Which place is cheaper, San Jose or Taipei?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Taipei or San Jose?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Taipei and San Jose. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Taipei or San Jose?
Taipei
Few cities in the world are full of more diverse opportunities than the cultural crosshairs city of Taipei. As the capital of Taiwan, this 300-year-old city is the financial, cultural and governmental center of Taiwan. Located in the northern part of the island between the Yangming Mountains and Central Mountains, this city of 2.6 million people is always ready to welcome more visitors.
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.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Cultural Tours in Taiwan, The Best Tours for Seniors to Taiwan, The Best Budget Tours to Costa Rica, and The Best Tours for Seniors to Costa Rica.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayTaipei $182San Jose $89
The average daily cost (per person) in Taipei is $182, while the average daily cost in San Jose is $89. 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 Taipei and San Jose in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personTaipei $146San Jose $48
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomTaipei $292San Jose $96
Compare Hotels in Taipei and San Jose
Looking for a hotel in Taipei or San Jose? 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: Taipei Hotel Prices and San Jose Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Taipei $10San Jose $19
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Taipei
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Taipei:
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Easycard$2.01
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Easycard$9.29
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Taipei
Also for Taipei, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- [Chinese driver charter sedan] 1 to 4 people ☆ Taoyuan Airport ⇔ Taipei City Hotel Airport Transfer [one way]: $53
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Taipei HTL-APT (TSA): $28
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Taipei APT-HTL (TSA): $28
- Taoyuan airport to Yilan Private Transfer: $115
- Taiwan Taoyuan Airport (TPE) to Taoyuan/Taipei hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $38
- Taiwan Taoyuan Airport (TPE) to Keelung Cruise Port - RoundTrip Private Transfer: $116
- Taoyuan Airport (TPE) Return Bus Transfer: $8.68
- Taipei Taoyuan Airport TPE to Beitou New Taipei Arrival Transfer: $77
- Taipei Private Transfer: Keelung Cruise Port to Hotel: $85
- Taipei Departure Private Transfer: Hotel to Taoyuan International Airport: $55
- Taipei Arrival Private Transfer: Taoyuan International Airport to Hotel: $55
- Private Transfer：Taoyuan International Airport to Hotel: $40
Typical Local Transportation Prices in San Jose
Some typical examples of transportation costs in San Jose are as follows:
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Taxi from SJO$25
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Local Bus$2.71
Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Jose
Also for San Jose, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfers to Occidental Papagayo - Secrets Resort, Round-Trip: $130
- Transfer to Los Sueños Marriot Playa Herradura from San Jose or Airport: $215
- Transfer in Private Vehicle from SanJose Juan Santamaría Airport to SanJose City: $39
- Transfer from San Jose Airport CR (SJO) to Arenal La Fortuna Hotels: $279
- Transfer from Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) to Quepos Cruise Port: $72
- Transfer TO & FROM SJO Airport to Esterillos - Bejuco Not Shared.: $180
- Transfer SJO Airport TO & FROM Dominical OR Uvita (One Way): $290
- Transfer Costa Rica SJO Airport To OR From Hotels nearby Private : $45
- Transfer Airport area to Manuel Antonio Hotels Private One Way: $185
- Transfer Airport Area to Jaco Hotels Private One Way Transport: $150
- Shuttle & transfer rides to Jaco beach: $137
- Shared transfer to Manuel Antonio: $70
Is it cheaper to fly into Taipei or San Jose?
