🇨🇷 Costa Rica or 🇯🇵 Japan
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Which one, honestly
Costa Rica leads on the sea. Japan leads on cities, food and getting around.
A normal day costs about $130 in Costa Rica and $170 in Japan.
Side by side
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica🇯🇵 Japan
- Dec to MarBest monthsMar to May, Oct to Nov
- $130A normal day$170
- 5h 15m to San JoseNonstop from New York14h to Tokyo
- Very goodBeaches and seaNot the draw
- Not the drawCities and cultureExceptional
- GoodFoodExceptional
- ExceptionalNature and hikingExceptional
- Not the drawValue for moneyGood
- GoodEasy to get aroundExceptional
- A hire car with clearance, the distances are short but the roads are slowGetting aroundThe best rail network in the world, buy the pass before you arrive
- September and October on the Caribbean side, the wettest weeks of the yearWhen to avoidGolden Week in early May, when the whole country travels at once
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 Japan if
you want somewhere that feels genuinely different, you like cities and food, and you want everything to work perfectly.
Full Costa Rica guide →Full Japan 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.