As a dual resident of Florida and Costa Rica, I am frequently asked if Costa Rica is safe by friends and acquaintances in the U.S. who have never visited and maybe are interested in doing so. On the surface, the question of personal safety may seem simple, yet I think that it is not a simple question at all.Since I have been asked this question so many times, I have given it a lot of thought and want to put the question of safety in perspective and in the context with subjects more familiar to the person asking.
Inextricably embedded in the question are many complex aspects, such as the anxiety of travelling to a foreign location, particularly one where the first language is not English, North Americans’ infamous unfamiliarity with Latin America culture, inevitable comparisons with Mexico which most Americans have visited, the overriding impact of the news and inherent bias of the American perspective on the world, and my personal belief that Americans are generally inured to the levels of violence and crime in our own country.
The question usually implies that the person asking is thinking that Costa Rica is not safe. Therein lies the challenge. If the answer is flippant and dismissive, a natural tendency of mine in the effort to be funny, it will have the opposite effect than that intended. However, if the answer is described succinctly and in an interesting, thought-provoking way, the discussion can be persuasive and positive. The simple answer that I start out with is yes, Costa Rica is safe. Let me explain.
First, everything is relative, and perception and bias influence our understanding of personal safety. Let’s compare Costa Rica to the U.S., the country which represented 59% percent of Costa Rican tourism in 2024 (Tico Times: U.S. tourists lead Costa Rica’s record tourism growth in 2024, January 16, 2025).
Homicide is one of the worst fears when people think of crime in a foreign country. The homicide rate in Costa Rica in 2023 was 17.3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (www.centralamerica.com:Comparing the 2024 Costa Rica homicide rates with the rest of Central America and the wider world, Feb 27, 2025). Washington D.C. had a homicide rate of 40.4 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, yet most American’s would not have any anxiety about visiting our nation’s capital.
The overall homicide (defined as murder and non-negligent manslaughter) rate in the U.S. in 2023 was 55 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants (www.statista.com). That number is equivalent to roughly one person out of every 2000 dies a human-perpetrated violent death every year and is more than three times the homicide rate in Costa Rica.
Here is something to think about: In 2023, Eighty percent of homicides in the U.S. (Google ai summary, March 2025) were committed by someone that the victim knew well including family members, romantic partners, neighbors and other acquaintances. This pattern is probably similar across the Americas in the absence of social unrest, cartel violence etc. and is a fact that should be considered when we imagine a random, predatory murderer.
Sexual violence is another common fear. In 2022, there were 41.8 rapes/100 k in the U.S., compared to 39.4 in Costa Rica. Sexual violence is an equal threat in Costa Rica and all of the same precautions apply. There is no evidence that tourists are targeted as a specific group for sexual violence.
One can quickly become buried in statistics on the subject of crime, however, the overall conclusion is that the number of violent crimes in Costa Rica are at a similar level or less than the U.S., and much less than areas in the U.S. with the highest crime rates.
Now let us think about things in the U.S., where mass murders perpetrated by a single person occurs almost on a monthly basis. Really, let’s ponder that, it is essential to keep this in mind when we are looking critically at Costa Rica by comparison. I don’t recall any school shootings or church shootings occurring over the last 30 years in Costa Rica, nor mass public slaughter such as occurred in Las Vegas in 2017 Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old American citizen opened fire on a crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival from his 32nd floor suites in Mandalay Bay Hotel. He killed 60 people and wounded 413.
The frequent and random violence we see in the U.S. is both astounding and truly sad and sometimes hard to admit. On January 1, 2025, in New Orleans, a man drove a pickup into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, killing fifteen and injuring thirty. Hours later a Tesla cybertruck exploded outside the entrance of Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. These are major tourist areas and events like these are almost unimaginable when one is having fun.
Do U.S. citizens need to be reminded about the reality of our country? Yes, get real. How many places in your daily routine or ventures out in public places do you or would you avoid? Really, think about that. One does it so instinctually and automatically according to one’s own preferences, biases, experiences, fears (irrational or rational), personal comfort zones, and a basic human instinct to avoid perceived danger that one loses perspective around the likelihood of specific threats.
