Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
live 5.7 years longer
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 12.5% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 37.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 40.9% more spent on your healthcare
Mexico spends $1,368 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
be 16.0% more likely to die by suicide
Mexico has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mexico, 29.6% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 43.8% more money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $13,889 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 42.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 42.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 12.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
have 35.4% fewer children
In Mexico, there are approximately 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.8% more on education
Mexico spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 24.9% more on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
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.
Safety
be 28.6% less likely to be murdered
Mexico has a homicide rate of 24.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 29.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mexico, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.9% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 14.1% less electricity
Mexico uses 2,658 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mexico, air pollution causes 30.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.2% less CO2
Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Mexico vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.