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Spain vs Costa Rica Tax Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of tax rates and systems
Tax Rate Comparison
Rate Comparison
Top Income Tax
Spain47%
Costa Rica25%Lower
Corporate Tax
Spain25%Lower
Costa Rica30%
Capital Gains
Spain28%
Costa Rica15%Lower
VAT / Sales Tax
Spain21%
Costa Rica13%Lower
| Category | Spain | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Tax System | Progressive | Territorial |
| Top Income Tax | 47% | 25% |
| Corporate Tax | 25% | 30% |
| Capital Gains | 28% | 15% |
| VAT / Sales Tax | 21% | 13% |
| Crypto Tax | Yes | No |
| Wealth Tax | Yes | No |
| Tax Treaties | 93 | 5 |
| Currency | EUR | CRC |
The bottom line: Spain vs Costa Rica
Costa Rica has the lower headline rate on 3 of the four main taxes (income, corporate, capital gains and VAT), making it the lighter-taxed of the two on paper. Spain runs a progressive tax system, while Costa Rica uses a territorial one. On crypto, Costa Rica is the more favourable — it does not tax cryptocurrency gains. Spain has the wider tax-treaty network (93 agreements), which can reduce withholding tax on cross-border income.
- Income tax: Costa Rica is lower (47% vs 25%)
- Corporate tax: Spain is lower (25% vs 30%)
- Capital gains tax: Costa Rica is lower (28% vs 15%)
- VAT / sales tax: Costa Rica is lower (21% vs 13%)