Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mexico instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 13.8% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
be 14.3% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 37.4% of people as of 2024.
see 29.0% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mexico spends $1,368 as of 2023.
Economy
be 61.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 73.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Mexico, however, that number is 29.6% as of 2024.
make 30.4% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $13,889 as of 2025.
Life
have 54.8% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 75.0% 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 Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.
be 33.0% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.5% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mexico spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 19.9% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.2 times more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.
Safety
be 22.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mexico, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 40.1% more likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
use 16.5% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Mexico uses 2,658 kWh as of 2024.
live with 7.6 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.
Environment
be 100.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Mexico
Mexico: At a glance
How big is Mexico compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.