Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hays, KS and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Hays, KS: $1,737 a month against $1,835 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Hays, KS
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Hays, KS Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Hays, KS

🇺🇸 United States

$1,737

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,737 per month in Hays, KS vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Hays, KS $1,737
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,467 per month in Hays, KS vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Hays, KS $2,467
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,198 per month in Hays, KS vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Hays, KS $3,198
Nosara $3,814

Hays, KS is about 5% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hays, KS and Nosara sit above the global median – Hays, KS by 28%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.33 $13.33

$12.34 ₡5,535

8.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.87 $43.87

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-28.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.11 $8.11

$7.76 ₡3,481

4.51%

Cappuccino

$3.98 $3.98

$4.44 ₡1,992

-10.36%

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

$2.39 $2.39

$1.79 ₡803

33.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.29 ₡580

-20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.24 ₡1,451

18.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 $4.33

$4.43 ₡1,985

-2.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 $0.76

$1.55 ₡696

-50.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 $2.26

$3.08 ₡1,380

-26.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.53 ₡1,133

76.28%

Eggs

$2.06 $2.06

$3.45 ₡1,546

-40.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$7.32 ₡3,284

-39.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.93 $8.93

$10.24 ₡4,594

-12.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.33 $13.33

$14.10 ₡6,326

-5.46%

Apples (1kg)

$6.04 $6.04

$2.29 ₡1,027

163.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.64 ₡737

Oranges (1kg)

$5.06 $5.06

$4.79 ₡2,149

5.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 $4.42

$1.64 ₡735

169.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.85 ₡1,727

-23.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$3.75 ₡1,681

-42.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 $1.97

$1.09 ₡488

80.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$2.59 ₡1,160

-21.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.68 $9.68

$5.12 ₡2,295

89.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.15 $12.15

$19.92 ₡8,931

-39.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 $2.23

$2.80 ₡1,255

-20.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 $3.85

$3.52 ₡1,580

9.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.22 ₡549

64.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 $2.43

$2.17 ₡973

11.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 $1.57

$1.56 ₡698

0.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.71 $39.71

$8.67 ₡3,886

358.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.55 ₡697

-40.65%

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

$28.1K $28.1K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-18.74%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-33.03%

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

$269 $269

$94.8 ₡42.5K

183.36%

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

$34.85 $34.85

$36.15 ₡16.2K

-3.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.8 $68.8

$53.1 ₡23.8K

29.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 $45.17

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-38.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 $15.21

$7.91 ₡3,548

92.29%

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

$922 $922

$490 ₡219.9K

88.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K $15.7K

$11.9K ₡5.3M

32.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.68 $23.68

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-56.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.82 $31.82

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-43.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 $110

$80.4 ₡36.0K

36.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 $138

$77.9 ₡34.9K

77.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$793 $793

$801 ₡359.1K

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 $589

$790 ₡354.1K

-25.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 $1,034

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-74.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$895 $895

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-36.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-66.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,615 $2,615

$1,236 ₡554.3K

111.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,386 $2,386

$887 ₡397.6K

169.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

8.62

-22.85%

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

Last update for Hays, KS: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hays, KS

$589 33.9%

Nosara

$790 43% 34.1% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hays, KS

$372 21.4%

Nosara

$184 10% 50.6% $188

Groceries & Markets

Hays, KS

$325 18.7%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 7.5% $24

Eating Out

Hays, KS

$220 12.7%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 3.4% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Hays, KS

$136 7.9%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 11.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Hays, KS

$76 4.4%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 18.6% $14

Getting Around

Hays, KS

$18 * 1.1%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 385% $70

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $793 in Hays, KS versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 169% higher in Hays, KS, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Hays, KS versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $350 – making Hays, KS the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Hays, KS

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h behind Hays, KS

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,726

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hays, KS Nosara 3,490 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hays, KS
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

Hays, KS vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Nosara is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,605 per month in Hays, KS and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hays, KS, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Hays, KS and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Hays, KS, where all-in costs run around $1,737, than in Nosara at $1,835. In Hays, KS it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hays, KS – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Hays, KS. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.