🇨🇷vs🇺🇸
Costa Rica vs United States
Compare travel essentials, budgets, and connectivity between Costa Rica and United States.
| Category | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 🇺🇸 United States |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Budget (Budget) | CRC 40,000 | $120 |
| Daily Budget (Mid-Range) | CRC 90,000 | $260 |
| Daily Budget (Luxury) | CRC 210,000 | $520 |
| Visa | Costa Rica offers visa-free entry for many nationalities, especially from North America, the EU, and several Latin American and Asian countries, typically for up to 90 days; others may need a consular visa in advance, as there is no standard visa-on-arrival or e-visa system, and entry requirements depend on nationality and prior visas. | The U.S. uses a mix of visa‑waiver (via ESTA for eligible nationalities), standard visas obtained in advance, and limited visa‑free entry for certain territories; there is no general visa‑on‑arrival, and e‑visa style processing is mainly through the ESTA system for short‑stay tourism and business. |
| Language | Spanish (official); English widely used in tourist areas | English (de facto official), with Spanish widely spoken and many communities using other languages such as Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and French. |
| Best Months | December to April for dry season; May to August and November for fewer crowds and lush landscapes | April to June, September to October |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6), no daylight saving time | Multiple timezones: mainly PT (UTC−8/−7), MT (UTC−7/−6), CT (UTC−6/−5), ET (UTC−5/−4) |
| Connectivity Rating | 4/5 (5G) | 5/5 (5G) |
| eSIM Starting Price | $26.50 | $11.50 |
| Power Plug | Type A/B, 120V | Type A/B, 120V |
| Emergency Number | 911 (Police, Ambulance, Fire) | 911 (Police, Fire, Ambulance) |