🇨🇷 Costa Rica or 🇲🇾 Malaysia
Which one, honestly
Malaysia leads on value for money, food and cities.
A normal day costs about $130 in Costa Rica and $75 in Malaysia.
Side by side
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica🇲🇾 Malaysia
- Jan, Feb, Mar, DecBest monthsJan, Feb, Mar
- $130A normal day$75
- 2h 55m from Mexico CityClosest hub1h 5m from Singapore
- Very goodBeaches and seaVery good
- Not the drawCities and cultureVery good
- GoodFoodExceptional
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- Not the drawValue for moneyExceptional
- GoodEasy to get aroundVery good
- A hire car with clearance, the distances are short but the roads are slowGetting aroundCheap flights, good trains and buses, one of the easiest countries in Asia
- September and October on the Caribbean side, the wettest weeks of the yearWhen to avoidThe east coast islands from November to February, when most of them close
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 Malaysia if
you want Thailand's food and beaches with a fraction of the crowds, and everything running slightly more smoothly.
Full Costa Rica guide →Full Malaysia 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.