Leon, Nicaragua or San Jose, Costa Rica?

León has a real coast within reach. Poneloya and Las Peñitas lie about 20km west, and many visitors spend a few nights there, though the volcanic sand, heavy surf and rip currents make it better for surfers than for lazy swimmers.

San Jose sits in an upland valley with the Pacific two hours or more away at Jaco or Puntarenas. In the city, a swim means a hotel pool, and the beach is a separate leg of the trip.

Neither is a food destination, and both lean on rice, beans and plantain. León's eating is at street level: evening fritanga grills, market counters behind the cathedral, and quesillo and nacatamales, with rum as the local drink.

San Jose has a bit more polish. Sodas serve the casado at lunch, the coffee from the valley slopes is excellent, and Barrio Escalante adds modern restaurants and craft beer. Come to León for cheap street suppers and to San Jose for good coffee and a sit-down dinner.

León has much the richer historic centre. The UNESCO-listed cathedral, with its walkable white roof, anchors a grid of colonial churches such as La Recolección and Subtiava, along with the Rubén Darío house, the Ortiz-Gurdián art collection and revolutionary murals. That is two or three rewarding days of wandering.

San Jose lost most of its old buildings to earthquakes and growth. Its strengths lie indoors: the gilded Teatro Nacional, the Gold and Jade museums and the National Museum in the Bellavista fortress, which together fill a day or two.

The two are evenly matched in size, but the crowd differs. León's nights are student and backpacker affairs, with hostel bars, plastic-table rum joints and a few reggaeton clubs near the cathedral, busy from Thursday to Saturday.

San Jose offers more variety: craft beer and cocktails in Escalante and Barrio California, cheap student bars in San Pedro, and late salsa and merengue in the El Pueblo complex. In both cities a taxi home late at night is the sensible habit.

Both sit among volcanoes, and both are strong for outdoor trips. León's draw is raw and physical: sandboarding down Cerro Negro, night hikes to Telica's glowing crater, and boat trips through the Juan Venado mangroves where turtles nest.

San Jose edges ahead on range. Visitors can drive to the crater rims of Poás and Irazú, walk from cloud forest into rainforest in Braulio Carrillo, raft the Pacuare and look for scarlet macaws at Carara. The landscapes are greener and more varied, and less dependent on hard climbs in fierce heat.

León has one outstanding outing, the ruins of León Viejo by Lake Managua, plus a rum distillery near Chichigalpa and the basilica at El Viejo. Granada and Masaya are too far for an easy day.

San Jose has a fuller menu within the Central Valley: the basilica and ruins at Cartago, the colonial church in the Orosi valley, orchids at Lankester, painted oxcarts at Sarchí and coffee farm tours on Barva and Poás. No single stop is unmissable, but there are many more days to fill.

Neither city is built around children, but San Jose does more for them. The Museo de los Niños and La Sabana's lawns and lake help in town, and waterfall gardens, butterfly farms and craters reached by road make easy family outings.

León's heat, broken pavements and rough surf are hard on young children, who tend to end up by the pool. Adventurous teenagers are the exception, since volcano boarding and mangrove boat trips are a real thrill.

León is far easier on foot. Its cathedral, churches, museums and markets sit within about fifteen minutes' walk of each other, shared taxis and tricycle taxis fill the gaps, and old buses or tourist shuttles reach the coast and volcanoes without a car.

San Jose's buses are spread across many companies and terminals, the traffic is heavy and the centre is not one for walking after dark. Most visitors rely on taxis or ride-hailing in town, and on a hire car or tour beyond it.

Neither city is a shopping destination, but León offers even less. Its markets are worth a stroll for the street life rather than for buying, and a souvenir bag rarely holds more than a hammock, some leather, coffee or a bottle of rum. There is nothing in León for clothes or brands.

San Jose gives more choice on both counts. Its Mercado Central can fill an hour of browsing among coffee, spices and herbal remedies, the craft stalls sell Boruca masks and painted oxcart miniatures with no equivalent in León, and the Escazú malls cover the clothes and brands León lacks. It is still not a city for fashion, but there is far more to come home with.

León is the far cheaper stay. Guesthouses, street suppers, beer and rum cost very little, and only volcano tours and boutique colonial hotels stand out as real expenses.

San Jose is cheap only at soda lunches and on buses. Sit-down restaurants, alcohol and imported goods approach North American levels, and national parks and tours charge foreigners much more, so a mid-range trip costs considerably more than in León.

San Jose has the formal stage. The Teatro Nacional is home to the National Symphony Orchestra and hosts ballet, the Melico Salazar puts on dance and folk shows, and small theatres and jazz rooms add an evening or two.

León's performance life happens in the street rather than in a hall. The dancing Gigantona, the Holy Week sawdust carpets in Subtiava and the December Gritería are worth timing a visit around, but the municipal theatre stages only occasional shows.

San Jose's cooler upland air makes it the easier place to unwind, while León's heat and traffic noise work against rest. In León, wellness amounts to cheap massage rooms and the odd yoga class, so calm comes from a hammock in a shaded colonial courtyard or a few slow days in Poneloya or Las Peñitas.

Around San Jose, visitors slow down at lodges in the hills above Escazú or among the coffee farms on the volcano slopes, where nights are cool and quiet, and the Orosi valley has simple thermal pools. The country's famous hot springs, near Arenal, are too far for a day out.