🇨🇷 Costa Rica or 🇪🇸 Spain
Which one, honestly
Costa Rica leads on nature. Spain leads on cities, food and value for money.
A normal day costs about $130 in Costa Rica and $145 in Spain.
Side by side
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica🇪🇸 Spain
- Jan, Feb, Mar, DecBest monthsApr, May, Sep, Oct
- $130A normal day$145
- 5h 15m to San JoseNonstop from New York7h 45m to Madrid
- Very goodBeaches and seaVery good
- Not the drawCities and cultureExceptional
- GoodFoodExceptional
- ExceptionalNature and hikingVery good
- Not the drawValue for moneyVery good
- GoodEasy to get aroundVery good
- A hire car with clearance, the distances are short but the roads are slowGetting aroundFast trains between the big cities, a car for the north
- September and October on the Caribbean side, the wettest weeks of the yearWhen to avoidThe southern cities in July and August
Pick by what you want
🇨🇷 Choose Costa Rica if
you want wildlife above everything else, cloud forest and two oceans in one small country, and you accept it costs more than its neighbours.
🇪🇸 Choose Spain if
you want cities, food and beaches in the same trip without choosing between them.
Full Costa Rica guide →Full Spain guide →
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Compare something else
Written and checked by hand. Nothing here about visas or entry rules: those change often and depend on your passport, so check an official source.