Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Cayman Islands, you would:

Economy

make 80.9% less money

Cayman Islands has a GDP per capita of $104,293 as of 2024, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.

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Life

be 19.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Cayman Islands, approximately 7.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.

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have 13.6% fewer children

In Cayman Islands, there are approximately 11.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 3.4 times more on education

Cayman Islands spends 1.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 8.1 times more coastline

Cayman Islands has a total of 160 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.

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Safety

be 4.1 times more likely to be murdered

Cayman Islands has a homicide rate of 4.4 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 58.7% less home broadband

Cayman Islands has 56.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 67.4% less CO2

Cayman Islands emits 5.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cayman Islands vs. Costa Rica

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Costa Rica is 57.7% cheaper than Cayman Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Cayman Islands is about 194 times smaller than Costa Rica.
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Moving from Cayman Islands to Costa Rica · UN DESA 2020
9 people born in Cayman Islands live in Costa Rica.
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Costa Rica: At a glance

Costa Rica is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 51,060 sq km. Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
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How big is Costa Rica compared to Cayman Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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