Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Australia, you would:
Health
be 38.4% less likely to die by suicide
Australia has a suicide rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.0 years less
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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.
see 74.9% less spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 34.2% fewer doctors per person
Australia has 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 67.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Australia, 4.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 69.3% less money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 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 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Australia, approximately 3.1 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 33.9% less on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.0% less coastline
Australia has a total of 25,760 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 20.9 times more likely to be murdered
Australia has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 36.2% less home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 25.9% more strain on fresh water
Australia withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 76.7% less electricity
Australia uses 9,801 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 88.4% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Australia, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.