Published on Wednesday, October 7, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

Costa Rica ranked best in Central America and fourth worldwide for retirement, according to the 2026 Global Retirement Index published by Global Citizen Solutions.

The country scored 99.5 out of 100 points in the index, ranking highest in Central America and fourth among 46 countries and jurisdictions evaluated worldwide. Costa Rica ranked behind Uruguay, Mauritius and Spain.

In the Americas, Costa Rica ranked second, behind Uruguay.

Global Citizen Solutions, founded in the United Kingdom in 2016, is an international investment migration advisory firm that specializes in analyzing alternative residency and second citizenship options for high-net-worth individuals and their families.

The 2026 index evaluates countries across five pillars: quality of life; mobility and citizenship; taxes; cost and investment; and retirement processing time. The jurisdictions covered are located across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

 

According to the index, Costa Rica ranked particularly strongly in areas including costs and investment.

The report highlights Costa Rica's Pensionado Visa, which requires a minimum monthly pension of $1,000. Citizenship is possible after seven years, according to the index.

"It best suits budget-conscious retirees seeking low entry costs and thresholds," the report says. "The main trade-off is that the application process is comparatively slow or demanding."

The report also highlights Costa Rica's territorial taxation system as a benefit for foreign retirees. It lists an income tax rate ranging from 0% to 25%, no wealth tax, no inheritance tax and no taxation in Costa Rica on foreign pensions or income.

Retirees with a minimum pension of $1,000 per month can qualify to obtain public Social Security, according to the report.

The idea of retiring in another country is relatively recent from a historical perspective. For much of the 20th century, people generally spent their later years close to where they had lived and worked.


Experts cited in the report that international retirement migration,  the deliberate relocation of older people across regions or national borders in search of a better quality of life,  emerged primarily during the past six or seven decades. Its development through government-supported policies is even more recent.


"Since the late 2000s, governments have reshaped international retirement through purpose-built passive-income and investment visas," the report says.

The recognition adds to a growing list of international rankings highlighting Costa Rica as a destination for retirees and foreign residents.

Costa Rica was recently ranked among the top five countries in the Americas for U.S. citizens seeking retirement, residency and citizenship abroad, according to the Global Wealth Mobility Leaders 2026 Index.

Tourism remains one of Costa Rica's most important economic sectors. More than 1.6 million travelers arrived in the country by air during the first half of 2026, underscoring the industry's continued role as a major contributor to the national economy.

The tourism industry also reached a significant economic milestone during the first quarter of 2026, generating more than $2 billion in tourism revenue for the first time in the country's history.

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