Christmas & New Year 2026–27 from Los Angeles: New York City vs Costa Rica, which is cheaper?

For Christmas & New Year 2026–27, a 7-night trip for 2 adults from Los Angeles (Dec 26, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027) costs about $5,520 in New York City and $4,920 in Costa Rica, all in, so Costa Rica comes out about $600 cheaper. Flights are real cached LAX fares for these holiday dates. 4 US-vs-abroad matchups below.

Dec 26, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027 (7 nights) · 2 adults · flights included · flying from Los Angeles (LAX) · Sample estimate, not live pricing

Holiday fares: cached Aviasales round-trip fares for departures Dec 17 – Dec 31, 2026 and returns Dec 24, 2026 – Jan 6, 2027, updated . All totals are estimates, not live pricing.

The short answer for Christmas & New Year 2026–27

7 nights for 2 adults, Dec 26, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027 (7 nights), round-trip flights from LAX included. Midpoints of our estimate ranges (sample estimate, not live pricing); full range under each figure.
MatchupUS tripAbroadResult
New York City vs Costa Rica≈ $5,520$4,146–$6,884≈ $4,920$3,720–$6,128Costa Rica ~$600 cheaper
New York City vs Bali≈ $5,520$4,146–$6,884≈ $7,340$5,620–$9,060New York City ~$1,850 cheaper
Washington, D.C. vs Costa Rica≈ $4,340$3,148–$5,528≈ $4,920$3,720–$6,128Washington, D.C. ~$600 cheaper
Washington, D.C. vs Bali≈ $4,340$3,148–$5,528≈ $7,340$5,620–$9,060Washington, D.C. ~$3,000 cheaper

New York City vs Costa Rica over Christmas & New Year

Costa Rica comes out about $600 cheaper for 2 adults at the midpoint. (from Los Angeles, 7 nights, sample estimate, not live pricing)

New York City

≈ $5,520 $4,146–$6,884 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $926–$1,284
  • Lodging $1,750–$2,800
  • Food & drink $910–$1,540
  • Local transport $140–$280
  • Activities $420–$980

Holiday fares from LAX: $463–$642 per person (10 fares); cheapest $463 leaving Dec 29, back Jan 1. Departures found Dec 22–Dec 30. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $322–$547.

Costa Rica

≈ $4,920 $3,720–$6,128 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $1,550–$1,998
  • Lodging $840–$1,540
  • Food & drink $490–$840
  • Local transport $350–$630
  • Activities $490–$1,120

Holiday fares from LAX: $775–$999 per person (5 fares); cheapest $775 leaving Dec 29, back Jan 5. Departures found Dec 18–Dec 29. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $587–$999.

Same trip from other departure cities, using each city's own holiday fares (7 nights for 2 adults).
Flying fromNew York CityCosta RicaResult
New York (NYC)≈ $4,410no flight needed≈ $5,190$4,024–$6,356New York City ~$800 cheaper

Not enough cached holiday fares yet (minimum 3 per route) from: Las Vegas (New York City 0 fares, Costa Rica 0 fares); Phoenix (New York City 1 fare, Costa Rica 0 fares); Denver (New York City 1 fare, Costa Rica 0 fares); Dallas (Costa Rica 0 fares); Seattle (Costa Rica 0 fares); Chicago (Costa Rica 1 fare). These cities are left out rather than estimated.

New York City vs. London (regular dates) → · Puerto Rico vs. Costa Rica (regular dates) →

New York City vs Bali over Christmas & New Year

New York City comes out about $1,850 cheaper for 2 adults at the midpoint. (from Los Angeles, 7 nights, sample estimate, not live pricing)

New York City

≈ $5,520 $4,146–$6,884 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $926–$1,284
  • Lodging $1,750–$2,800
  • Food & drink $910–$1,540
  • Local transport $140–$280
  • Activities $420–$980

Holiday fares from LAX: $463–$642 per person (10 fares); cheapest $463 leaving Dec 29, back Jan 1. Departures found Dec 22–Dec 30. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $322–$547.

Bali (Indonesia)

≈ $7,340 $5,620–$9,060 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $4,360–$6,540
  • Lodging $525–$1,050
  • Food & drink $420–$770
  • Local transport $140–$280
  • Activities $175–$420

Holiday fares from LAX: $2,180–$3,270 per person (4 fares, fewer than 5 distinct so high = cheapest × 1.5); cheapest $2,180 leaving Dec 20, back Jan 1. Departures found Dec 18–Dec 20. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $885–$1,340.

Not enough cached holiday fares yet (minimum 3 per route) from: Las Vegas (New York City 0 fares, Bali 0 fares); Phoenix (New York City 1 fare, Bali 0 fares); Denver (New York City 1 fare, Bali 0 fares); Dallas (Bali 0 fares); Seattle (Bali 0 fares); Chicago (Bali 0 fares); New York (Bali 2 fares). These cities are left out rather than estimated.

New York City vs. London (regular dates) → · Maui vs. Bali (regular dates) →

Washington, D.C. vs Costa Rica over Christmas & New Year

Washington, D.C. comes out about $600 cheaper for 2 adults at the midpoint. (from Los Angeles, 7 nights, sample estimate, not live pricing)

Washington, D.C.

