Travel safety comparison · Latin America & the Caribbean
Colombia vs Costa Rica: safety comparison
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Colombia vs Costa Rica: side-by-side safety comparison. Risk scores, FCDO + US State advisories, drug law, women's safety, LGBTQ+ status.
Costa Rica carries a materially lower safety risk than Colombia on the composite Warnely score: 27/100 against 47/100, a gap of 20 points. The biggest single category gap is in civil unrest, where Costa Rica scores 1/5 against Colombia's 3/5. Women's-safety rating differs: Colombia is Exercise Caution and Costa Rica is Generally Safe.
| 🇨🇴Colombia | 🇨🇷Costa Rica | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 47 / 100 | 27 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Exercise Increased Caution | Exercise Normal Caution |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #140 | #54 |
| Drug law | Strict | Strict |
| Women's safety rating | Exercise Caution | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | marriage | marriage |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | COP | CRC |
Colombia vs Costa Rica: common questions
Is Colombia or Costa Rica safer to visit?
Costa Rica has the lower Warnely composite risk score: 27/100 vs 47/100 (lower is safer). Both scores factor in crime, terrorism, natural disasters, health, civil unrest, and infrastructure.
Is Colombia or Costa Rica safer for solo female travellers?
Colombia is rated Exercise Caution for women's safety; Costa Rica is rated Generally Safe. Read the full guides for city-level detail.
What do FCDO and US State Department say about Colombia and Costa Rica?
Colombia: No active advisory (FCDO), Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) (US State). Costa Rica: No active advisory (FCDO), Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) (US State).