Quality of life comparison
If you lived in El Salvador instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
live 8.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In El Salvador, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
see 39.0% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). El Salvador spends $1,176 as of 2023.
have 39.9% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. El Salvador has 16.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 51.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In El Salvador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 59.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In El Salvador, however, that number is 27.2% as of 2023.
make 71.1% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in El Salvador, the GDP per capita is $5,767 as of 2025.
Life
have 56.2% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In El Salvador, there are 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 62.5% 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 El Salvador, 39.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 23.7% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In El Salvador, about 66.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.5% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. El Salvador spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 35.2% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 9.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.2% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In El Salvador, that number is 307 km.
Safety
be 55.5% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In El Salvador, that number is 7.9 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 38.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In El Salvador, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 46.5% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. El Salvador has 12.5 as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. El Salvador withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 50.2% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In El Salvador, it causes 31.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. El Salvador
El Salvador: At a glance
How big is El Salvador compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.