🇦🇺 Australia vs 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
Jan 20° · Jul 6° · Canberra
Jan 20° · Jul 21° · San José
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
346 days / yr
341 days / yr
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 2 · Good
AQI 21 · Good
Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$5.69
$6.04
Living costs · single, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$610–$880 / mo
—
Living costs · family of four, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$2,100–$2,720 / mo
—
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~28% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
~28% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
Temporary resident exemption
Territorial taxation
Inflation
World Bank
2.9% / yr (2025)
-0.1% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
4.1% (2025)
6.8% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~60 Mbps
—
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
native
—
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Population
World Bank total population
27.6M (2025)
5.2M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
3 / km² (2023)
100 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
30.4% of population (2024)
12.2% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
83 yrs
79 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
AUD
CRC
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+10
UTC-6
Legal
Crypto-friendly
Short-term gains
47%
0%
Long-term gains
23.5%
0%
Long-term holding period
12mo
—
Staking income
47%
—
Mining income
47%
—
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick 🇦🇺 Australia if you want
lower day-to-day costs, more sunshine and a stronger safety rating.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Australia or Costa Rica cheaper?
Australia is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (Big Mac $5.69 vs $6.04). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle — see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Should I choose Australia over Costa Rica?
On the data we track, Australia comes out ahead for lower day-to-day costs, more sunshine and a stronger safety rating. Every figure has a source in the table above.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇦🇺 Australia
Most foreign income tax-free while on a temporary visa
Verified June 2026 · ATO
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Foreign-source income untaxed
Verified June 2026 · Ministerio de Hacienda
Numbers are half the story
Your visa route, paperwork and deadlines depend on where you hold a passport. Get a free checklist personalized to your exact move.