Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Croatia, you would:

Health

live 2.4 years longer

In Croatia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 81 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 68.2% lower top tax rate

Croatia has a top tax rate of 47.2% as of 2016. In Costa Rica, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.

make 37.5% less money

Croatia has a GDP per capita of $41,300 as of 2023, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $25,800 as of 2023.

be 37.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Croatia, 6.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 8.3% as of 2023.

be 41.7% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Croatia, 18.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Costa Rica, however, that number is 25.5% as of 2022.

Life

have 27.1% more children

In Croatia, there are approximately 8.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 4.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Croatia, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Costa Rica, 22.0 women do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 21.8% more on education

Croatia spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Costa Rica spends 6.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 77.9% less coastline

Croatia has a total of 5,835 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Croatia Tax Administration, The World Factbook, Directorate General of Taxation of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica: At a glance

Costa Rica is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 51,060 sq km. Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. In 1949, Costa Rica dissolved its armed forces. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.
Read more

How big is Costa Rica compared to Croatia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Costa Rica.or Croatia It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.