🇨🇷 Costa Rica or 🇵🇭 Philippines
Which one, honestly
Costa Rica leads on getting around. Philippines leads on value for money and the sea.
A normal day costs about $130 in Costa Rica and $85 in Philippines.
Side by side
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica🇵🇭 Philippines
- Jan, Feb, Mar, DecBest monthsJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec
- $130A normal day$85
- 2h 55m from Mexico CityClosest hub3h 50m from Singapore
- Very goodBeaches and seaExceptional
- Not the drawCities and cultureNot the draw
- GoodFoodGood
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- Not the drawValue for moneyExceptional
- GoodEasy to get aroundNot the draw
- A hire car with clearance, the distances are short but the roads are slowGetting aroundDomestic flights and ferries, cheap but often delayed, leave slack
- September and October on the Caribbean side, the wettest weeks of the yearWhen to avoidThe typhoon months, roughly August to October
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 Philippines if
you want water and islands above everything else, on a small budget, and you can handle slow travel days.
Full Costa Rica guide →Full Philippines guide →
And what the world thinks
🇵🇭 Philippines leads by 5 votes.
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.