Travel safety comparison · Latin America & the Caribbean
Costa Rica vs Ecuador: safety comparison
vs
Side-by-side safety comparison of Costa Rica and Ecuador for 2026: risk scores, FCDO and US State Department advisories, drug law, women's safety, LGBTQ+ legal status, and the practical decision between the two.
Costa Rica carries a materially lower safety risk than Ecuador on the composite Warnely score: 26/100 against 47/100, a gap of 21 points. The biggest single category gap is in terrorism, where Costa Rica scores 1/5 against Ecuador's 2/5. Women's-safety rating differs: Costa Rica is Generally Safe and Ecuador is Exercise Caution.
| 🇨🇷Costa Rica | 🇪🇨Ecuador | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 26 / 100 | 47 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Normal Caution | Exercise Increased Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | avoid all but essential travel to parts of country |
| US State Department advisory | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #54 | #129 |
| Drug law | Strict | Strict |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Exercise Caution |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | marriage | marriage |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | CRC | USD |