Moving to Costa Rica from Brazil
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Brazil to Costa Rica — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Brazil to Costa Rica, you would find that Costa Rica is 78.8% more expensive than Brazil overall. A R$410,000 salary in Brazil would need to be roughly CRC61,200,000 in Costa Rica to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Spanish.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Costa Rica cheaper than Brazil?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 69.6% more
Groceries
pay 95.2% more
Transportation
pay 22.8% more
Housing
pay 2.2 times more
Childcare
pay 95.3% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 72.4% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Costa Rica?
What does your salary buy?
R$410,000 → CRC61,200,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Costa Rica
Calculate with your salary →Get free moving quotes to Costa Rica
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
How many people actually move from Brazil to Costa Rica, based on official data.
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
- · · ·
-
25.652
Brazil
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Brazil to Costa Rica.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Brazil across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Costa Rica generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Brazil leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Brazil across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Brazil generally does better on infrastructure, though Costa Rica leads in internet access.
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
share of people below the poverty line
Brazil generally does better on employment & economy, though Costa Rica leads in gdp per capita.
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 generally does better on family life, though Brazil leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2016–2021), Secretaria da Receita Federal do Brasil (2016), Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Costa Rica vs Brazil
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sao Paulo | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 81°/66°F (28°/19°C) | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/57°F (23°/14°C) | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 73°/55°F (23°/13°C) | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sao Paulo | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81°/66°F (27.3°/18.7°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) |
| Feb | 82°/66°F (28.0°/18.8°C) | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) |
| Mar | 81°/65°F (27.2°/18.2°C) | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) |
| Apr | 77°/61°F (25.1°/16.3°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) |
| May | 73°/57°F (23.0°/13.8°C) | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) |
| Jun | 71°/54°F (21.8°/12.4°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) |
| Jul | 71°/53°F (21.8°/11.7°C) | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 74°/55°F (23.3°/12.8°C) | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) |
| Sep | 75°/57°F (23.9°/13.9°C) | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) |
| Oct | 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.3°C) | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) |
| Nov | 79°/62°F (25.9°/16.6°C) | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) |
| Dec | 79°/64°F (26.3°/17.7°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) |
Data:
Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia,
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional
Can you move from Brazil to Costa Rica?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Brazil 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.
Brazil passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa Free
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Brazil
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Costa Rica than Brazil?
No — Costa Rica is on average about 79% more expensive than Brazil. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Costa Rica?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly CRC15,300,000 in Costa Rica on a R$410,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Costa Rica?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Costa Rica safe for expats?
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Brazil across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 17.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 19.3 in Brazil.
How is healthcare in Costa Rica compared to Brazil?
Costa Rica generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Brazil leads in adult obesity rate. There are 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Costa Rica, compared to 23.6 in Brazil. Costa Rica scores 81 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Brazil: 80).
What's the weather like in Costa Rica compared to Brazil?
The average high temperature in San Jose is 77°F, compared to 77°F in Sao Paulo. San Jose receives around 73.5 in of rainfall per year, while Sao Paulo gets 57.3 in.
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
The official language in Costa Rica is Spanish. In Brazil, the official language is Portuguese.
