Costa Rica vs Philippines

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

Private villa deck with infinity pool overlooking the ocean at sunset, palm trees and tropical vegetation visible beyond the wooden platform.

Costa Rica and Philippines, 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 Philippines
Costa Rica	Measure	Philippines
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
6 (better)	Resorts in our catalog	3
★ 4.4	Average guest rating	★ 4.7 (better)
$88–$285/night pp (better)	Nightly rates	$170–$606/night pp
1 of 6	Adults-only resorts	0 of 3
Low hurricane risk (better)	Hurricane exposure	In the hurricane belt
May–November ('green season'), with September–October seriously wet	Rainy season	June–November
December–April, bone-dry in Guanacaste	Sweet spot	January–April
Spanish (English common in tourist areas)	Language	Filipino & English (English widely spoken)
Costa Rican colón – USD widely accepted	Currency	Philippine peso (PHP)
120V, Type A/B plugs (same as the US)	Power	220V, Type A/B/C plugs (US plugs fit, but check voltage)
On the right	Driving	On the right
Liberia – Daniel Oduber (LIR)	Main airport	Caticlan (MPH), via Manila (MNL) or Cebu (CEB)
~3.5–5.5h from the US (nonstops to Liberia)	Flight time	~15–20h+ from the US, with at least one stop

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

Philippines

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Costa Rica and Philippines
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
Philippines · high °F	86	87	88	90	91	90	88	88	88	88	88	86
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
Philippines · rain (in)	4.0	3.0	2.5	2.0	3.5	6.5	7.0	6.0	6.5	7.5	6.5	5.5

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