Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
see 7.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 37.0% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
live 2.1 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 25.3% more likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 93.9% more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 4.5 times more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.2% 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 United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.6% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.4 times more coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 67.5% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 66.9% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
use 5.6 times more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
live with 4.8 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 8.4 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.