Art Deco hotels and palm trees along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
The cone of Arenal Volcano rising above rainforest in Costa Rica

Florida (Miami) vs. Costa Rica

Florida beach week or rainforest-and-volcano week: which one costs less?

Nature & adventure🗓 7 nights👥 2 adults✈ Round trip from Los Angeles📅 Checked October 2026

Flying from

Photos: Miami: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Costa Rica: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · Photo credits

Heads up: every price on this page is a sample estimate, not live pricing or a quote. Ranges are based on published typical fares and rates plus our own assumptions (see sources below). Switch the departure airport above to recalculate. Use the buttons to check today's real prices.

. Flight fares and all totals are estimates, not live pricing.

Miami

≈ $4,550

$3,286–$5,804

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $200 of each other.

Flying from Los Angeles (LAX)

Sample estimate, not live pricing

Costa Rica

≈ $4,740

$3,344–$6,128

Art Deco hotels and palm trees along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
US trip

Florida (Miami)

USA · MIA

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,286–$5,804

Midpoint ≈ $4,550 · ≈ $2,270 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $278–$417 per person$556–$834
Lodging7 nights × $200–$350 per night$1,400–$2,450
Food & drink7 days × $120–$200 per day$840–$1,400
Local transport7 days × $30–$60 per day$210–$420
Activities7 days × $40–$100 per day$280–$700
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,286–$5,804
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 5 hr nonstop
Best time to go
March–May: after the winter peak, before hurricane season (June–November).
Entry
No passport needed for US citizens.
Watch for
Resort/destination fees and pricey hotel parking in Miami Beach; automatic service charges on many restaurant bills.
Best for
Beaches, nightlife, no passport

Book flights, tours & more for Miami ↓ (affiliate links)

The cone of Arenal Volcano rising above rainforest in Costa Rica
Abroad

Costa Rica

Costa Rica · SJO

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,344–$6,128

Midpoint ≈ $4,740 · ≈ $2,370 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $587–$999 per person$1,174–$1,998
Lodging7 nights × $120–$220 per night$840–$1,540
Food & drink7 days × $70–$120 per day$490–$840
Local transport7 days × $50–$90 per day$350–$630
Activities7 days × $70–$160 per day$490–$1,120
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,344–$6,128
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 6 hr nonstop (SJO), longer with a stop
Best time to go
December–April (dry season). May–November 'green season' is cheaper, with afternoon rain.
Entry
Passport required; proof of onward travel may be requested.
Watch for
Mandatory rental-car liability insurance often doubles the advertised car rate; national park and tour fees; 13% tax + service on many restaurant bills.
Best for
Wildlife, volcanoes, adventure tours

Book flights, tours & more for Costa Rica ↓ (affiliate links)

All-in totals by departure city

7 nights for 2 adults, round-trip flights from each city included. Midpoint of our estimate range, with the full range below it. Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Flying fromMiamiCosta RicaResult
Los Angeles (LAX)≈ $4,550$3,286–$5,804≈ $4,740$3,344–$6,128Roughly even (within ~$200)
Las Vegas (LAS)≈ $4,490$3,190–$5,790≈ $4,250$3,070–$5,430Roughly even (within ~$250)
Phoenix (PHX)≈ $4,730$3,408–$6,054≈ $4,280$3,082–$5,480Costa Rica ~$450 cheaper
Denver (DEN)≈ $4,420$3,028–$5,818≈ $4,250$3,008–$5,482Roughly even (within ~$200)
Dallas (DFW)≈ $4,280$2,936–$5,632≈ $4,380$2,996–$5,770Roughly even (within ~$100)
Seattle (SEA)≈ $4,770$3,416–$6,114≈ $4,480$3,226–$5,740Roughly even (within ~$300)
Chicago (CHI)≈ $4,310$3,094–$5,534≈ $4,350$3,092–$5,604Roughly even (within ~$50)
New York (NYC)≈ $4,450$3,122–$5,778≈ $4,330$2,672–$5,994Roughly even (within ~$100)

Book this trip

Flights search from Los Angeles (LAX) for a 7-night trip; switch the departure city above to update. Prices on partner sites are live and may differ from our estimates.

