Barbados vs Costa Rica

Multi-story beachfront resort with pool, lounge chairs, and palm-lined sand leading to turquoise Caribbean waters.

Illuminated beachfront dining pavilion with white railings and thatched-roof bungalows reflected in the pool at dusk.

Barbados and Costa Rica, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.

Barbados guide · Costa Rica guide · How we score

By the numbers

Barbados compared with Costa Rica
Barbados	Measure	Costa Rica
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
11	Resorts in our catalog	7
★ 4.2	Average guest rating	★ 4.4 (better)
$152–$459/night pp	Nightly rates	$119–$289/night pp
4 of 11	Adults-only resorts	1 of 7
Low hurricane risk	Hurricane exposure	Low hurricane risk
June–November, typically short heavy showers	Rainy season	May–November ('green season'), with September–October seriously wet
December–April	Sweet spot	December–April, bone-dry in Guanacaste
English	Language	Spanish (English common in tourist areas)
Barbados dollar (pegged 2:1 to USD)	Currency	Costa Rican colón – USD widely accepted
115V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)	Power	120V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)
On the left	Driving	On the right
Bridgetown (BGI)	Main airport	Liberia – Daniel Oduber (LIR)
~4.5–5h from the US East Coast	Flight time	~3.5–5.5h from the US (nonstops to Liberia)

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country.

On the map

Barbados

Costa Rica

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Barbados and Costa Rica
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Barbados · high °F	83	83	84	86	87	87	87	88	88	87	86	84
Costa Rica · high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
Barbados · rain (in)	2.6	1.6	1.3	1.4	2.3	4.4	5.8	5.8	6.7	7.0	6.1	3.8
Costa Rica · rain (in)	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.7	7.7	9.0	5.9	7.9	13.0	12.2	4.3	0.5

Approximate climate normals for West & south coasts and Guanacaste / Papagayo: planning guidance, not a forecast. Deeper gold = hotter; deeper teal = wetter.