Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 34.4% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
be 47.9% more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.8% less 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.0% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 10.4% more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.4% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 11.7 times more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 91.8% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 57.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.4% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
use 3.5 times more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
live with 36.9% more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.7 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.