Florida (Miami)

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doTiqets

Costa Rica

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doKlookeSIM dataAiraloSan José airport transferWelcome Pickups

Miami vs Costa Rica cost breakdown: where the money goes

Midpoint of each estimate range, 2 adults, 7 nights, flying from Los Angeles (LAX). Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Round-trip flights from Los Angeles

Miami ≈ $700
Costa Rica ≈ $1,590

Lodging

Miami ≈ $1,930
Costa Rica ≈ $1,190

Food & drink

Miami ≈ $1,120
Costa Rica ≈ $670

Local transport

Miami ≈ $320
Costa Rica ≈ $490

Activities

Miami ≈ $490
Costa Rica ≈ $810

The verdict: is Costa Rica cheaper than Miami?

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $200 of each other. (from Los Angeles, sample estimate, not live pricing)

Closer than you'd think. Costa Rica's airfare is higher than Miami's from every departure city we cover, and its guided tours, park fees and car add up, but its hotels and meals cost noticeably less. From Phoenix, Costa Rica comes out roughly $450 cheaper; from the other cities we cover, the two weeks land within 8% of each other. Choose Miami for beaches, nightlife and no passport; Costa Rica for wildlife, volcanoes and adventure tours.

Miami vs Costa Rica: common questions

Answers use flights from Los Angeles unless a city is named; see the table above for every departure city.

Is Costa Rica cheaper than Miami?

It's close. Flying from Los Angeles, the two land within about $200 of each other for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,740 for Costa Rica vs ≈ $4,550 for Miami, flights included). Costa Rica is cheaper from 1 of the 8 US departure cities we cover (Phoenix), by about $450. It's roughly even from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, Chicago and New York. These are midpoints of our sample estimates, not live prices.

Is Costa Rica cheaper than Miami from Phoenix?

Yes. Flying from Phoenix, Costa Rica comes out about $450 cheaper for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,280 vs ≈ $4,730 all-in, flights included).

How much does a week in Costa Rica cost for two?

About $3,344–$6,128 all-in (midpoint ≈ $4,740, ≈ $2,370 per person) for 7 nights for 2 adults with round-trip flights from Los Angeles: flights $1,174–$1,998, lodging $840–$1,540, food & drink $490–$840, local transport $350–$630, activities $490–$1,120. The same week in Miami runs about $3,286–$5,804.

How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Costa Rica?

About 6 hr nonstop (SJO), longer with a stop. For comparison, Miami: About 5 hr nonstop.

When is the best time to visit Miami or Costa Rica?

Miami: March–May: after the winter peak, before hurricane season (June–November). Costa Rica: December–April (dry season). May–November 'green season' is cheaper, with afternoon rain.

Sources, notes & assumptions

Flight ranges come from typical round-trip economy fares that fare-search sites (KAYAK, Google Flights, Priceline, momondo, Expedia, airline fare pages) published for each route from each departure airport we cover (currently LAS and LAX), viewed October 2026. Lodging uses published hotel averages where we found them (Engine's August 2026 US city averages; Budget Your Trip traveler averages abroad), adjusted to a mid-range room; otherwise it is an editor estimate. Daily food, local transport and activity budgets are editor estimates for a mid-range couple; where a Budget Your Trip average exists we set the range around it, but the range bounds are our own judgment and have NOT been verified against a single published source. Ski lift tickets use published 2025/26 (or 2026/27) resort prices; euro and yen prices are converted at editor-assumed exchange rates. Taxes, resort fees, baggage fees and tips may not be fully included. Flight ranges marked "Travelpayouts (Aviasales) Data API" in the sources are refreshed automatically from cached round-trip economy fares that Aviasales users found recently for departures about 1–4 months out (low = cheapest fare found, high = roughly the 75th percentile); routes without enough fresh data keep their previous published-fare range.

Florida (Miami)

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Lodging assumes a mid-range Miami Beach / Brickell hotel outside peak events (Art Basel, spring break).

Costa Rica

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Plan assumes splitting the week between two regions (e.g. Arenal + a Pacific beach) with a rental car.

Assumptions: economy fares, 1 mid-range room, 7 nights / 7 days of spending, 2 adults. Excludes passports, travel insurance, checked-bag fees and souvenirs unless noted. Found a better number? Tell us.

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