Moving to Rwanda from Costa Rica
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Costa Rica to Rwanda — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Costa Rica to Rwanda, and you’d need to navigate life in English, French and Kinyarwanda.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Costa Rica and Rwanda stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Rwanda performs significantly better than Costa Rica 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
Rwanda generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Costa Rica generally does better on environment, though Rwanda leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
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
Costa Rica performs better than Rwanda across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Costa Rica performs better than Rwanda across all employment & economy metrics.
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 better than Rwanda across all family life metrics.
Data: Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | San Jose | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) | 82°/60°F (28°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) | 80°/60°F (27°/16°C) |
View all months
| Month | San Jose | Kigali |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.6°C) |
| Feb | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) | 81°/60°F (27.4°/15.8°C) |
| Mar | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.7°C) |
| Apr | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) | 79°/61°F (26.2°/16.1°C) |
| May | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) | 79°/61°F (25.9°/16.2°C) |
| Jun | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) | 81°/59°F (27.1°/15.0°C) |
| Aug | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) | 82°/61°F (28.0°/16.0°C) |
| Sep | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.0°C) |
| Oct | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) | 81°/61°F (27.2°/15.9°C) |
| Nov | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) | 79°/60°F (26.1°/15.5°C) |
| Dec | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.6°C) |
Data:
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional,
Rwanda Meteorology Agency
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Costa Rica and Rwanda. To live, work, or study long-term in Rwanda, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Rwanda's immigration authority.
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Rwanda
Visa on Arrival
Rwanda passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Rwanda?
With 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Rwanda can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Costa Rica and Rwanda.
Is Rwanda safe for expats?
Rwanda performs significantly better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Rwanda is 3.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 17.4 in Costa Rica.
How is healthcare in Rwanda compared to Costa Rica?
Rwanda generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 1.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Rwanda, compared to 26.4 in Costa Rica. Rwanda scores 49 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Costa Rica: 81).
What's the weather like in Rwanda compared to Costa Rica?
The average high temperature in Kigali is 80°F, compared to 77°F in San Jose. Kigali receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while San Jose gets 73.5 in.
What language do they speak in Rwanda?
The official languages in Rwanda are English, French and Kinyarwanda. In Costa Rica, the official language is Spanish.
