Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
live 7.3 years longer
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.
be 11.1% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 10.1% more money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $17,900 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 49.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mexico, 41.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
pay a 57.1% lower top tax rate
Mexico has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 3.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
Life
be 18.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 33.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 29.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 11.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 12.5% more likely to have internet access
In Mexico, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 55.8% more on education
Mexico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 35.2% more on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 86.2% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Servicio de Administración Tributaria, SHCP, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.