Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 22.9% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
live 0.9 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 48.7% more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 50.8% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 75.3% more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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 50.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.4% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 21.7% more likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 24.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 69.9% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 16.8% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 66.2% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.