Prices for flights to both San Jose and Taipei 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 dayTaipei $16San Jose $18
Typical Food Prices in Taipei
For Taipei, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
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EasyCard$15
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Lunch at The Can$6.81
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EasyCard$31
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Lunch$2.94
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Lunch$1.86
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Dinner$6.19
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Lunch$3.56
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Lunch$4.65
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Louisa coffee$2.94
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Taipei
For Taipei, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Historic Night Market Food Tour with Tastings: $45
- Ximending Vegan Food Tour Snack, Dessert & Main!: $46
- Taipei Food Tour: Yongkang Street for Foodies: $58
- Yansan Night Market Food Tour: $62
- Turnip cake, Pork thick soup, Tofu pudding. Taiwan Traditional Light Meals Experience-C (Taipei Cooking Class): $65
- Taipei Food Tour and Colorful Bubble Tea Making: $65
- Xiao Long Bao, Pork thick soup, Bubble milk tea. Taiwan Traditional Light Meals Experience-B (Taipei Cooking Class): $65
- Taipei Food Tour and Colorful Bubble Tea Making: $70
- Pineapple Pastry with Egg Yolk, Longan Cake, High Mountain Oolong Tea. Taiwan Traditional Dessert Experience-D (Taipei Cooking Class): $70
- Private Food Tour – 10 Tastings with Locals: $74
- Backstreet Food Tour: Food, Culture, and Fun: $75
- Xiao Long Bao, Chicken vermicelli with mushroom and sesame oil, Tofu strips salad, Bubble milk tea. Taiwan Traditional Delicacies Experience-A (Taipei Cooking Class): $77
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, Costa Rica: $34
- San Jose By Night Tour: Farm to Table Dinner & Cocktail Class: $57
- San Jose Bites and Sights Walking Food Tour and visit Gold Museum : $60
- Half-Day San Jose Evening Bus Tour with Dinner and Pickup: $76
- Explore San Jose By Night: Food and Culture Tour with Local Dinner: $80
- Dinner + Typical Show in the best viewpoint of the City: $99
- Arenal Volcano Full-Day Combo Tour with Lunch and Dinner: $179
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Taipei $17San Jose $21
Tours and Activities in Taipei
For Taipei, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 9 Hour Northeast Coast Bay View Tour in Yilan : $58
- One-Day Historical and Heritage Tour in Taipei : $47
- 1 Day Tour Northern Taiwan Coast Tour: $200
- 1-day Tour to Sun Moon Lake from Taipei by High Speed Rail : $250
- 2 Days Sun Moon Lake & Lukang Historic Area Tour: $232
- 2-Day Private Tour to Sun Moon Lake and Mount Hehuan: $195
- 2-Hour Private Walking Tour in Beitou, Taiwan: $55
- 2-Hour Private Ximending Area Walking Tour: $35
- 2-Hour Vegetarian Private Walking Tour - S.Y.S. Memorial Hall & 44 South Village: $58
- 2-Hour Vegetarian Private Walking Tour - Xingtian Temple: $55
- 3-hour Vegetarian Private Walking Tour - Songshan distric & taste lotus hot pot: $77
- 3.5 hours Taipei City Tour (morning or afternoon ) : $44
Tours and Activities in San Jose
For San Jose, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Explore San Jose on Foot: Food Delights and Sights Tour: $47
- Street Food Walking Tour in Downtown San Jose: $60
- 3 in 1 Eco Tour Rain Forest Aerial Tram, River Cruise & Nature Walk Private Tour: $299
- 6 in 1 RainForest Adventure From San Jose: $189
- A taste of Aquiares - 2 hours Coffee Tour: $42
- AERIAL TRAM TOUR - HALF DAY PASS Rainforest Adventures Braulio Ca: $78
- AWA Water Museum - Waterfall Adventure (Organic Food Experience): $98
- Arenal Volcano Eco Tour & Baldi Hot Springs Private Tour from San Jose: $285
- Arenal Volcano Experience Full-Day Tour from San Jose: $159
- Arenal Volcano Hanging Bridges & Baldi Hot Springs. Private Tour from San Jose: $285
- Arenal Volcano Hike and Hot Springs Tour from San Jose: $142
- Arenal Volcano Horseback Riding & Baldi Hot Springs. Private Tour: $295
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayTaipei $18San Jose $16
Sample the Local Flavors in Taipei
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Taipei:
- Taipei Nightlife: Taipei Pub Crawls (2 Different Routes): $30
- Private Tour to Yilan Kavalan Whisky Distillery: $130
- Private Tour Yilan Kavalan Whisky Distillery from Taipei : $207
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
- Bar Crawl in San Jose in a Deluxe Party Bus: $100
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Taipei and San Jose, we can see that Taipei is more expensive. And not only is San Jose much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Taipei is in Asia and San Jose 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 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 Taipei would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Taipei 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 Taipei Expensive? and Is San Jose Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Taipei or San Jose?
Taipei has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of San Jose. When comparing the sizes of Taipei and San Jose, 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.
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.