Aerial view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro on the tip of Old San Juan
The cone of Arenal Volcano rising above rainforest in Costa Rica

Puerto Rico (San Juan) vs. Costa Rica

Tropical week, no passport vs. tropical week with volcanoes and sloths.

Nature & adventure🗓 7 nights👥 2 adults✈ Round trip from Los Angeles📅 Checked October 2026

Flying from

Photos: San Juan: Nils Huenerfuerst, CC BY 4.0 · Costa Rica: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · Photo credits

Heads up: every price on this page is a sample estimate, not live pricing or a quote. Ranges are based on published typical fares and rates plus our own assumptions (see sources below). Switch the departure airport above to recalculate. Use the buttons to check today's real prices.

. Flight fares and all totals are estimates, not live pricing.

San Juan

≈ $4,380

$3,174–$5,580

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $350 of each other.

Flying from Los Angeles (LAX)

Sample estimate, not live pricing

Costa Rica

≈ $4,740

$3,344–$6,128

Aerial view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro on the tip of Old San Juan
US trip

Puerto Rico (San Juan)

Puerto Rico (USA) · SJU

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,174–$5,580

Midpoint ≈ $4,380 · ≈ $2,190 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $327–$375 per person$654–$750
Lodging7 nights × $180–$320 per night$1,260–$2,240
Food & drink7 days × $100–$170 per day$700–$1,190
Local transport7 days × $30–$80 per day$210–$560
Activities7 days × $50–$120 per day$350–$840
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,174–$5,580
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 8–10 hr, usually 1 stop
Best time to go
Mid-April–June for value; December–March is peak (dry, pricier). Hurricane season June–November.
Entry
No passport needed for US citizens (US territory).
Watch for
Hotel room tax and resort fees in Condado/Isla Verde; rental car only needed if you leave the city (El Yunque, beaches).
Best for
History, beaches, no passport

Book flights, tours & more for San Juan ↓ (affiliate links)

The cone of Arenal Volcano rising above rainforest in Costa Rica
Abroad

Costa Rica

Costa Rica · SJO

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,344–$6,128

Midpoint ≈ $4,740 · ≈ $2,370 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $587–$999 per person$1,174–$1,998
Lodging7 nights × $120–$220 per night$840–$1,540
Food & drink7 days × $70–$120 per day$490–$840
Local transport7 days × $50–$90 per day$350–$630
Activities7 days × $70–$160 per day$490–$1,120
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,344–$6,128
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 6 hr nonstop (SJO), longer with a stop
Best time to go
December–April (dry season). May–November 'green season' is cheaper, with afternoon rain.
Entry
Passport required; proof of onward travel may be requested.
Watch for
Mandatory rental-car liability insurance often doubles the advertised car rate; national park and tour fees; 13% tax + service on many restaurant bills.
Best for
Wildlife, volcanoes, adventure tours

Book flights, tours & more for Costa Rica ↓ (affiliate links)

All-in totals by departure city

7 nights for 2 adults, round-trip flights from each city included. Midpoint of our estimate range, with the full range below it. Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Flying fromSan JuanCosta RicaResult
Los Angeles (LAX)≈ $4,380$3,174–$5,580≈ $4,740$3,344–$6,128Roughly even (within ~$350)
Las Vegas (LAS)≈ $4,580$3,220–$5,930≈ $4,250$3,070–$5,430Roughly even (within ~$350)
Phoenix (PHX)≈ $4,750$3,370–$6,132≈ $4,280$3,082–$5,480Costa Rica ~$450 cheaper
Denver (DEN)≈ $4,770$3,314–$6,234≈ $4,250$3,008–$5,482Costa Rica ~$550 cheaper
Dallas (DFW)≈ $4,380$3,086–$5,680≈ $4,380$2,996–$5,770Roughly even (within ~$0)
Seattle (SEA)≈ $4,920$3,482–$6,352≈ $4,480$3,226–$5,740Costa Rica ~$450 cheaper
Chicago (CHI)≈ $4,290$2,922–$5,648≈ $4,350$3,092–$5,604Roughly even (within ~$50)
New York (NYC)≈ $4,450$3,078–$5,820≈ $4,330$2,672–$5,994Roughly even (within ~$100)

Book this trip

Flights search from Los Angeles (LAX) for a 7-night trip; switch the departure city above to update. Prices on partner sites are live and may differ from our estimates.

