CR · AmericasNZ · Oceania

Costa Rica vs New Zealand: tax rates compared

Between the two, New Zealand's income tax rate (39%) tops Costa Rica's (25%) by 14pp. The 200-country average is 28%: Costa Rica sits below it, New Zealand sits above it.

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

0102030405060Income25%39%Corporate28%30%VAT13%15%Capital Gains0%15%Wealth Tax0%
five shared taxes, side by side
Tax CR NZDifference
Income Tax25%39%NZ +14 pp
Corporate Tax30%28%CR +2 pp
VAT13%15%NZ +2 pp
Capital Gains Tax15%0%CR +15 pplargest gap
Wealth Tax0%0%match

Income Tax

Income Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica25%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
New Zealand39%Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference−14 ppNew Zealand higher

Corporate Tax

Corporate Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica30%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
New Zealand28%Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01
Difference+2 ppCosta Rica higher

Between the two, Costa Rica's corporate tax rate (30%) tops New Zealand's (28%) by 2pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.

VAT

VAT, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica13%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Costa Rica (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-06-30
New Zealand15%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — New Zealand (Corporate, Other taxes) · as of 2026-07-06
Difference−2 ppNew Zealand higher

Between the two, New Zealand's VAT rate (15%) tops Costa Rica's (13%) by 2pp. The 181-country average is 15%: Costa Rica sits below it, New Zealand matches the world average.

Capital Gains Tax

Capital Gains Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica15%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Costa Rica (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-06-30
New Zealand0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — New Zealand (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-07-06
Difference+15 ppCosta Rica higher

Between the two, Costa Rica's capital gains tax rate (15%) tops New Zealand's (0%) by 15pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: Costa Rica sits above it, New Zealand sits below it.

Wealth Tax

Wealth Tax, side by side
CountryRateSource
Costa Rica0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-06-30
New Zealand0%Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — New Zealand (Net wealth/worth tax rates) · as of 2026-07-06
Difference0 ppdisplayed rates match

There's no gap here — Costa Rica and New Zealand both post a wealth tax rate of 0%. The 193-country average is 0.1%: both sit below it.

Not covered for both countries yet: Crypto Tax.