CRC
Costa Rica
Costa Rica's corporate tax is 5.00 %, ranked 4th of 96. And its tax on pay is 9.85 %, the 3rd lowest of 37.
Of 25 fields published for Costa Rica, these two sit furthest from the middle of the atlas.
Is it expensive, or does the pay keep up?
Price level
59 % of US prices
Average monthly salary
$1,928 PPP/mo
The average employee in Costa Rica earns about $1,928 a month before tax, measured in dollars adjusted for what they buy locally.
Average annual salary
$44,431 PPP
Money's value
26.10 %
100 saved in Costa Rica in 2000 buys what 26 buys today — 74 % of its purchasing power is gone.
What is left after the state takes its share?
Tax on pay
9.85 %
Of every $100 of gross pay at the average wage in Costa Rica, about $10 goes to income tax and employee social contributions.
Average monthly salary
$1,928 PPP/mo
The average employee in Costa Rica earns about $1,928 a month before tax, measured in dollars adjusted for what they buy locally.
Take-home pay
$40,055 PPP
The average job in Costa Rica pays about $40,055 a year (PPP) after income tax and the employee's social contributions.
Minimum wage
$1,093 PPP/mo
The law in Costa Rica sets the floor at about $1,093 a month, measured in dollars adjusted for what they buy locally.
Does money in the bank keep its value?
Savings vs inflation
3.51 %
A bank account in Costa Rica currently gains about 3.5 pp of purchasing power a year.
Deposit rate
3.44 %
Inflation rate
-0.07 %
Prices in Costa Rica actually fell 0.1 % over the year — deflation.
Top income tax
25.00 %
ranked 5th of 37
Median income
$15,339 PPP
ranked 37th of 42
Minimum wage
$1,093 PPP/mo
ranked 15th of 85
Tax wedge
27.66 %
ranked 7th of 36
Average annual salary
$44,431 PPP
ranked 29th of 37
Where Costa Rica sits, field by field
Each dot is Costa Rica’s position among every country that publishes that field. Sorted by distance from the middle, so what is unusual about the country comes first.
- Corporate tax5.00 %4 of 96
- Tax on pay9.85 %3 of 37
- Top income tax25.00 %5 of 37
- Median income$15,339 PPP37 of 42
- Minimum wage$1,093 PPP/mo15 of 85
- Tax wedge27.66 %7 of 36
- GDP growth4.56 %28 of 127
- Average annual salary$44,431 PPP29 of 37
- Savings vs inflation3.51 %17 of 69
- Inflation rate-0.07 %88 of 123
- Lending rate6.88 %20 of 67
- Price level59 % of US prices87 of 125
- Bank spread3.44 %20 of 62
- Unemployment rate6.84 %85 of 124
- Money's value26.10 %76 of 116
- Retirement age (women)63 years19 of 49
- Debt per person$7,85576 of 123
- Take-home pay$40,055 PPP23 of 37
- Deposit rate3.44 %43 of 70
- GDP per capita$19,97053 of 127
- Retirement age (men)65 years21 of 49
- Government debt60.40 %71 of 124
- Public holidays11 days58 of 104
- Median salary$1,431 PPP/mo38 of 78
- Average monthly salary$1,928 PPP/mo47 of 92
- Cost of money
- Work & income
- Housing & living
- Macro
The money journey · average earner
Financially nearest · computed, not curated
Mauritius
avg gap 17.7 pp · 16 shared fields
Most separates them: inflation — -0.07 % (Costa Rica) vs 3.67 %
Bahamas
avg gap 18.7 pp · 17 shared fields
Most separates them: money's value — 26.10 % (Costa Rica) vs 61.20 %
Fiji
avg gap 18.9 pp · 16 shared fields
Most separates them: corporate tax — 5.00 % (Costa Rica) vs 25.00 %
Belize
avg gap 19.9 pp · 15 shared fields
Most separates them: money's value — 26.10 % (Costa Rica) vs 67.00 %
| Savings vs inflation | 3.51 % | ranked 17th of 69 | |
| Inflation rate | -0.07 % | ranked 88th of 123 | |
| Lending rate | 6.88 % | ranked 20th of 67 | |
| Price level | 59 % of US prices | ranked 87th of 125 | |
| Bank spread | 3.44 % | ranked 20th of 62 | |
| Unemployment rate | 6.84 % | ranked 85th of 124 | |
| Money's value | 26.10 % | ranked 76th of 116 | |
| Retirement age (women) | 63 years | ranked 19th of 49 | |
| Debt per person | $7,855 | ranked 76th of 123 | |
| Take-home pay | $40,055 PPP | ranked 23rd of 37 | |
| Deposit rate | 3.44 % | ranked 43rd of 70 | |
| GDP per capita | $19,970 | ranked 53rd of 127 | |
| Retirement age (men) | 65 years | ranked 21st of 49 | |
| Government debt | 60.40 % | ranked 71st of 124 | |
| Public holidays | 11 days | ranked 58th of 104 | |
| Median salary | $1,431 PPP/mo | ranked 38th of 78 | |
| Average monthly salary | $1,928 PPP/mo | ranked 47th of 92 |
✓ 25 fields published for Costa Rica, every one dated and sourced · 10 not published yet
Awaiting an official source for Costa Rica: mortgage rate, real policy rate, house price growth since 2015, house price growth, rent, petrol, electricity, minimum wage, vat, currency.
Sources for all 25 figures
- Corporate tax — OECD Corporate Tax Statistics · 2026
- Tax on pay — OECD Taxing Wages + OECD Tax Database · 2025
- Top income tax — OECD Personal Income Tax rates · 2025
- Median income — OECD Income Distribution Database · 2025
- Minimum wage — ILO monthly earnings of employees (EAR_EMTA mean + EAR_EMTM median) · 2024
- Tax wedge — OECD Taxing Wages + OECD Tax Database · 2025
- GDP growth — World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt) · 2025
- Average annual salary — OECD Average annual wages · 2024
- Savings vs inflation — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2025
- Inflation rate — Annual CPI inflation (shared satsatlas data engine: World Bank + Eurostat + SSB) · 2025
- Lending rate — IMF International Financial Statistics · 2025
- Price level — World Bank PPP conversion factor ÷ official exchange rate (PA.NUS.PPP, PA.NUS.FCRF) · 2025
- Bank spread — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2025
- Unemployment rate — World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt) · 2025
- Money's value — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2025
- Retirement age (women) — OECD Pensions at a Glance — current normal retirement age (DF_DPS, CRPLF22) · 2024
- Debt per person — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2001
- Take-home pay — Fiatmap derived metrics (own calculation from separately sourced components) · 2024
- Deposit rate — IMF International Financial Statistics · 2025
- GDP per capita — World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt) · 2025
- Retirement age (men) — OECD Pensions at a Glance — current normal retirement age (DF_DPS, CRPLF22) · 2024
- Government debt — IMF World Economic Outlook (general government gross debt, % of GDP) · 2025
- Public holidays — Public holiday calendar (Nager.Date) · 2026
- Median salary — ILO monthly earnings of employees (EAR_EMTA mean + EAR_EMTM median) · 2025
- Average monthly salary — ILO monthly earnings of employees (EAR_EMTA mean + EAR_EMTM median) · 2025
What changed
| 6 Sept 2026 | Government debt (% of GDP) | 39.3351115689137 → 60.4 |
| 1 Aug 2026 | Take-home pay after tax wedge (USD PPP) | 32142 → 40055 |