Photos: Nuevo Vallarta by Harpqueen, Public domain; Santa Teresa, Costa Rica by Christopher Crouzet, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
Nuevo Vallarta or Santa Teresa, Costa Rica?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Nuevo Vallarta for
- day trips
- families
- prices
What lies behind each score is written up on Nuevo Vallarta’s own page.
Choose Santa Teresa, Costa Rica for
- wellness
- nightlife
- nature and the outdoors
What lies behind each score is written up on Santa Teresa, Costa Rica’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Nuevo Vallarta and Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on day trips and families with your weighting.
Wins on wellness and nightlife with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Nuevo Vallarta in July
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Nuevo Vallarta has no weather station within reach, so its figures come from a gridded climate model rather than a measured record, and read a broad area rather than the city itself.
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica's temperatures are measured 52 km from the centre, at Puntarenas.
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Nuevo Vallarta: 1991-2020 normals, TerraClimate 4 km grid at the town, no weather station within 90 km. Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: 1961-1990 (rainfall 1991-2020) normals, Puntarenas (51.5 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Nuevo Vallarta | Santa Teresa, Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya | Spanish |
| Currency | Mexican Peso (MXN) | Costa Rican Colon (CRC) |
| Sockets | AB127 V, 60 Hz | AB120 V, 60 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC-6 |
| Emergency number | 911 | 911 |
| Elevation | 3 m | 19 m |
| Main airport | Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR)4 km from centre52 non-stop destinations | Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR)113 km from centre30 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 9 days | 11 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Nuevo Vallarta | Santa Teresa, Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 1,301 | - |
| Museums within 10 km | 0 | 0 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 1 | 0 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 12 months | 12 months |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Nuevo Vallarta or Santa Teresa, Costa Rica somewhere new.