Driving safety and transportation safety in general are other important risks that should be considered on the topic of safety because we spend a lot of time getting somewhere when we are visiting. And we need to address driving, the single most dangerous and frequent thing that anyone who owns a vehicle does in their life. I am an experienced driver in both countries, and the U.S. is by far the more dangerous in terms of the risk of personal injury. I have at least ten friends or colleagues in the U.S. who have been in terrible vehicle accidents. I know a lot of Ticos and I can’t think of anyone that has a similar experience. Of course they exist, and Ticos are not safe drivers overall in my opinion, but we drive faster and in more dense traffic in the U.S. in general.
Furthermore, anyone familiar with driving in the U.S can tell you about road rage and its increased occurrence, as well as the daily, high speed, often fatal accidents in any major metropolis or highway. Also, consider that 65% of all drivers in the U.S. report carrying at least one firearm in their vehicle. Consider that before flipping somebody off next time. Now, as far as fender benders, Costa Rica may be the global champion, with the major routes blocked off daily because of rear-end collision and other minor accidents.
I am constantly amazed at how friendly and reserved Costa Ricans are until they get behind the wheel and their alter ego takes over (many seemingly aspire to be Mario Andretti), abandoning courtesy and patience, which virtues are otherwise so prevalent among Ticos. If I had one recommendation for Ticos and their driving, I would say “Chill, just chill.” If I had a second recommendation, it would be to legislate “moving violation” laws and enforce them rigorously. Waze tells everyone where the speed traps are, the only traffic law that seems enforced.
When we get news reports of crimes, some of them indeed horrific, there is one major factor in personal safety which is rarely mentioned or at least sufficiently emphasized despite being obvious and true; your personal behavior and how it influences your chances of coming in harm’s way. Example: In thirty years of travel and part-time residency in Costa Rica, I have only once come across what I perceived as a potential threat from a group of Ticos. That was in a bar in Heredia where I must have looked like a La Liga fan or possessed some other irritating trait, where three very tough looking guys at the next table were staring hard and mean like malevolent lasers. Minutes later, I paid the bill and slipped out unnoticed.
This is my point. If you hang out in rough bars, have risky behavior such as drug use, promiscuous sex, get drunk, are combative and aggressive, impolite or otherwise a jerk, your chances of getting hurt rise dramatically. Anywhere in the world. This is common sense, but we usually forget it when comparing or thinking about safety in an unfamiliar country. Use common sense, the same rules I use when visiting Chicago, one of my favorite cities. Don’t be flashy, confrontational, or rude. How do you think you would fare in Chicago if you were picking fights in a bar or looking for drugs from strangers?
Personal behavior, in addition to creating issues, can significantly diminish the likelihood of harm, conflict, and being a victim. This is universal. If you are a friendly person, respectful of others and just go about your business, chances favor nothing bad happening. We know that random events and coincidences play a major part in life (Read “Fluke” by Brian Klaas), and most things we have no control over, such as a heavy branch falling on your vehicle during a rainstorm (happened to me), an accident, an illness. Bad things can happen anywhere, including your own home.
On to petty theft and robbery. Yes, tourists, especially in groups, stand out, and can be easy victims of theft, almost comically so. So, consider avoiding the crowd and traveling in small groups, your family, your partner, your friend. Leave your important documents safe in your hotel, skip the purse and wallet and find a more inconspicuous way of carrying valuables. Be aware of your surroundings and people’s behavior, don’t leave valuables on the beach “hiding” in your shoes. And the tour bus parked with everyone’s valuables inside when they are on a river rafting tour should have an attendant watching it. Duh.
Relax ! Costa Rica is a fun place to visit, a peaceful place, a chill place, a warm and friendly place, a country with truly spectacular beauty and deserves a huge amount of praise and recognition for being a country which we love to visit.
Happy Touring !
Article written by John R. Washington
