Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 29.0% less likely to be obese
In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Costa Rica, that number is 25.7% of people as of 2016.
live 1.0 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In Costa Rica, that number is 80 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
pay a 62.1% lower top tax rate
United States has a top tax rate of 39.6% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
make 67.3% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $60,200 as of 2020, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,700 as of 2020.
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2018. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.1% as of 2017.
be 39.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 21.0% as of 2019.
Life
have 16.3% more children
In United States, there are approximately 12.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Costa Rica, there are 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 42.1% more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 19.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Costa Rica, 27.0 women do as of 2017.
be 62.3% more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Costa Rica, on the other hand, 8.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 11.0% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Costa Rica, about 81.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 56.5% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Costa Rica, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2019.
spend 34.0% more on education
United States spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 93.5% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Internal Revenue Service, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.