BB · AmericasCR · Americas
Barbados vs Costa Rica: tax rates compared
Barbados's income tax rate is 3.5pp higher than Costa Rica's (28.5% vs 25%). The 200-country average is 28%: Barbados sits above it, Costa Rica sits below it. Barbados's figure is dated 2026-01-11 and Costa Rica's 2025-01-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Verified data covers five of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.
At a glance
| Tax | BB | CR | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 28.5% | 25% | BB +3.5 pp |
| Corporate Tax | 9% | 30% | CR +21 pplargest gap |
| VAT | 17.5% | 13% | BB +4.5 pp |
| Capital Gains Tax | 0% | 15% | CR +15 pp |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Barbados | 28.5% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Barbados (Individual, Taxes on personal income) · as of 2026-01-11 |
| Costa Rica | 25% | Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | +3.5 pp | Barbados higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Barbados | 9% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Costa Rica | 30% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | −21 pp | Costa Rica higher |
Costa Rica's corporate tax rate is 21pp higher than Barbados's (30% vs 9%). The 201-country average is 22.6%: Barbados sits below it, Costa Rica sits above it.
VAT
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Barbados | 17.5% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Barbados (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-01-11 |
| Costa Rica | 13% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Costa Rica (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-30 |
| Difference | +4.5 pp | Barbados higher |
Barbados's VAT rate is 4.5pp higher than Costa Rica's (17.5% vs 13%). The 181-country average is 15%: Barbados sits above it, Costa Rica sits below it.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Barbados | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Barbados (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-01-11 |
| Costa Rica | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Costa Rica (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-06-30 |
| Difference | −15 pp | Costa Rica higher |
Costa Rica's capital gains tax rate is 15pp higher than Barbados's (15% vs 0%). The 175-country average is 10.3%: Barbados sits below it, Costa Rica sits above it.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Barbados | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Barbados (Net wealth/worth tax rates) · as of 2026-01-11 |
| Costa Rica | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-06-30 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
Barbados's wealth tax rate is identical to Costa Rica's — both sit at 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.
Not covered for both countries yet: Crypto Tax.