Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Guernsey, you would:

Health

live 2.2 years less

In Guernsey, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 14.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Guernsey, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Guernsey, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 25.8 times more coastline

Guernsey has a total of 50 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.

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Sources: The World Factbook (2022–2023), World Bank (2024–2025). How we calculate this

Compare further: Guernsey vs. Costa Rica

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Costa Rica is 37.3% cheaper than Guernsey overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Guernsey is about 655 times smaller than Costa Rica.
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Costa Rica: At a glance

Costa Rica is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 51,060 sq km. Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
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How big is Costa Rica compared to Guernsey? See an in-depth size comparison.

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