All construction must meet strict government standards for earthquake survival, so even the poorest of Costa Ricans lives in a solid house. Money does go a long way there. You could rent a large, modern American-style home for $350 per month. Your electricity bill would be about $22 per month. Your grocery bill might be $30 per week at supermarkets that have modern bar code scanners, just like here. It's just that your fresh pineapple is going to be about 50 cents, and that's with the weak dollar.
You can watch American television on DirecTV, and there is good cellphone coverage. Movie theatres show American films with SPANISH subtitles, which are a little bit of a nuisance since just about everybody speaks perfect english.
You'll find KFC, Burger Kings, and Taco Bells, and the people behind the counter speak english, unlike in America.
Costa Rica has exceptional health care and hospitals. Most of the doctors received their degrees in American medical schools. Health care is cheap. Many Americans have discovered that you can get cosmetic surgery performed in Costa Rica for a fraction of what it would cost here.
So, it's a little misleading to use per capita GDP to compare countries when the cost of living is so different between them.
One thing you may not have noticed. Illegal aliens caught in the US come from Mexico and other Central American countries. I've never heard of a Costa Rican illegal alien, and I'll bet no one here has.