Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 47.9% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.1 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 39.4% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Dominican Republic spends $1,169 as of 2023.
Economy
be 25.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 44.6% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $11,059 as of 2025.
Life
have 76.4% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times 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 Dominican Republic, 124.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.0 times more 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 Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.0% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 38.5% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 10.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 76.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, they kill 27.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 51.9% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Dominican Republic has 11.2 as of 2024.
live with 6.7 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.
use 18.2% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 80.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.
emit 83.4% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: At a glance
How big is Dominican Republic compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.