Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica for Expats
Data-driven comparison across 7 dimensions — cost of living, safety, healthcare, education, career opportunities, lifestyle, and infrastructure — using institutional data sources.
Last updated: October 2026
Comparing Dominican Republic and Costa Rica? See them ranked side by side with every alternative — weighted for your priorities.
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Quick answer
Run a custom Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica budget across rent, food, transport, and healthcare at https://getwherenext.com/tools/cost-of-living — live 2026 Numbeo + World Bank ICP data.
Key facts
- Dominican Republic ~$865/mo standard 11-category single-person basket, ranked #72 of 95 countries on WhereNext's overall score.
- Costa Rica ~$1,230/mo standard 11-category single-person basket, ranked #52 of 95 countries.
- Cost gap: ~30% Dominican Republic is the cheaper option for single-person monthly cost.
- Overall winner: Costa Rica higher composite score across cost, safety, healthcare, education, career, lifestyle, and infrastructure.
- 95 countries compared against using public-domain data sources (World Bank ICP, OECD, WHO, IEP, Eurostat). Updated when sources change.
One or more countries are shown as estimated — the cost is extrapolated from regional averages because we do not yet ship per-category multipliers for that country. The verified countries carry real per-category data.
Quick Verdict
- •Dominican Republic is more affordable (+22 normalized points)
- •Costa Rica scores 16 points higher on safety
- •Costa Rica has stronger healthcare (+41 points)
- •Costa Rica leads in infrastructure (+12 points)
Overall, Costa Rica edges ahead on aggregate scoring, but the best choice depends on your personal priorities.
Score Comparison
Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica scored across 7 normalized dimensions: Dominican Republic ranks #72 overall (standard basket ~$865/month, safety 45/100, healthcare 42/100) while Costa Rica ranks #52 (standard basket ~$1,230/month, safety 61/100, healthcare 83/100) out of 95 countries in WhereNext's 2026 index.
Affordability index — lower cost of living scores higher
Global Peace Index and crime metrics
WHO coverage, hospital quality, access
PISA scores, university quality, literacy
Job market, GDP growth, business environment
Climate, language access, visa friendliness
Internet, transport, digital readiness
Key Metrics
Key normalized-score comparison for Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica: affordability 89 vs 67, safety 45 vs 61, healthcare 42 vs 83, education 13 vs 46, career 50 vs 34, lifestyle 54 vs 63, and infrastructure 54 vs 66. Every value uses the same 0-100 engine-normalized snapshot as the country dossiers; higher is better.
| Metric | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability Score | 89 | 67 |
| Est. Monthly Cost (solo) | $865 | $1,230 |
| Safety Score | 45 | 61 |
| Healthcare Score | 42 | 83 |
| Education Score | 13 | 46 |
| Career Score | 50 | 34 |
| Lifestyle Score | 54 | 63 |
| Infrastructure Score | 54 | 66 |
| Language Access | 52 | 42 |
| Visa Friendliness | 74 | 78 |
Compare Dominican Republic and Costa Rica
International schools
For families relocating with school-age children, here's how the international school market compares between Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
Dominican Republic
- Schools indexed
- 18 across 1 city
- Top schools city
- Santo Domingo(18 schools)
Costa Rica
- Schools indexed
- 19 across 1 city
- Fee range (USD)
- $6,860 – $19,939
- Top schools city
- San José(19 schools)
School fee ranges show min and max published USD tuition across known international schools per country. Real annual cost typically runs 10-30% above published tuition once registration, transport, uniform, and ancillary fees are included — how WhereNext calculates true cost.
Explore Each Country
Dive deeper into Dominican Republic (ranked #72 of 95, ~$865/month) and Costa Rica (ranked #52, ~$1,230/month) with full country profiles covering visa pathways, cost breakdowns, neighborhood guides, and expat community data.
Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica, answered
Is Dominican Republic cheaper than Costa Rica?
Dominican Republic is the cheaper of the two, at roughly $865 a month against $1,230 for Costa Rica — about 30% less, or $365 a month. Both are modelled estimates for a single person.
Which has better safety, Dominican Republic or Costa Rica?
Costa Rica scores higher on safety — 61/100 against 45/100 for Dominican Republic, a gap of 16 points.
Which has better healthcare, Dominican Republic or Costa Rica?
Costa Rica scores higher on healthcare — 83/100 against 42/100 for Dominican Republic, a gap of 41 points.
Which has better education, Dominican Republic or Costa Rica?
Costa Rica scores higher on education — 46/100 against 13/100 for Dominican Republic, a gap of 33 points.
Which is better overall, Dominican Republic or Costa Rica?
On the overall composite, Costa Rica ranks higher — Dominican Republic is #72 and Costa Rica is #52 of 95 countries. That composite applies one set of weights across seven dimensions.
How current is this Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica comparison?
The underlying dataset was last updated 2026-10-08. Scores come from institutional public-domain sources — World Bank ICP, UNDP, the IEP Global Peace Index, OECD PISA and Eurostat among them — and each dimension carries its own source and vintage on the methodology page. Cost figures are modelled estimates, not survey prices.
Related Comparisons
Suggested citation
CC BY 4.0This dataset is free to redistribute, quote, and embed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. The composite form below preserves source lineage so AI assistants can cite both WhereNext and the underlying institutional publishers.
WhereNext composite — Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica Comparison 2026 (2026-10-08). Derived from: World Bank ICP; WHO Global Health Observatory; OECD PISA + UNESCO UIS; Yale EPI; IEP Global Peace Index; EF EPI; WhereNext composite scoring. Available at https://getwherenext.com/compare/DO-vs-CR?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
WhereNext. (2026). Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica Comparison 2026. Retrieved from https://getwherenext.com/compare/DO-vs-CR?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
WhereNext. "Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica Comparison 2026." WhereNext, 8 Oct 2026, https://getwherenext.com/compare/DO-vs-CR?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. Accessed via https://getwherenext.com/compare/DO-vs-CR?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=citation&utm_campaign=data-citation. CC BY 4.0.
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title = {Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica Comparison 2026},
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Dominican Republic vs Costa Rica: Cost of Living Comparison
Dominican Republic is approximately 30% cheaper than Costa Rica for expats in 2026. Standard 11-category single-person basket: Dominican Republic ~$865, Costa Rica ~$1,230. Safety: Dominican Republic 45/100, Costa Rica 61/100. Healthcare: Dominican Republic 42/100, Costa Rica 83/100.
Dominican Republic is approximately 30% cheaper than Costa Rica. A single person can live in Dominican Republic for approximately $865/month and in Costa Rica for approximately $1,230/month on a moderate lifestyle.Dominican Republic ranks #72 and Costa Rica ranks #52 out of 95 countries in WhereNext's 2026 Global Relocation Index. Safety scores: Dominican Republic 45/100, Costa Rica 61/100. Healthcare scores: Dominican Republic 42/100, Costa Rica 83/100. Source: WhereNext Country Comparison Tool, institutional public-domain datasets including World Bank, WHO, OECD, Q1 2026.
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