Moving to Costa Rica from Maldives
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Maldives to Costa Rica — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Maldives to Costa Rica, and you’d need to navigate life in Spanish. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Maldives 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
- · · ·
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137.1
Maldives
Key Indicator Comparison
How Maldives and Costa Rica stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Maldives performs 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
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Costa Rica generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maldives leads in suicide 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 Maldives across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Maldives across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Maldives 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 performs significantly better than Maldives across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Maldives 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.
Maldives passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa Free
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Maldives
Visa on ArrivalData: 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 Maldives and Costa Rica.
Is Costa Rica safe for expats?
Maldives performs better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 17.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Maldives.
How is healthcare in Costa Rica compared to Maldives?
Costa Rica generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Maldives leads in suicide rate. There are 26.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Costa Rica, compared to 21.6 in Maldives. Costa Rica scores 81 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Maldives: 61).
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
The official language in Costa Rica is Spanish. In Maldives, the official language is Maldivian.
