🇨🇷 Costa Rica or 🇪🇸 Spain
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
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 $150 in Spain.
Side by side
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica🇪🇸 Spain
- Dec to MarBest monthsApr to May, Sep to Oct
- $130A normal day$150
- 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 →
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.