Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Costa Rica instead of New Caledonia, you would:

Health

live 2.1 years longer

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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.

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Economy

be 38.8% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.

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make 31.6% less money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $29,213 as of 2024, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.

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Life

have 28.8% fewer children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 42.8% less coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.

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Infrastructure

find 20.2% more home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 90.5% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. Costa Rica

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Costa Rica is 24.4% cheaper than New Caledonia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 2.8 times smaller than Costa Rica.
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Moving from New Caledonia to Costa Rica · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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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 New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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