Costa is nice. I have only spent a week there in the Tamarindo area, so a tourist spot. I'm 6'3" and the other family we went with, the husband looks like the fucking hulk, so we probably weren't easy targets. Most the problems in that area from my understanding are petty theft, as is usually the case with a more touristy areas. I'm on a FB page and there are quite a few home burglaries more inland from the coast.
Costa also has this reputation as some "eco friendly" vacation spot. Place is pretty dirty. Hour or so drive from Liberia to Tamarindo and it didn't live up to the eco reputation at all. I think it's just a marketing ploy by the government tourism program. Trash everywhere. Infrastructure is still close to 3rd world in most areas as well. We technically stayed in Play Langosta and they had supposedly been rebuilding a ~1,000' section of road for 2 years. Workers using pick axes to break up dirt. No excavators to be seen. My wife is in the construction field and it was a 1 month job at longest with probably a crew of 6-8.
I've only been to both once, but Aruba and Curacao are nice. Had no feeling of being unsafe in either, where there were a few times in Costa I definitely felt I needed to be more alert. No hurricanes, same with Costa though they have a wet and dry season. Hurricanes would suck, but you can't go wrong with USVI's or PR either and traveling in and out we be much easier. And supposedly there's some massive tax advantage if PR is your primary place of residence.
PR will probably be my winter spring home and I'd get out of dodge July to end of October to avoid hurricanes and would probably go to Curacao. Own in PR and rent in Curacao. San Juan airport is nice too and unlike most US airports has a nice lounge if you have that access. I just love the Caribbean and would eventually like to get into sailing which is another reason to be there. Some of the best in the world.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/07/breaking-president-trump-sign-executive-order-immigration-will-include-daca-give-road-citizenship-video/