Which place is cheaper, Quepos or Recife?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Recife or Quepos?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Recife and Quepos can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Recife or Quepos?
Recife
One of the largest cities on Brazil's northeast coast, Recife is also the capital of the state of Pernambuco. The city gets its name from the Portuguese word for "reef," as it was built around a landscape of natural reef beaches. Many people visit to enjoy these beaches, experience the culture, and explore the history of this important Brazilian city.
Quepos
Quepos is both a district and the capital of Aguirre canton in the Puntareanas Province of Costa Rica. The town is quite small, and the district has a population of about 22,000 people. Quepos is a popular tourist destination in Costa Rica due to its close proximity to Manuel Antonio National Park on the Pacific Coast. The town's economy is centered around tourism and there is no shortage of bars and restaurants in the area. The town also has a lively nightlife for such a small community.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in Brazil, The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in Brazil, The Best Wildlife Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Costa Rica.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayRecife $166Quepos $117
The average daily cost (per person) in Recife is $166, while the average daily cost in Quepos is $117. 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 Recife and Quepos in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personRecife $88Quepos $77
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomRecife $176Quepos $154
Compare Hotels in Recife and Quepos
Looking for a hotel in Recife or Quepos? 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.
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: Recife Hotel Prices and Quepos Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Recife $8.47Quepos $9.56
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Recife
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Recife:
- Shared Transfer from Recife to Cabo de Santo Agostinho: $33
- Airport to Porto de Galinhas Transfer: $65
- Airport to Maragogi Hotels Private Transfer: $85
- Recife Boat Tour with Transfers: $72
- Private Transfer from Recife to Tamandare Beach: $114
- Private Transfer from Recife to Serrambi Beach: $101
- Private Transfer from Recife to Olinda: $46
- Private Transfer from Recife to Carneiros Beach: $114
- Private Transfer from Olinda to Recife (REC) Airport: $46
- Private Transfer from Igarassu to Recife (REC) Airport : $101
- Instituto Ricardo Brennand with transfers from Recife: $41
- Departure Transfer from Olinda to Recife Airport: $100
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quepos
Also for Quepos, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Shuttle Transfer from Manuel Antonio to San Jose: $60
- Private Transfer from Quepos Cruise Port to San Jose City Hotels: $91
- Private Transfer From San Jose Airport To Manuel Antonio Beach: $125
- One-Way Private Transfer from Uvita to Quepos - Manuel Antonio: $140
- Private Transfer from Manuel Antonio to Nauyaca Waterfalls (Round Trip): $199
- Transfer from Manuel Antonio to SJO Airport and surroundings : $209
- Private transfer from SJ Airport to Manuel Antonio and vice versa: $230
- Manuel Antonio & Quepos one way transfer to SJO hotels - Airport up to 5 people.: $274
- One-Way Private Transfer from Quepos - Manuel Antonio to Monteverde: $276
- Private Transfer - San Jose Airport & Manuel Antonio/Quepos : $300
Is it cheaper to fly into Recife or Quepos?
Prices for flights to both Quepos and Recife 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
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Food Meals for one dayRecife $70Quepos $30
Typical Food Prices in Quepos
For Quepos, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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Lunch$15
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Seafood Dinner (for 1)$20
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quepos
For Quepos, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Night Jungle Tour with Dinner (Rainmaker Park): $59
- 3 Hour Cooking Class and Medical Plants Garden: $77
- Cooking Class & Medicinal Plants Garden Manuel Antonio: $77
- Night Mangrove Safari Boat Tour with Dinner | Manuel Antonio: $79
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Recife $11Quepos $17
Tours and Activities in Recife
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Recife are as follows:
- City Tour Recife with Catamaran included: $150
- Colonial North Coast beaches - Full-Day Tour: $35
- Olinda City Tour and Instituto Ricardo Brennand: $94
- Olinda Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.82
- Recife (Historic Centre) Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour: $7.65
- City Tour Recife & Olinda: $27
Tours and Activities in Quepos
For Quepos, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Beach Day Experience in Manuel Antonio: $20
- Manuel Antonio National Park tour : $27
- Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Tour: $28
- Manuel Antonio National Park Tour: $28
- Manuel Antonio Park Tour and its Amazing Wildlife and Beaches: $30
- Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Tour: $30
- Manuel Antonio National Park Group Guided Tour: $30
- Guided Tour in Manuel Antonio National Park!: $35
- Manuel Antonio Jungle Night Tour with pick up included: $39
- Guided hiking Tour by the Mystic Ebano Rainforest in Costa Rica: $40
- Manuel Antonio: Manuel Antonio National Park Tour: $45
- Manuel Antonio Park Nature Guided Tour: $45
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayRecife -Quepos $15
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Recife and Quepos, we can see that Recife is more expensive. And not only is Quepos much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Recife is in South America and Quepos 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 Quepos would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Quepos 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 Recife would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Recife than you might in Quepos.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Recife Expensive? and Is Quepos Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Recife or Quepos?
Recife has a larger population, and is about 190 times larger than the population of Quepos. When comparing the sizes of Recife and Quepos, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
When is the best time to visit Recife or Quepos?
