Costa Rica vs Panama
Score comparison table
| Dimension | Costa Rica | Panama |
|---|---|---|
Lucky Nomads World Index | 7.37 / 10 | 7.07 / 10 |
SafetyShield Index | 6.2 / 10 | 5.6 / 10 |
Affordability Index | 7.0 / 10 | 6.9 / 10 |
Entry Ease Index | 6.6 / 10 | 6.9 / 10 |
Tax Freedom Index | 8.6 / 10 | 8.7 / 10 |
WiFi Index | 8.0 / 10 | 7.7 / 10 |
Admin Ease Index | 7.2 / 10 | 6.6 / 10 |
Healthcare Index | 8.4 / 10 | 7.8 / 10 |
City Comfort Index | 7.7 / 10 | 7.7 / 10 |
WeatherComfort Index | 6.5 / 10 | 5.7 / 10 |
Banking Index | 6.8 / 10 | 6.3 / 10 |
GeoStability Index | 8.6 / 10 | 7.4 / 10 |
Justice & Order Index | 7.8 / 10 | 6.8 / 10 |
Quality of Life Index | 8.4 / 10 | 8.0 / 10 |
Open Society Index | 7.9 / 10 | 6.5 / 10 |
Flight Index | 3.6 / 10 | 5.2 / 10 |
Environmental Quality Index | 8.3 / 10 | 8.2 / 10 |
English Index | 5.0 / 10 | 4.8 / 10 |
Wealth Protection Index | 8.1 / 10 | 8.0 / 10 |
Tax, economy, and demographics
| Dimension | Costa Rica | Panama |
|---|---|---|
| Corporate income tax | 30%Very high | 25%Very high |
| Corporate tax basis | Territorial | Territorial |
| Personal income tax (marginal) | 25%Moderate | 25%Moderate |
| Personal tax basis | Territorial | Territorial |
| Population | 5.2 M | 4.6 M |
| Area | 51,100 km² | 74,340 km²×1.45 |
| Population density | 102 /km² | 62 /km² |
| Capital | San José | Panama City |
| Currency | CRC (Costa Rican colón) | PAB (Panamanian balboa) |
| Main airport | SJO (Juan Santamaría International Airport) | PTY (Tocumen International Airport) |
| Phone code | +506 | +507 |
| Internet TLD | .cr | .pa |
Visa access controls
Your access
Pick your nationality above to see how long you can stay in each country and whether you need a visa.
Passport power
Mobility strength of each country's passport, useful if you are weighing it as a future citizenship.
Costa Rica passport
52.18
LN Passport Index (#51)
148
Visa-free destinations
- Schengen visa-free
- UK visa-free
Panama passport
48.43
LN Passport Index (#62)
138
Visa-free destinations
- Schengen visa-free
- UK visa-free
Verdict
For professionals who prioritize flight index, Panama leads with 5.2 / 10 versus 3.6 / 10 for Costa Rica. On open society index, Costa Rica is at 7.9 / 10 compared with 6.5 / 10 for Panama.
Who should choose which country
Who should choose Costa Rica
- Professionals who prioritize tax freedom index (very favorable tax environment)
- Professionals who prioritize geostability index (very strong geostability index)
- Professionals who prioritize quality of life index (very strong quality of life index)
Who should choose Panama
- Professionals who prioritize tax freedom index (very favorable tax environment)
- Professionals who prioritize environmental quality index (very strong environmental quality index)
- Professionals who prioritize wealth protection index (strong wealth protection index)
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Founder, Lucky Nomads · Wealth manager
Researched from official sources, leading global indices and Lucky Nomads' own scoring.
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