Travel safety comparison · Latin America & the Caribbean
Costa Rica vs El Salvador: safety comparison
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Side-by-side safety comparison of Costa Rica and El Salvador 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 sits a little lower on the Warnely composite score than El Salvador (26 against 34), but the gap is small enough that the practical difference comes down to category-by-category detail rather than the headline. The biggest single category gap is in terrorism, where Costa Rica scores 1/5 against El Salvador's 2/5. The US State Department currently carries a Level 2 advisory on Costa Rica and a Level 1 on El Salvador. Women's-safety rating differs: Costa Rica is Generally Safe and El Salvador is Exercise Caution. Drug law diverges sharply: El Salvador carries a tier-severe regime against Costa Rica's more permissive framework.
| 🇨🇷Costa Rica | 🇸🇻El Salvador | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 26 / 100 | 34 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Normal Caution | Exercise Normal Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #54 | #104 |
| Drug law | Strict | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Generally Safe | Exercise Caution |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | marriage | legal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | CRC | USD |