Recife has a temperate climate with four distinct seasons, but Quepos experiences a warm climate with fairly sunny weather most of the year.
Should I visit Recife or Quepos in the Summer?
Both Quepos and Recife during the summer are popular places to visit. Warm weather and sunshine bring visitors to Quepos year-round.
In the summer, Recife is around the same temperature as Quepos. Typically, the summer temperatures in Recife in January average around 26°C (79°F), and Quepos averages at about 28°C (82°F)in July.
It's quite sunny in Recife. In the summer, Recife often gets more sunshine than Queposin July. Recife gets 246 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Quepos receives 164 hours of full sun.
Quepos gets a good bit of rain this time of year. It rains a lot this time of the year in Recife. Recife usually gets less rain in January than Queposin July. Recife gets 108 mm (4.3 in) of rain, while Quepos receives 164 mm (6.5 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Summer Average Temperatures January and JulyRecife 26°C (79°F)Quepos 28°C (82°F)
Should I visit Recife or Quepos in the Autumn?
The autumn attracts plenty of travelers to both Recife and Quepos. Quepos attracts visitors year-round for its warm weather and sunny climate.
In April, Recife is generally around the same temperature as Queposin October. Daily temperatures in Recife average around 26°C (79°F), and Quepos fluctuates around 27°C (81°F).
Recife usually receives more sunshine than Quepos during autumn. Recife gets 185 hours of sunny skies, while Quepos receives 169 hours of full sun in the autumn.
Quepos receives a lot of rain in the autumn. Recife gets a good bit of rain this time of year. In April, Recife usually receives more rain than Queposin October. Recife gets 338 mm (13.3 in) of rain, while Quepos receives 254 mm (10 in) of rain each month for the autumn.
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Autumn Average Temperatures April and OctoberRecife 26°C (79°F)Quepos 27°C (81°F)
Should I visit Recife or Quepos in the Winter?
The winter brings many poeple to Recife as well as Quepos. The warm climate attracts visitors to Quepos throughout the year.
Recife is cooler than Quepos in the winter. The daily temperature in Recife averages around 24°C (76°F) in July, and Quepos fluctuates around 27°C (81°F)in January.
The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Quepos. In the winter, Recife often gets less sunshine than Queposin January. Recife gets 170 hours of sunny skies this time of year, while Quepos receives 264 hours of full sun.
Recife receives a lot of rain in the winter. Recife usually gets more rain in July than Queposin January. Recife gets 388 mm (15.3 in) of rain, while Quepos receives 8 mm (0.3 in) of rain this time of the year.
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Winter Average Temperatures July and JanuaryRecife 24°C (76°F)Quepos 27°C (81°F)
Should I visit Recife or Quepos in the Spring?
Both Quepos and Recife are popular destinations to visit in the spring with plenty of activities. Plenty of visitors come to Quepos because of the warm climate and sunshine that lasts throughout the year.
In the spring, Recife is cooler than Quepos. Typically, the spring temperatures in Recife in October average around 25°C (77°F), and Quepos averages at about 29°C (85°F)in April.
It's quite sunny in Quepos. The sun comes out a lot this time of the year in Recife. Recife usually receives around the same amount of sunshine as Quepos during spring. Recife gets 247 hours of sunny skies, while Quepos receives 255 hours of full sun in the spring.
In October, Recife usually receives more rain than Queposin April. Recife gets 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain, while Quepos receives 28 mm (1.1 in) of rain each month for the spring.
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Spring Average Temperatures October and AprilRecife 25°C (77°F)Quepos 29°C (85°F)
Typical Weather for Quepos and Recife
| Recife | Quepos | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | Temp (°C) | Rain (mm) | |
| Jan | 26°C (79°F) | 108 mm (4.3 in) | 27°C (81°F) | 8 mm (0.3 in) |
| Feb | 26°C (80°F) | 148 mm (5.8 in) | 28°C (83°F) | 2 mm (0.1 in) |
| Mar | 26°C (80°F) | 257 mm (10.1 in) | 29°C (84°F) | 4 mm (0.2 in) |
| Apr | 26°C (79°F) | 338 mm (13.3 in) | 29°C (85°F) | 28 mm (1.1 in) |
| May | 25°C (78°F) | 319 mm (12.5 in) | 29°C (83°F) | 226 mm (8.9 in) |
| Jun | 25°C (77°F) | 378 mm (14.9 in) | 28°C (82°F) | 226 mm (8.9 in) |
| Jul | 24°C (76°F) | 388 mm (15.3 in) | 28°C (82°F) | 164 mm (6.5 in) |
| Aug | 24°C (75°F) | 205 mm (8.1 in) | 26°C (79°F) | 289 mm (11.4 in) |
| Sep | 24°C (76°F) | 122 mm (4.8 in) | 28°C (82°F) | 328 mm (12.9 in) |
| Oct | 25°C (77°F) | 63 mm (2.5 in) | 27°C (81°F) | 254 mm (10 in) |
| Nov | 26°C (79°F) | 36 mm (1.4 in) | 27°C (81°F) | 121 mm (4.8 in) |
| Dec | 26°C (79°F) | 57 mm (2.2 in) | 27°C (81°F) | 33 mm (1.3 in) |
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.