Moving to Costa Rica from Aruba
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Aruba to Costa Rica — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Aruba to Costa Rica, and you’d need to navigate life in Spanish.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Aruba to Costa Rica, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Costa Rica?
Top countries of origin for Costa Rica's foreign-born residents.
- 350,854
- 28,214
- 25,530
- 16,682
- 15,209
- 13,711
- · · ·
-
58.38
Aruba
Key Indicator Comparison
How Aruba and Costa Rica stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
Aruba performs better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics.
What about the environment?
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Aruba across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
share of households with internet
Aruba generally does better on infrastructure, though Costa Rica leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
Aruba generally does better on employment & economy, though Costa Rica leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Aruba across all family life metrics.
Data: Ministerio di Finansas, Comunicacion, Utilidad y Energia, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Aruba and Costa Rica. To live, work, or study long-term in Costa Rica, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Costa Rica's immigration authority.
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Aruba
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Costa Rica?
With 21.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Costa Rica can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Aruba and Costa Rica.
Is Costa Rica safe for expats?
Aruba performs better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 17.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.9 in Aruba.
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
The official language in Costa Rica is Spanish. In Aruba, the official languages are Dutch and Papiamento.
