Moving to Costa Rica from Venezuela
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Venezuela to Costa Rica — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Venezuela to Costa Rica, you would find that Costa Rica is 2.2 times more expensive than Venezuela overall. A VEF748,088 salary in Venezuela would need to be roughly CRC53,672,301 in Costa Rica to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — San Jose averages 77°F vs 86°F in Caracas, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Venezuela to Costa Rica.
What does your salary buy?
VEF748,088 → CRC53,672,301
To maintain the same standard of living in Costa Rica
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 34.3% more
Groceries
pay 31.7% more
Transportation
pay 72.2% more
Housing
pay 3.5 times more
Childcare
pay 4.5 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 71.5% 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.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Venezuela 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
-
2.28,214
Venezuela
- 25,530
- 16,682
- 15,209
- 13,711
Key Indicator Comparison
How Venezuela 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
Venezuela 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
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Venezuela 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 performs significantly better than Venezuela 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
Costa Rica performs significantly better than Venezuela 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
Venezuela 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 Venezuela across all family life metrics.
Data: Ministerio del Poder Popular de Finanzas, SENIAT, 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 | Caracas | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 87°/58°F (31°/14°C) | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 88°/64°F (31°/18°C) | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/62°F (30°/17°C) | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/60°F (29°/15°C) | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) |
View all months
| Month | Caracas | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84°/56°F (29.0°/13.1°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) |
| Feb | 88°/58°F (31.0°/14.5°C) | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) |
| Mar | 89°/60°F (31.7°/15.3°C) | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) |
| Apr | 88°/61°F (31.1°/16.2°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) |
| May | 89°/65°F (31.8°/18.2°C) | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) |
| Jun | 87°/65°F (30.3°/18.1°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) |
| Jul | 88°/62°F (31.0°/16.9°C) | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 85°/62°F (29.3°/16.6°C) | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) |
| Sep | 86°/62°F (30.1°/16.8°C) | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) |
| Oct | 85°/62°F (29.7°/16.4°C) | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) |
| Nov | 85°/60°F (29.6°/15.7°C) | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) |
| Dec | 83°/58°F (28.4°/14.2°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) |
Data:
Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología (INAMEH),
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Venezuela 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.
Venezuela passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa Required
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Venezuela
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 Venezuela?
Day-to-day costs in Costa Rica run about 58% higher than Venezuela on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Costa Rica?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a VEF748,088 comparable salary, that's around CRC13,418,075 in Costa Rica for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
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 Venezuela and Costa Rica.
Is Costa Rica safe for expats?
Venezuela performs better than Costa Rica across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 17.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 12.6 in Venezuela.
How is healthcare in Costa Rica compared to Venezuela?
Venezuela generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Costa Rica leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 26.4 doctors per 10,000 people in Costa Rica, compared to 16.6 in Venezuela. Costa Rica scores 81 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Venezuela: 75).
What's the weather like in Costa Rica compared to Venezuela?
The average high temperature in San Jose is 77°F, compared to 86°F in Caracas. San Jose receives around 73.5 in of rainfall per year, while Caracas gets 35.9 in.
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
Both Venezuela and Costa Rica share the same official language: Spanish.
