Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Migdal HaEmek and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Nosara: $1,839 a month against $2,776 in Migdal HaEmek, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Migdal HaEmek
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Migdal HaEmek Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Migdal HaEmek

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,776

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,776 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $2,776
Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $4,045 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $4,045
Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $5,314 per month in Migdal HaEmek vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

Migdal HaEmek $5,314
Nosara $3,818

Migdal HaEmek costs about 51% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Migdal HaEmek and Nosara sit above the global median – Migdal HaEmek by 106%, Nosara by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.63 ₪79.8

$12.35 ₡5,539

107.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 ₪282

$61.2 ₡27.4K

47.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.38 ₪60.3

$7.52 ₡3,373

157.71%

Cappuccino

$4.55 ₪14.16

$4.41 ₡1,978

3.17%

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

$3.43 ₪10.68

$1.74 ₡780

97.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ₪8.60

$1.31 ₡587

110.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.49 ₪29.51

$3.28 ₡1,471

189.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.16 ₪31.62

$4.47 ₡2,004

127.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 ₪7.54

$1.56 ₡701

55.13%

White Bread (500g)

$3.60 ₪11.21

$3.02 ₡1,355

19.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 ₪10.20

$2.51 ₡1,125

30.68%

Eggs

$4.45 ₪13.85

$3.57 ₡1,603

24.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 ₪40.13

$7.43 ₡3,333

73.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.77 ₪39.74

$10.52 ₡4,717

21.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.05 ₪74.8

$13.97 ₡6,265

72.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.41 ₪13.71

$2.35 ₡1,052

87.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 ₪9.21

$1.61 ₡720

83.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₪7.41

$4.80 ₡2,152

-50.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.54 ₪7.91

$1.61 ₡724

57.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 ₪6.37

$3.80 ₡1,703

-46.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ₪5.24

$3.69 ₡1,657

-54.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.31 ₪7.20

$1.13 ₡507

104.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₪7.53

$2.66 ₡1,191

-9.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.08 ₪31.37

$5.18 ₡2,321

94.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.04 ₪40.57

$19.88 ₡8,916

-34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 ₪10.04

$2.90 ₡1,300

11.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.20 ₪13.07

$3.63 ₡1,626

15.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 ₪7.85

$1.12 ₡504

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 ₪345

$72.6 ₡32.6K

52.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 ₪13.41

$2.14 ₡958

101.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 ₪3.81

$1.57 ₡703

-22.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.62 ₪114

$8.52 ₡3,823

329.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.54 ₪7.89

$1.52 ₡682

67.11%

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

$58.3K ₪181.5K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

169.92%

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

$57.3K ₪178.4K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

66.10%

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

$258 ₪802

$96.3 ₡43.2K

167.55%

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

$11.81 ₪36.76

$35.89 ₡16.1K

-67.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.31 ₪113

$53.6 ₡24.0K

-32.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 ₪279

$71.6 ₡32.1K

25.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.91 ₡15.7K

Cinema Ticket

$15.59 ₪48.49

$7.89 ₡3,539

97.59%

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

$1,155 ₪3,592

$494 ₡221.6K

133.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K ₪85.6K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

132.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 ₪322

$53.9 ₡24.2K

91.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.5 ₪201

$55.4 ₡24.8K

16.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$133 ₪413

$77.9 ₡34.9K

70.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$156 ₪485

$79.6 ₡35.7K

95.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,477 ₪4,594

$788 ₡353.4K

87.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 ₪3,660

$794 ₡356.2K

48.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ₪6,174

$3,939 ₡1.8M

-49.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,775 ₪5,522

$1,419 ₡636.5K

25.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K ₪31.3K

$6,912 ₡3.1M

45.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,612 ₪26.8K

$1,224 ₡549.0K

603.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$864 ₡387.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

8.62

-41.53%

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

Last update for Migdal HaEmek: 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

Migdal HaEmek

$1.2K 42.4%

Nosara

$794 43.2% 32.5% $382

Groceries & Markets

Migdal HaEmek

$426 15.4%

Nosara

$352 19.2% 17.4% $74

Eating Out

Migdal HaEmek

$410 14.8%

Nosara

$212 11.5% 48.4% $199

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Migdal HaEmek

$306 11%

Nosara

$186 10.1% 39.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Migdal HaEmek

$205 7.4%

Nosara

$120 6.5% 41.5% $85

Getting Around

Migdal HaEmek

$131 4.7%

Nosara

$87 4.7% 33.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Migdal HaEmek

$121 4.4%

Nosara

$87 4.8% 27.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,477 in Migdal HaEmek 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 $91.0 in Migdal HaEmek versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $426 vs $352 – making Nosara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Migdal HaEmek

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

9 h behind Migdal HaEmek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,700

4,912

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Migdal HaEmek Nosara 12,160 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Migdal HaEmek
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

Migdal HaEmek vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Migdal HaEmek costs about 51% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,165 per month in Migdal HaEmek and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Nosara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,155 per month in Migdal HaEmek and $494 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,839, than in Migdal HaEmek at $2,776. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Migdal HaEmek it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,839 versus $2,776 in Migdal HaEmek. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Migdal HaEmek makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.