Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Montenegro, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Montenegro, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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.
have 12.5% more access to essential health services
Montenegro scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 28.7% less likely to die by suicide
Montenegro has a suicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 91.2% more likely to be obese
In Montenegro, 17.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 33.7% less spent on your healthcare
Montenegro spends $2,908 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
Economy
be 49.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Montenegro, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
be 14.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Montenegro, 20.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 17.1% as of 2025.
make 34.8% more money
Montenegro has a GDP per capita of $14,817 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Montenegro, approximately 6.0 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 4.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Montenegro, approximately 1.9 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 10.8% fewer children
In Montenegro, there are approximately 11.2 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 28.8% less on healthcare
Montenegro spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.4 times more coastline
Montenegro has a total of 294 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 22.5 times more likely to be murdered
Montenegro has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 70.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Montenegro, road accidents kill 9.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.9% less home broadband
Montenegro has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 50.0% less electricity
Montenegro uses 4,564 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 75.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Montenegro, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Montenegro vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Montenegro? See an in-depth size comparison.