Costa Rica vs Jamaica

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

Two-story beachfront resort building with white columns and balconies, lounge chairs and umbrellas on sandy beach, palm trees, and pool visible.

Costa Rica and Jamaica, 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.

By the numbers

Costa Rica compared with Jamaica
Costa Rica	Measure	Jamaica
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
6	Resorts in our catalog	35 (better)
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	★ 4.5 (better)
$88–$285/night pp (better)	Nightly rates	$117–$822/night pp
1 of 6	Adults-only resorts	20 of 35
Low hurricane risk (better)	Hurricane exposure	In the hurricane belt
May–November ('green season'), with September–October seriously wet	Rainy season	May–June and September–November, mostly short afternoon bursts
December–April, bone-dry in Guanacaste	Sweet spot	December–April
Spanish (English common in tourist areas)	Language	English (plus Patois)
Costa Rican colón – USD widely accepted	Currency	Jamaican dollar; USD widely accepted
120V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)	Power	110V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)
On the right	Driving	On the left
Liberia – Daniel Oduber (LIR)	Main airport	Montego Bay (MBJ)
~3.5–5.5h from the US (nonstops to Liberia)	Flight time	~3–4h from the US East Coast

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.

On the map

Costa Rica

Jamaica

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Costa Rica and Jamaica
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Costa Rica · high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
Jamaica · high °F	82	82	83	84	86	88	88	88	88	87	85	83
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
Jamaica · rain (in)	0.9	0.6	0.6	1.1	4.0	3.5	2.4	3.5	5.1	7.1	3.0	1.5

Approximate climate normals for Guanacaste / Papagayo and Montego Bay: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.