CRC
…
USD
…
Land Area
United States of America
9,833,517 km²
Largest
Costa Rica
51,100 km²
0.5% of largest
United States of America is 192.44× larger than Costa Rica
Population
United States of America
LARGEST
341.78M
PEOPLE
Costa Rica
1.5% OF LARGEST
5.15M
PEOPLE
United States of America has 66.33× the population of Costa Rica
GDP
United States of America
LARGEST
$30.77T
Costa Rica
0.3% OF LARGEST
$102.9B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United States of America
LARGEST
1.35M
TROOPS
Costa Rica
0.0% OF LARGEST
0
TROOPS
Air Force
United States of America
LARGEST
13.3K
AIRCRAFT
Costa Rica
0.0% OF LARGEST
0
AIRCRAFT
Naval Assets
United States of America
Costa Rica
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
8,133.5
Metric Tonnes
Costa Rica
0.0% OF LARGEST
0.0
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
$228B
Reserves · excl. gold
Costa Rica
6.1% OF LARGEST
$14B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United States of America
MOST
813
billionaires
Costa Rica
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
69
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
United States of America
NET EXPORTER
Production
20.0M b/d
Consumption
19.0M b/d
+1.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Costa Rica
$36.7B
Exports
$36.7B
Imports
$31.3B
Trade Balance
+$5.5B
Trade Surplus
United States of America
$3,193.5B
Exports
$3,193.5B
Imports
$4,103.1B
Trade Balance
$-909.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Costa Rica
supply
Tea
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Costa Rica
supply
Beer
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Costa Rica
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Costa Rica
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
Costa Rica
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
United States of America
Costa Rica
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United States of America
1,233
Gold
1,013
Silver
889
Bronze
3,135
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2,772
❄ Winter: 363
Costa Rica
1
Gold
1
Silver
2
Bronze
4
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 4
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Costa Rica
United States of America
Age Demographics
Median Age
United States of America
38.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Costa Rica
33.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
United States of America is 5.0 years older (median) than Costa Rica
Youth Population
Costa Rica has the highest youth population at 43.3% (under 30)
Elderly Population
United States of America has the highest elderly population at 21.6% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Costa Rica
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
186
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
66.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
1
|
411
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
4
|
26
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Costa Rica
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $8 | $20 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $35 | $80 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $650 | $1,950 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $450 | $1,500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $85 | $175 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $35 | $68 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $45 | $85 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
USA
Costa Rica
Physicians per 1,000
USA
Costa Rica
Hospital beds per 1,000
USA
Costa Rica
Diabetes prevalence
USA
Costa Rica
Obesity prevalence
USA
Costa Rica
Suicide rate per 100k
USA
Costa Rica
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Costa Rica vs USA — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Costa Rica | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 5152950 | 341784857 |
| Area (sq km) | 51100 | 9833517 |
| Capital | San José | Washington, D.C. |
| Official Language | Spanish | English (de facto) |
| Currency | Costa Rican Colón (CRC) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Government Type | Unitary presidential constitutional republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Costa Rica | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 0 | 1,347,300 |
| Reserve Personnel | 0 | 799,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 0 | 2,146,800 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $0 | $816,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 0 | 6,612 |
| Armored Vehicles | 0 | 45,193 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 0 | 1,498 |
| Towed Artillery | 0 | 1,339 |
| Rocket Projectors | 0 | 1,366 |
Economy
| Metric | Costa Rica | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $102,904,921,157 | $30,769,700,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $19,970 | $90,027 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 6.8% | 4.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 45.5 | 41.8 |
| Currency | Costa Rican Colón (CRC) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United States of America is 192.4 times larger in area than Costa Rica.
That's a massive difference!
United States of America has 66.3 times more people than Costa Rica.
United States of America has the highest GDP per capita at $90,027 among the selected countries.
United States of America has the largest economy with a GDP of
$30.77 trillion.
United States of America has the largest active military personnel with 1,347,300 troops.
United States of America has the largest air force with 13,300 aircraft.
United States of America has the largest navy with 472 vessels.
USA Fact: The United States has more airports than any other country in the world, with over 13,000 airports.
Costa Rica vs United States of America: Key Comparisons
Economy: United States of America's GDP of $30.8T is 299.0x larger than Costa Rica's $103B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United States of America's population of 342M is 66.3x larger than Costa Rica's 5M.
Area: United States of America covers 9,833,517 km², making it 192.4x larger than Costa Rica.
Trade: Costa Rica runs a trade surplus of $5B while United States of America has a trade deficit of $910B.
Life Expectancy: Costa Rica leads with a life expectancy of 81 years vs United States of America's 79.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology