Costa Rica vs Switzerland

Score comparison table

DimensionCosta RicaSwitzerland
Lucky Nomads World Index
7.37 / 106.74 / 10
SafetyShield Index
6.2 / 109.1 / 10
Affordability Index
7.0 / 101.7 / 10
Entry Ease Index
6.6 / 106.8 / 10
Tax Freedom Index
8.6 / 105.0 / 10
WiFi Index
8.0 / 108.7 / 10
Admin Ease Index
7.2 / 109.3 / 10
Healthcare Index
8.4 / 108.6 / 10
City Comfort Index
7.7 / 109.3 / 10
WeatherComfort Index
6.5 / 105.2 / 10
Banking Index
6.8 / 109.2 / 10
GeoStability Index
8.6 / 108.8 / 10
Justice & Order Index
7.8 / 108.9 / 10
Quality of Life Index
8.4 / 108.4 / 10
Open Society Index
7.9 / 108.8 / 10
Flight Index
3.6 / 106.5 / 10
Environmental Quality Index
8.3 / 108.9 / 10
English Index
5.0 / 107.4 / 10
Wealth Protection Index
8.1 / 108.0 / 10

Tax, economy, and demographics

DimensionCosta RicaSwitzerland
Corporate income tax
30%Very high
14.43%Low
Corporate tax basis
Territorial
Residence-based
Personal income tax (marginal)
25%Moderate
41.5%Very high
Personal tax basis
Territorial
Worldwide
Population5.2 M
9.1 M×1.75
Area
51,100 km²×1.24
41,285 km²
Population density102 /km²220 /km²
CapitalSan JoséBern
CurrencyCRC (Costa Rican colón)CHF (Swiss franc)
Main airportSJO (Juan Santamaría International Airport)ZRH (Zurich Airport)
Phone code+506+41
Internet TLD.cr.ch

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

Switzerland passport

86.36

LN Passport Index (#5)

175

Visa-free destinations

  • Schengen visa-free
  • UK visa-free
  • US ESTA
  • Canada eTA
  • Australia eTA

Verdict

For professionals who prioritize affordability index, Costa Rica leads with 7.0 / 10 versus 1.7 / 10 for Switzerland. On tax freedom index, Costa Rica is at 8.6 / 10 compared with 5.0 / 10 for Switzerland.

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 Switzerland

  • Professionals who prioritize admin ease index (minimal day-to-day bureaucracy)
  • Professionals who prioritize city comfort index (exceptional urban quality of life)
  • Professionals who prioritize banking index (world-class banking access for expats)

Also compare

See full Costa Rica analysis →See full Switzerland analysis →
Lucky Maillard, Founder of Lucky Nomads

Lucky Maillard

Founder, Lucky Nomads · Wealth manager

Researched from official sources, leading global indices and Lucky Nomads' own scoring.

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