Brazil vs Costa Rica

Costao do Santinho Resort sits on a hillside overlooking the ocean, with a large blue pool, loungers, and multi-story beige buildings surrounded by lush green vegetation.

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

Brazil 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.

Brazil guide · Costa Rica guide · How we score

By the numbers

Brazil compared with Costa Rica
Brazil	Measure	Costa Rica
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
8	Resorts in our catalog	7
★ 4.7 (better)	Average guest rating	★ 4.4
$128–$405/night pp	Nightly rates	$119–$289/night pp
0 of 8	Adults-only resorts	1 of 7
No hurricane season	Hurricane exposure	Low hurricane risk
April–July on the northeast coast	Rainy season	May–November ('green season'), with September–October seriously wet
September–March (southern-hemisphere spring and summer)	Sweet spot	December–April, bone-dry in Guanacaste
Portuguese (English limited outside tourist areas)	Language	Spanish (English common in tourist areas)
Brazilian real (BRL) – cards widely used	Currency	Costa Rican colón – USD widely accepted
127V/220V, Type N plugs (adapter needed)	Power	120V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)
On the right	Driving	On the right
Salvador (SSA)	Main airport	Liberia – Daniel Oduber (LIR)
~7–9h from the US East Coast (often via connection)	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

Brazil

Costa Rica

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Brazil and Costa Rica
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Brazil · high °F	86	87	86	84	82	80	79	79	81	83	84	85
Costa Rica · high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
Brazil · rain (in)	2.7	3.9	6.1	10.9	10.5	8.5	6.9	4.4	3.3	3.9	4.1	4.9
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 Northeast coast (Bahia) and Guanacaste / Papagayo: planning guidance, not a forecast. Deeper gold = hotter; deeper teal = wetter.

Where you'd actually stay

Best of Brazil

Full Brazil guide

Chains here: Amarante · Vila Galé · Costao do Santinho

Best of Costa Rica

Full Costa Rica guide

Chains here: RIU Hotels & Resorts · Westin · Margaritaville