel
$2,810
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Givat Shmuel 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 Givat Shmuel and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,810 per month in Givat Shmuel vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Givat Shmuel $2,810
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,119 per month in Givat Shmuel vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Givat Shmuel $4,119
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,428 per month in Givat Shmuel vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Givat Shmuel $5,428
  • Nosara $3,818

Givat Shmuel costs about 53% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Givat Shmuel and Nosara sit above the global median – Givat Shmuel by 108%, Nosara by 36%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.93 ₪71.3
$12.35 ₡5,539
85.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$96.2 ₪299
$61.2 ₡27.4K
57.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$20.50 ₪63.8
$7.52 ₡3,373
172.61%
Cappuccino
$5.10 ₪15.85
$4.41 ₡1,978
15.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 ₪9.56
$1.74 ₡780
76.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 ₪7.19
$1.31 ₡587
76.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$11.11 ₪34.57
$3.28 ₡1,471
238.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.64 ₪30.00
$4.47 ₡2,004
115.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.31 ₪7.18
$1.56 ₡701
48.08%
White Bread (500g)
$2.30 ₪7.16
$3.02 ₡1,355
-23.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.30 ₪7.17
$2.51 ₡1,125
-8.37%
Eggs
$5.13 ₪15.97
$3.57 ₡1,603
43.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.83 ₪67.9
$7.43 ₡3,333
193.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.34 ₪41.51
$10.52 ₡4,717
26.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.64 ₪79.8
$13.97 ₡6,265
83.54%
Apples (1kg)
$4.24 ₪13.20
$2.35 ₡1,052
80.43%
Banana (1kg)
$3.85 ₪11.99
$1.61 ₡720
139.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 ₪7.58
$4.80 ₡2,152
-49.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.31 ₪10.29
$1.61 ₡724
105.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.76 ₪5.47
$3.80 ₡1,703
-53.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 ₪4.26
$3.69 ₡1,657
-62.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.71 ₪8.44
$1.13 ₡507
139.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 ₪3.06
$2.66 ₡1,191
-63.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.87 ₪43.14
$5.18 ₡2,321
167.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.25 ₪34.99
$19.88 ₡8,916
-43.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.85 ₪8.85
$2.90 ₡1,300
-1.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 ₪7.95
$3.63 ₡1,626
-29.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.42 ₪7.54
$1.12 ₡504
116.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$106 ₪329
$72.6 ₡32.6K
45.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 ₪8.31
$2.14 ₡958
24.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.14 ₪3.55
$1.57 ₡703
-27.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$19.88 ₪61.9
$8.52 ₡3,823
133.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.66 ₪8.27
$1.52 ₡682
75.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.8K ₪173.7K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
158.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.8K ₪173.5K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
61.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$262 ₪815
$96.3 ₡43.2K
171.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.26 ₪35.02
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-68.63%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.10 ₪109
$53.6 ₡24.0K
-34.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.8 ₪276
$71.6 ₡32.1K
24.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.09 ₪40.72
$7.89 ₡3,539
65.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,172 ₪3,647
$494 ₡221.6K
137.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.9K ₪77.3K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
109.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.71 ₪117
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-30.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.85 ₪124
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-28.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.4 ₪309
$77.9 ₡34.9K
27.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 ₪366
$79.6 ₡35.7K
47.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,717 ₪5,342
$788 ₡353.4K
117.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,300 ₪4,045
$794 ₡356.2K
63.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,172 ₪6,758
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-44.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,045 ₪6,362
$1,419 ₡636.5K
44.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$10.5K ₪32.8K
$6,912 ₡3.1M
52.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$9,145 ₪28.5K
$1,224 ₡549.0K
647.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Givat Shmuel
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.03
8.62
-41.65%

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

Last update for Givat Shmuel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Givat Shmuel
$1.3K
Nosara
$794 38.9% $506
Groceries & Markets
Givat Shmuel
$428
Nosara
$352 17.7% $76
Eating Out
Givat Shmuel
$402
Nosara
$212 47.4% $191
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Givat Shmuel
$308
Nosara
$186 39.7% $122
Clothing & Footwear
Givat Shmuel
$133
Nosara
$120 9.4% $12
Getting Around
Givat Shmuel
$124
Nosara
$87 29.6% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Givat Shmuel
$115
Nosara
$87 24% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,717 in Givat Shmuel versus $788 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Givat Shmuel versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $428 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇱 Givat Shmuel
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
12:33 12:33 PM
03:33 3:33 AM
9 h behind Givat Shmuel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
24,659
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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 = 0.286 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Givat Shmuel Nosara 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Givat Shmuel
  • 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
Givat Shmuel vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Givat Shmuel or Nosara?
Givat Shmuel costs about 53% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Givat Shmuel and in Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,215 per month in Givat Shmuel and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Givat Shmuel or Nosara?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Givat Shmuel compared to Nosara?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,810 in Givat Shmuel and $1,839 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 53%.
How expensive is transport in Givat Shmuel compared to Nosara?
Public transport costs about 45% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $3,000/month in Givat Shmuel or in Nosara?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Givat Shmuel at $2,810. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Givat Shmuel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Givat Shmuel or Nosara?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,810 in Givat Shmuel. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Givat Shmuel compared to Nosara?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Givat Shmuel or to Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Givat Shmuel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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