🇨🇷 Costa Rica or 🇵🇹 Portugal
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Which one, honestly
Costa Rica leads on nature. Portugal leads on cities, value for money and food.
A normal day costs about $130 in Costa Rica and $130 in Portugal.
Side by side
- 🇨🇷 Costa Rica🇵🇹 Portugal
- Dec to MarBest monthsApr to Jun, Sep to Oct
- $130A normal day$130
- 5h 15m to San JoseNonstop from New York6h 50m to Lisbon
- Very goodBeaches and seaVery good
- Not the drawCities and cultureVery good
- GoodFoodVery good
- 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 aroundCheap trains along the coast, a car for the wine country
- September and October on the Caribbean side, the wettest weeks of the yearWhen to avoidThe Algarve in August, when it fills up and doubles in price
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 Portugal if
you want Europe on a smaller budget, with the ocean, and you do not mind cool water.
Full Costa Rica guide →Full Portugal 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.