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Costa Rica vs United States: tax rates compared
Between the two, United States's income tax rate (43.7%) tops Costa Rica's (25%) by 18.7pp. The 200-country average is 28%: Costa Rica sits below it, United States sits above it.
Verified data covers four of the six tracked tax types for both countries; every rate below is cited to its source and dated.
At a glance
| Tax | CR | US | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Tax | 25% | 43.7% | US +18.7 pplargest gap |
| Corporate Tax | 30% | 25.6% | CR +4.4 pp |
| Capital Gains Tax | 15% | 20% | US +5 pp |
| Wealth Tax | 0% | 0% | match |
Income Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 25% | Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| United States | 43.7% | Source: OECD Tax Database — Top statutory personal income tax rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | −18.7 pp | United States higher |
Corporate Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 30% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| United States | 25.6% | Source: Tax Foundation — Worldwide Corporate Tax Rates · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | +4.4 pp | Costa Rica higher |
Between the two, Costa Rica's corporate tax rate (30%) tops United States's (25.6%) by 4.4pp. The 201-country average is 22.6%: both sit above it.
Capital Gains Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 15% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Costa Rica (Individual, Income determination) · as of 2026-06-30 |
| United States | 20% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United States (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2025-01-01 |
| Difference | −5 pp | United States higher |
Between the two, United States's capital gains tax rate (20%) tops Costa Rica's (15%) by 5pp. The 175-country average is 10.3%: both sit above it. Costa Rica's figure is dated 2026-06-30 and United States's 2025-01-01, so the two rates come from different data vintages.
Wealth Tax
| Country | Rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — Net wealth/worth tax rates (quick chart) · as of 2026-06-30 |
| United States | 0% | Source: PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries — United States (Individual, Other taxes) · as of 2026-03-18 |
| Difference | 0 pp | displayed rates match |
There's no gap here — Costa Rica and United States 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: VAT, Crypto Tax.