Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Singapore, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years less
In Singapore, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 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 92.5% more likely to be obese
In Singapore, 17.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 70.6% less spent on your healthcare
Singapore spends $6,551 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Singapore, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 79.8% less money
Singapore has a GDP per capita of $98,814 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
have 35.0% more children
In Singapore, there are approximately 7.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Singapore, 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 4.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Singapore, approximately 2.2 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 2.4 times more on education
Singapore spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 53.0% more on healthcare
Singapore spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.7 times more coastline
Singapore has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 253.6 times more likely to be murdered
Singapore has a homicide rate of 0.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 8.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Singapore, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.3% less strain on fresh water
Singapore withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 16.3% less home broadband
Singapore has 27.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 76.6% less electricity
Singapore uses 9,750 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 34.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Singapore, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 83.3% less CO2
Singapore emits 9.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Singapore vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Singapore? See an in-depth size comparison.