≈ $4,340 $3,148–$5,528 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $558–$838
  • Lodging $1,610–$2,660
  • Food & drink $770–$1,330
  • Local transport $140–$280
  • Activities $70–$420

Holiday fares from LAX: $279–$419 per person (3 fares, fewer than 5 distinct so high = cheapest × 1.5); cheapest $279 leaving Dec 27, back Jan 1. Departures found Dec 26–Dec 28. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $279–$382.

Costa Rica

≈ $4,920 $3,720–$6,128 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $1,550–$1,998
  • Lodging $840–$1,540
  • Food & drink $490–$840
  • Local transport $350–$630
  • Activities $490–$1,120

Holiday fares from LAX: $775–$999 per person (5 fares); cheapest $775 leaving Dec 29, back Jan 5. Departures found Dec 18–Dec 29. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $587–$999.

Not enough cached holiday fares yet (minimum 3 per route) from: Las Vegas (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Costa Rica 0 fares); Phoenix (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Costa Rica 0 fares); Denver (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Costa Rica 0 fares); Dallas (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Costa Rica 0 fares); Seattle (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Costa Rica 0 fares); Chicago (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Costa Rica 1 fare); New York (Washington, D.C. 0 fares). These cities are left out rather than estimated.

Washington, D.C. vs. Kraków (regular dates) → · Puerto Rico vs. Costa Rica (regular dates) →

Washington, D.C. vs Bali over Christmas & New Year

Washington, D.C. comes out about $3,000 cheaper for 2 adults at the midpoint. (from Los Angeles, 7 nights, sample estimate, not live pricing)

Washington, D.C.

≈ $4,340 $3,148–$5,528 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $558–$838
  • Lodging $1,610–$2,660
  • Food & drink $770–$1,330
  • Local transport $140–$280
  • Activities $70–$420

Holiday fares from LAX: $279–$419 per person (3 fares, fewer than 5 distinct so high = cheapest × 1.5); cheapest $279 leaving Dec 27, back Jan 1. Departures found Dec 26–Dec 28. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $279–$382.

Bali (Indonesia)

≈ $7,340 $5,620–$9,060 for 2 adults

  • Holiday flights from LAX $4,360–$6,540
  • Lodging $525–$1,050
  • Food & drink $420–$770
  • Local transport $140–$280
  • Activities $175–$420

Holiday fares from LAX: $2,180–$3,270 per person (4 fares, fewer than 5 distinct so high = cheapest × 1.5); cheapest $2,180 leaving Dec 20, back Jan 1. Departures found Dec 18–Dec 20. Our regular (non-holiday) LAX range: $885–$1,340.

Not enough cached holiday fares yet (minimum 3 per route) from: Las Vegas (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Bali 0 fares); Phoenix (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Bali 0 fares); Denver (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Bali 0 fares); Dallas (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Bali 0 fares); Seattle (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Bali 0 fares); Chicago (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Bali 0 fares); New York (Washington, D.C. 0 fares, Bali 2 fares). These cities are left out rather than estimated.

Washington, D.C. vs. Kraków (regular dates) → · Maui vs. Bali (regular dates) →

Book for Christmas & New Year 2026–27

Flight searches open Aviasales for Dec 26, 2026 – Jan 2, 2027 (7 nights) from Los Angeles (LAX), the dates our totals use, or from the departure city you last picked elsewhere on the site. Holiday seats go fast and partner prices are live, so they may differ from these cached fares.

New York City

Flights from LAXThings to doTiqetsCity attraction passGo City

Washington, D.C.

Flights from LAXThings to doTiqets

Costa Rica

Flights from LAXThings to doKlookeSIM dataAiraloSan José airport transferWelcome Pickups

Bali (Indonesia)

Flights from LAXThings to doTiqetseSIM dataAiraloAirport transferWelcome Pickups

How we priced these holiday trips (and what to watch)

  • Flights are date-specific. Each range comes from round-trip economy fares that Aviasales users found and Aviasales cached for departures Dec 17 – Dec 31, 2026 and returns Dec 24, 2026 – Jan 6, 2027 (trips of 2–16 nights, at most 2 stops each way), via the Travelpayouts Data API. From Los Angeles we count LAX only, not Ontario or Burbank. Low = the cheapest fare found; high = the 75th-percentile fare when there are at least 5 distinct fares, otherwise the cheapest × 1.5, the same rule as the rest of the site. Routes with fewer than 3 fares are left out.
  • Everything else is our regular estimate. Lodging, food, local transport and activities use the same sourced year-round estimates as our comparison pages (sources are listed there), for 7 nights and 2 adults. We don't add a holiday markup because we have no sourced figure for one. Hotels and tours are often priced above their yearly averages over holidays, so expect the non-flight part to run toward the high end of each range, or above it.
  • Cached fares are a sample, not a quote. They show what travelers recently saw, not what is bookable now. Holiday fares tend to rise as the dates approach. Check the live price before you book.
  • Dates roll forward automatically. We refresh these fares twice a day. Once Christmas & New Year 2026–27 passes, this page moves to next year's dates and stays hidden until there is enough real fare data for them.

All holiday trips → · All matchups (regular dates) →

Photos: New York City: Dllu, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Costa Rica: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · Photo credits