A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Puerto Iguazu vs. Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Puerto Iguazu or Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Puerto Iguazu or Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Puerto Iguazu or Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)?

Puerto Iguazu

Puerto Iguazu is located in the northeastern part of Argentina at the border with Paraguay and Brazil. It is a tourist city and travel destination because of its close proximity to Iguazu Falls, which is only 18 kilometers away. Much of the city's infrastructure has grown to maintain the tourist crowds that come to see the falls. The town itself has a population of slightly over 80,000.

Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)

Situated in the Golfo Dulce, Puerto Jiminez has grown from a logging and gold mining town in the 1960s to become the largest town on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. Today, it serves as a main gateway to Corcovado National Park, a last stopping point before visitors enter the park. Puerto Jiminez also has a lively night life, a beach, and easy access to a number of outdoors activities.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Tours for Seniors to Argentina, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Argentina, The Best Luxury Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best Budget Tours to Costa Rica.


Which place is cheaper, Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) or Puerto Iguazu?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Puerto Iguazu is $8.20, while the average daily cost in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) is $115. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Puerto Iguazu and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Puerto Iguazu $3.26
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $49
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Puerto Iguazu $6.52
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $98
Compare Hotels in Puerto Iguazu and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)

Looking for a hotel in Puerto Iguazu or Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Puerto Iguazu


Hotels in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Puerto Iguazu Hotel Prices and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Puerto Iguazu $2.52
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) -

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Iguazu

Also for Puerto Iguazu, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • One-Way or Round Trip Airport Transfer: $8.00
  • Puerto Iguazu Airport Shuttle Transfer: $8.34
  • One-Way or Round Trip Airport Transfer: $11
  • Iguazu Falls Argentina Airport Roundtrip Transfer to Hotels: $13
  • Transfer from Iguazú Airport to hotels on the Argentine side: $15
  • Iguazú Falls Brazil & Argentina 3-Day In-Out Transfers: $52
  • Argentine and Brazilian Falls with transfers: $57
  • Iguazu Falls Saver Package! Both sides excursions & transfers : $79
  • Puerto Iguazú Combo: Iguazu Falls 2 Day Tours + transfers: $98
  • Transfer In + Transfer Out IGR Airport Puerto Iguazú Hotels Selva de Iryapu: $145

Is it cheaper to fly into Puerto Iguazu or Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)?

Prices for flights to both Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) and Puerto Iguazu change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Puerto Iguazu $3.01
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $35

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Puerto Iguazu

For Puerto Iguazu, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Iguazu Falls: The Argentine Experience Interactive Dinner: $59
  • Argentine Experience: Immersive Dinner & Wine Pairing in Iguazú: $60
  • Puerto Iguazú: Madero Tango Show with Optional Dinner: $76
  • Experience Guamini Mision Dinner and Tango Show Selva Iriapu Hotels Exclusive: $110
  • Rafain Steakhouse Dinner & Show: $117
  • Dinner Show Rafain Steakhouse Gran Meliá Hotel Exclusive - Private Tour: $120
  • Dinner Show Rafain Steakhouse from Puerto Iguazú Hotels Private Tour: $120
  • From Foz do Iguaçu: Madero Tango with dinner: $123
  • Foz do Iguaçu: Argentinean Cooking Class: $135
  • Experience Guamini Mision Dinner and Tango Show Gran Meliá Iguazú Exclusive: $145
  • Dinner Tango Show in Iguazú Falls: $145
  • Churrascaria Rafain - Show and Dinner : $150

Typical Food Prices in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)

Some typical examples of dining costs in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) are as follows:


  • Dinner at Finca Exotica
    $54

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Puerto Iguazu $2.69
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $119

Tours and Activities in Puerto Iguazu

For Puerto Iguazu, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Iguazu Falls Argentinian Side Full-Day Tour: $18
  • Hito Tres Fronters and La Aripuca City Tour: $24
  • Puerto Iguazú: Iguazú Biocenter Tour: $25
  • Argentine Falls Full-Day Guided Tour One of the 7 Wonders of the World: $31
  • Argentinian Iguazu Falls Full Day Tour: $31
  • Ciudad del Este Shopping Tour: $32
  • Iguazu Falls Brazilian Side Tour: $34
  • Iguazu Falls: one-day tour on the Argentine side: $40
  • City tour with stops at tourist attractions: $41
  • Brazilian Side of Iguazu Falls Half-Day Sightseeing Tour : $41
  • Tour to Iguaçu Brazilian Falls from Argentina: $44
  • From San Ignacio Ruins and Wanda Mines Tour: $46

Tours and Activities in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park)

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) are as follows:

  • 30-minute Corcovado National Park Tour by Plane: $256
  • 4 Hour Private Guided Tour in Osa Jungle : $120
  • Bio-Luminescence and Sunset Kayak Tour: $62
  • Corcovado day tour- Sirena Station With Lunch- Small Group : $160
  • Day tours Corcovado Total Adventure: $150
  • Kayak experience on Playa Blanca in Puerto Jiménez: $65
  • One Day Tour To Caño Island From Drake Bay: $125
  • One Day Tour to Corcovado (La Leona Station) From Puerto Jiménez: $299

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Puerto Iguazu $1.29
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) -


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Puerto Iguazu and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park), we can see that Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) is more expensive. And not only is Puerto Iguazu much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Puerto Iguazu is in South America and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) is in Central America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Puerto Iguazu would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Puerto Iguazu and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) than you might in Puerto Iguazu.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Puerto Iguazu Expensive? and Is Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) Expensive?.