Expenses · Costa Rica
Healthcare costs in Costa Rica
Households pay $281 per person per year directly — 24.1% of all health spending, or 19% of the US level.
The figures
- Out of pocket, per person
- $281/yr
- paid directly by households (2023)
- Share paid by you
- 24.1%
- of all health spending (2023)
- Total health spend
- $1,928/yr
- per person, PPP international $ (2023)
- Government share
- 67.2%
- funded publicly (2023)
- Doctors
- 2.69
- physicians per 1,000 people (2022)
- Dentists
- 10.89
- per 10,000 people (2022) — access, not price
National averages, updated 2026-09-07. They describe a country, not a person — what you pay depends on insurance, residency and visa. Not medical or financial advice.
Countries with a similar burden
- Saudi Arabia — $258/yr out of pocket
- Brazil — $265/yr out of pocket
- Mauritius — $279/yr out of pocket
- Albania — $285/yr out of pocket
- Russia — $285/yr out of pocket
- Montenegro — $302/yr out of pocket
See also: all countries ranked · what money is worth in Costa Rica · livability in Costa Rica
Frequently asked questions
How much does healthcare cost in Costa Rica?
Total health spending is $1,928 per person per year (PPP international dollars), of which $281 is paid directly out of pocket by households — 24.1% of the total. These are national averages: what you personally pay depends on insurance, residency status and visa.
Is healthcare in Costa Rica cheaper than the United States?
On out-of-pocket spending per person, Costa Rica is 19% of the US level ($1,472/yr there). Note that a country's general price level is a poor guide to this — scaling healthcare by cost of living overstates costs abroad by up to 5×, which is why these figures are measured rather than modelled.
What does dental care cost in Costa Rica?
This page does not say, because no free, citable source publishes international dental prices — every comparison available online comes from clinics selling the treatment they quote. What is published is access: Costa Rica has 10.89 dentists per 10,000 people.
Where does this data come from?
The World Bank and the WHO Global Health Observatory, refreshed at build time (last updated 2026-09-07). World Bank — SH.XPD.CHEX.PP.CD; World Bank — SH.XPD.OOPC.PC.CD; World Bank — SH.XPD.OOPC.CH.ZS; World Bank — SH.XPD.GHED.CH.ZS; World Bank — SH.MED.PHYS.ZS; WHO Global Health Observatory — HWF_0010.