🇵🇭 Philippines or 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Which one, honestly
Philippines leads on value for money and the sea. Costa Rica leads on getting around.
A normal day costs about $85 in Philippines and $130 in Costa Rica.
Side by side
- 🇵🇭 Philippines🇨🇷 Costa Rica
- Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, DecBest monthsJan, Feb, Mar, Dec
- $85A normal day$130
- 3h 50m from SingaporeClosest hub2h 55m from Mexico City
- ExceptionalBeaches and seaVery good
- Not the drawCities and cultureNot the draw
- GoodFoodGood
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- ExceptionalValue for moneyNot the draw
- Not the drawEasy to get aroundGood
- Domestic flights and ferries, cheap but often delayed, leave slackGetting aroundA hire car with clearance, the distances are short but the roads are slow
- The typhoon months, roughly August to OctoberWhen to avoidSeptember and October on the Caribbean side, the wettest weeks of the year
Pick by what you want
🇵🇭 Choose Philippines if
you want water and islands above everything else, on a small budget, and you can handle slow travel days.
🇨🇷 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.
Full Philippines guide →Full Costa Rica 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.