A Travel Price Comparison for Costa Rica San Jose vs. Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

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

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

If you're trying to decide where to visit between San Jose or Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park), this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.

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

San Jose

San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica and is likely to be your first and last stop in a visit to the country. The city is situated in the Central Valley and is surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys, making for a beautiful flight in. The city has an elevation of 1200 meters and sits on a plateau with a beautiful backdrop of lush green forest. Half of the people in Costa Rica reside in the country's capital city. You are likely to stay only a day or two, but there are a handful of things to do and see including museums and markets. You will also find many embassies, as well as the University of Costa Rica in San Jose.

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 Budget Tours to Costa Rica, The Best Tours for Seniors to Costa Rica, The Best G Adventures Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Costa Rica.


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

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

The average daily cost (per person) in San Jose is $90, 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 San Jose and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) in more detail.



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

Looking for a hotel in San Jose 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 San Jose


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: San Jose Hotel Prices and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    San Jose $20
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) -
Typical Local Transportation Prices in San Jose

Some typical examples of transportation costs in San Jose are as follows:


  • Taxi from SJO
    $25
  • Local Bus
    $2.73

Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Jose

Also for San Jose, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • San Jose to Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport (SJO) – Departure Private Transfer: $32
  • Arrival Transfer San Jose Airport SJO to San Jose City by Minivan: $35
  • Transfer in Private Vehicle from SanJose City to SanJose Juan Santamaría Airport: $39
  • Transfer in Private Vehicle from SanJose Juan Santamaría Airport to SanJose City: $39
  • Private One-way Juan Santamaria Airport Transfer to from San Jose: $41
  • Private Airport and Hotel Transfer: Alajuela and San Jose: $45
  • Private Transfer from San Jose Airport (SJO) to Puntarenas Port: $51
  • Private Transfer from San Jose City to Puntarenas Cruise Port: $51
  • Private Transfer from San Jose Airport One Way: $56
  • Private transfer from San Jose-Heredia-Alajuela Hotels to International Airport: $60
  • Juan Santamaria Intl. Airport (SJO) to San Jose – Round-Trip Private Transfer: $64
  • Private transfer from SJO Intl Airport to downtown Hotels: $65

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

Prices for flights to both Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) and San Jose 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
    San Jose $18
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $35

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Jose

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

  • Bites and Sights: Walking Food Tour in San Jose : $34
  • Tropical Cooking Classes: $52
  • San Jose Bites and Sights Walking Food Tour and visit Gold Museum : $60
  • San Jose By Night Tour: Farm to Table Dinner & Cocktails Classes: $63
  • Explore San Jose By Night: Food and Culture Tour with Local Dinner: $67
  • Private Authentic Food Tour in San José: $84
  • Dinner + Typical Show in the best viewpoint of the City: $99
  • City Tour + Dinner at the best viewpoint of San José: $149
  • Arenal Volcano Full-Day Combo Tour with Lunch and Dinner: $179

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.
    San Jose $21
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) $120

Tours and Activities in San Jose

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

  • Entrance Ticket to the Farm of Hacienda Orosi: $11
  • Hiking Experience in El Quetzal Private Reserve: $26
  • Sarapiqui Frog Tour: $30
  • Visit a Butterfly Chapel, Gardens, Coffee Tour with Typical Lunch: $30
  • Hacienda Alsacia Starbucks Coffe Tour: $31
  • Poas Volcano National Park - Admission Ticket: $32
  • 2-Hour Downtown San Jose Walking Tour: $33
  • 2-Hour Orosi Nocturnal Tour: $33
  • San Jose Walking Nature Tour: Sloths, Birds and Trees: $33
  • Private Custom Guided Tour in San Jose: $33
  • Historical Tour and Old Houses by Dota: $35
  • San Jose Like a Local: Customized Private Tour: $35

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
  • Bio-Luminescence and Sunset Kayak Tour: $62
  • Corcovado Day Tours 2.5% of Biodiversity : $170
  • Day tour Sirena or La Leona Corcovado National Park: $190
  • 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
    San Jose $17
    Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) -

Sample the Local Flavors in San Jose

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in San Jose:

  • Bar Crawl in Downtown San Jose: $38
  • Wine Tour and Tasting: $85


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between San Jose and Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park), we can see that Puerto Jimenez (Corcovado National Park) is more expensive. And not only is San Jose much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to San Jose would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in San Jose 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 San Jose.

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