Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 32.4% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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.
see 65.4% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 25.6% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 34.6% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 59.7% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 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 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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.
Expenditures
spend 31.7% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.5% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 12.2 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 27.0% less strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 38.8% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 71.4% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 72.9% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.