Puerto Rico (San Juan)

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doTiqets

Costa Rica

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doKlookTravel insuranceEKTAeSIM dataAiraloSan José airport transferWelcome Pickups

Puerto Rico vs Costa Rica cost breakdown: where the money goes

Midpoint of each estimate range, 2 adults, 7 nights, flying from Los Angeles (LAX). Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Round-trip flights from Los Angeles

San Juan ≈ $700
Costa Rica ≈ $1,590

Lodging

San Juan ≈ $1,750
Costa Rica ≈ $1,190

Food & drink

San Juan ≈ $950
Costa Rica ≈ $670

Local transport

San Juan ≈ $390
Costa Rica ≈ $490

Activities

San Juan ≈ $600
Costa Rica ≈ $810

The verdict: is Costa Rica cheaper than Puerto Rico?

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $350 of each other. (from Los Angeles, sample estimate, not live pricing)

These two land close together. Costa Rica's cheaper lodging and food are offset by rental-car insurance and paid tours, while San Juan's hotels cost more but you can skip the car. Pick on vibe: Old San Juan's history and beaches, or Costa Rica's rainforest-and-adventure itinerary. From Phoenix, Denver and Seattle, Costa Rica pulls ahead by roughly $450–$550; from the other cities we cover, the two land within a few hundred dollars of each other.

Puerto Rico vs Costa Rica: common questions

Answers use flights from Los Angeles unless a city is named; see the table above for every departure city.

Is Costa Rica cheaper than Puerto Rico?

It's close. Flying from Los Angeles, the two land within about $350 of each other for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,740 for Costa Rica vs ≈ $4,380 for Puerto Rico, flights included). Costa Rica is cheaper from 3 of the 8 US departure cities we cover (Phoenix, Denver and Seattle), by $450–$550. It's roughly even from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Chicago and New York. These are midpoints of our sample estimates, not live prices.

Is Costa Rica cheaper than Puerto Rico from Denver?

Yes. Flying from Denver, Costa Rica comes out about $550 cheaper for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,250 vs ≈ $4,770 all-in, flights included).

How much does a week in Costa Rica cost for two?

About $3,344–$6,128 all-in (midpoint ≈ $4,740, ≈ $2,370 per person) for 7 nights for 2 adults with round-trip flights from Los Angeles: flights $1,174–$1,998, lodging $840–$1,540, food & drink $490–$840, local transport $350–$630, activities $490–$1,120. The same week in Puerto Rico runs about $3,174–$5,580.

How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Costa Rica?

About 6 hr nonstop (SJO), longer with a stop. For comparison, Puerto Rico: About 8–10 hr, usually 1 stop.

When is the best time to visit Puerto Rico or Costa Rica?

Puerto Rico: Mid-April–June for value; December–March is peak (dry, pricier). Hurricane season June–November. Costa Rica: December–April (dry season). May–November 'green season' is cheaper, with afternoon rain.

Sources, notes & assumptions

Flight ranges come from typical round-trip economy fares that fare-search sites (KAYAK, Google Flights, Priceline, momondo, Expedia, airline fare pages) published for each route from each departure airport we cover (currently LAS and LAX), viewed October 2026. Lodging uses published hotel averages where we found them (Engine's August 2026 US city averages; Budget Your Trip traveler averages abroad), adjusted to a mid-range room; otherwise it is an editor estimate. Daily food, local transport and activity budgets are editor estimates for a mid-range couple; where a Budget Your Trip average exists we set the range around it, but the range bounds are our own judgment and have NOT been verified against a single published source. Ski lift tickets use published 2025/26 (or 2026/27) resort prices; euro and yen prices are converted at editor-assumed exchange rates. Taxes, resort fees, baggage fees and tips may not be fully included. Flight ranges marked "Travelpayouts (Aviasales) Data API" in the sources are refreshed automatically from cached round-trip economy fares that Aviasales users found recently for departures about 1–4 months out (low = cheapest fare found, high = roughly the 75th percentile); routes without enough fresh data keep their previous published-fare range.

Puerto Rico (San Juan)

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Transport range spans 'rideshare only' up to a few days of rental car.

Costa Rica

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Plan assumes splitting the week between two regions (e.g. Arenal + a Pacific beach) with a rental car.

Assumptions: economy fares, 1 mid-range room, 7 nights / 7 days of spending, 2 adults. Excludes passports, travel insurance, checked-bag fees and souvenirs unless noted. Found a better number? Tell us.

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