Photos: Santa Teresa, Costa Rica by Christopher Crouzet, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; Ubud by Pinterpandai, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica or Ubud?
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 Santa Teresa, Costa Rica for
- beaches
- nightlife
- getting around
What lies behind each score is written up on Santa Teresa, Costa Rica’s own page.
Choose Ubud for
- day trips
- prices
- culture and sights
What lies behind each score is written up on Ubud’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: Santa Teresa, Costa Rica and Ubud.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on beaches and nightlife with your weighting.
Wins on day trips and prices with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica in July
Ubud in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
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.
Ubud's temperatures are measured 29 km from the centre, at Denpasar / Ngurah-Rai.
Ubud's station stands 209 m below the city centre, so the centre is likely a little cooler than the figures say.
Ubud 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. Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: 1961-1990 (rainfall 1991-2020) normals, Puntarenas (51.5 km from centre). Ubud: 1991-2020 normals, Denpasar / Ngurah-Rai (29 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Santa Teresa, Costa Rica | Ubud |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish | Indonesian |
| Currency | Costa Rican Colon (CRC) | Rupiah (IDR) |
| Sockets | AB120 V, 60 Hz | CF50 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Left |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC+8 |
| Emergency number | 911 | 112 |
| Elevation | 19 m | 210 m |
| Main airport | Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR)113 km from centre30 non-stop destinations | Denpasar I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS)29 km from centre64 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 11 days | - |
By the numbers
| Measure | Santa Teresa, Costa Rica | Ubud |
|---|---|---|
| Museums within 10 km | 0 | 14 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 1 |
| 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 Santa Teresa, Costa Rica or Ubud somewhere new.