Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Argentina instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
see 60.3% more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Argentina spends $3,089 as of 2023.
have 90.0% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Argentina has 51.1 as of 2023.
live 3.5 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Argentina, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.8% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Argentina, that number is 37.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 64.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Argentina, however, that number is 28.2% as of 2025.
make 25.4% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Argentina, the GDP per capita is $14,898 as of 2025.
Life
be 12.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 9.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Argentina, on the other hand, 8.0 children do as of 2024.
have 11.0% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Argentina, there are 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 37.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Argentina, 33.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 49.5% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Argentina, that number is 10.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.9 times more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Argentina, that number is 4,989 km.
Safety
be 74.7% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Argentina, that number is 4.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 43.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Argentina, they kill 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.1% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Argentina has 26.1 as of 2024.
use 23.7% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Argentina uses 2,822 kWh as of 2024.
live with 77.9% more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Argentina withdraws 10% as of 2022.
Environment
be 93.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Argentina, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Argentina emits 4.0 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: Costa Rica vs. Argentina
Argentina: At a glance
How big is Argentina compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.