Moving to Costa Rica from Zimbabwe
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Zimbabwe to Costa Rica — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Zimbabwe to Costa Rica, you would find that Costa Rica is 87.4% more expensive than Zimbabwe overall. A ZWL24,000,000 salary in Zimbabwe would need to be roughly CRC63,700,000 in Costa Rica to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Spanish. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Zimbabwe to Costa Rica.
What does your salary buy?
ZWL24,000,000 → CRC63,700,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Costa Rica
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.0 times more
Groceries
pay 73.9% more
Transportation
pay 2.4% more
Housing
pay 2.3 times more
Childcare
pay 2.2 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 52.7% 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 Zimbabwe 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
- · · ·
-
147.1
Zimbabwe
Key Indicator Comparison
How Zimbabwe 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
Zimbabwe generally does better on safety, though Costa Rica leads in road traffic deaths.
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 Zimbabwe leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Zimbabwe generally does better on environment, though Costa Rica leads in air pollution deaths.
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 Zimbabwe 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 significantly better than Zimbabwe 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 significantly better than Zimbabwe across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021), Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (2016), Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Harare | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 79°/59°F (26°/15°C) | 75°/60°F (24°/16°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/49°F (24°/10°C) | 78°/62°F (26°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/48°F (25°/9°C) | 77°/62°F (25°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 82°/59°F (28°/15°C) | 76°/61°F (24°/16°C) |
View all months
| Month | Harare | San Jose |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79°/60°F (26.2°/15.8°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.4°C) |
| Feb | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.7°C) | 75°/60°F (23.9°/15.3°C) |
| Mar | 79°/58°F (26.2°/14.5°C) | 77°/60°F (25.1°/15.8°C) |
| Apr | 78°/54°F (25.6°/12.5°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.4°C) |
| May | 75°/49°F (23.8°/9.3°C) | 79°/63°F (26.1°/17.0°C) |
| Jun | 71°/44°F (21.8°/6.8°C) | 78°/62°F (25.7°/16.9°C) |
| Jul | 71°/44°F (21.6°/6.5°C) | 77°/61°F (24.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 75°/47°F (24.1°/8.5°C) | 77°/62°F (25.2°/16.7°C) |
| Sep | 83°/53°F (28.4°/11.7°C) | 78°/62°F (25.8°/16.5°C) |
| Oct | 84°/58°F (28.8°/14.5°C) | 78°/62°F (25.4°/16.4°C) |
| Nov | 82°/60°F (27.6°/15.5°C) | 76°/61°F (24.2°/16.3°C) |
| Dec | 79°/60°F (26.3°/15.8°C) | 74°/60°F (23.4°/15.8°C) |
Data:
Meteorological Services Department,
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Zimbabwe 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.
Zimbabwe passport holder visiting Costa Rica
Visa Required
Costa Rica passport holder visiting Zimbabwe
Visa on ArrivalData: 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 Zimbabwe?
Day-to-day costs in Costa Rica run about 87% higher than Zimbabwe 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 ZWL24,000,000 comparable salary, that's around CRC15,925,000 in Costa Rica for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Costa Rica?
With 23.3 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 Zimbabwe and Costa Rica.
Is Costa Rica safe for expats?
Zimbabwe generally does better on safety, though Costa Rica leads in road traffic deaths. The homicide rate in Costa Rica is 17.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.8 in Zimbabwe.
How is healthcare in Costa Rica compared to Zimbabwe?
Costa Rica generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Zimbabwe leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Costa Rica, compared to 1.4 in Zimbabwe. Costa Rica scores 81 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Zimbabwe: 55).
What's the weather like in Costa Rica compared to Zimbabwe?
The average high temperature in San Jose is 77°F, compared to 78°F in Harare. San Jose receives around 73.5 in of rainfall per year, while Harare gets 33.1 in.
What language do they speak in Costa Rica?
The official language in Costa Rica is Spanish. In Zimbabwe, the official languages are Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Khoisan, Ndau, Northern Ndebele, Shona, Sotho, Tonga, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zimbabwean Sign Language.
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Costa Rica
At a Glance
ZW
|
CR
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 16,950,795 | 5,152,950 |
| Currency | Zimbabwean Dollar (ZWL) | Costa Rican Colón (CRC) |
| Languages | Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Khoisan, Ndau, Northern Ndebele, Shona, Sotho, Tonga, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zimbabwean Sign Language | Spanish |
| Driving side | Left | Right |
| Calling code | +263 | +506 |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency number | 999 | 911 |