Mexico vs Costa Rica
Residency, tax, healthcare, cost of living and property -- side by side, from verified Atlas guides only.
| Mexico | Costa Rica | |
|---|---|---|
| Residency route | Mexico offers a range of immigration pathways for foreign nationals s… | Most tourists (including US, Canadian, EU, and many other nationaliti… |
| Income tax | Mexico's individual income tax (ISR) has 11 progressive brackets from… | Costa Rica taxes only Costa Rican-sourced income on a territorial bas… |
| Healthcare | Mexico's public healthcare landscape includes IMSS (Instituto Mexican… | Costa Rica's public healthcare system is run by the Caja Costarricens… |
| Climate | Mexico's climate varies heavily by elevation and geography: Northern… | Costa Rica's seasons run opposite on the two coasts. On the Pacific s… |
| Cost of living | A single person can live in Mexico on $1,200-2,000 USD/month includin… | Costa Rica's cost of living is moderate by Central American standards… |
| Inflation trend | Consumer prices in Mexico rose 3.8% year-over-year in 2025 (World Ban… | Consumer prices in Costa Rica fell 0.1% year-over-year in 2025 (World… |
| Buying property | Mexico's Constitution bars foreigners from holding direct title withi… | Foreigners have the same property ownership rights as Costa Rican cit… |
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