Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
live 0.9 years longer
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 32.8% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 29.6% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 12.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 2.0 times more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 54.2% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 33.6% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 42.9% fewer children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.6% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 61.2% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 km.
Safety
be 17.8% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Puerto Rico, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 19.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.2% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 3.3 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.