Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Argentina, you would:
Health
live 3.5 years longer
In Argentina, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 12.1% less likely to be obese
In Argentina, 37.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 37.6% less spent on your healthcare
Argentina spends $3,089 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 47.4% fewer doctors per person
Argentina has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 39.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Argentina, 28.2% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 34.0% more money
Argentina has a GDP per capita of $14,898 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 27.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Argentina, approximately 33.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Argentina, approximately 8.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.1% less on healthcare
Argentina spends 10.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 74.1% less coastline
Argentina has a total of 4,989 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 4.0 times more likely to be murdered
Argentina has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 76.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Argentina, road accidents kill 8.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 43.8% less strain on fresh water
Argentina withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 10.8% less home broadband
Argentina has 26.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 19.1% less electricity
Argentina uses 2,822 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 48.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Argentina, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.4% less CO2
Argentina emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Argentina vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Argentina? See an in-depth size comparison.