Methodology
How the Pura Vida Index Works
Our scores are opinions, applied consistently. Here is exactly how they are built so you can decide how much weight to give them.
The eleven categories
- Nature, Wildlife, Beaches, Adventure, Relaxation, Culture, Food, Value, Accessibility, Sustainability and Crowds.
- Each is scored 0-10 by the editorial team, deliberately relative to other Costa Rican destinations rather than to the world.
- The headline Pura Vida Index number is the average of those eleven scores.
What the scores are not
- They are not government ratings, official certifications or measured data.
- They are not review aggregates. A high score is an editorial opinion, consistently applied.
- "Crowds" is scored as crowd comfort: a high score means it feels uncrowded.
Match percentages
- Matcher percentages are personalised compatibility scores generated from your answers and our destination scores.
- They are deterministic, not AI-generated, and they are not a scientific measurement of how much you will enjoy a place.
Corrections
- Destination facts carry a source and a last-reviewed date. If something is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.