Climate
Cabo San Lucas logs 12 outdoor-dinner months a year to Cancún's 5 — Cabo San Lucas wins by 7. Cabo San Lucas also leads on sunny days by 27.
Cabo San Lucas
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cancún
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Cancún is $411/mo cheaperCabo San Lucas runs about $2,176/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Cancún's $1,765/mo — Cancún comes in $411 cheaper each month, roughly 23% less.
Cabo San Lucas
$2,176monthly · balanced
Cancún
$1,765monthly · balanced
Mobility
Cabo San Lucas and Cancún score neck-and-neck on mobility (2.0 vs 2.0, 0–5 scale).
Culture
Cancún's culture score of 2.1 sits well above Cabo San Lucas's 0.6, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.
Nature & Outdoors
Cancún's nature & outdoors score of 4.0 sits well above Cabo San Lucas's 3.5, with the biggest gap on forest access. Cabo San Lucas still holds an edge on mountain access.
Safety
Cabo San Lucas and Cancún score neck-and-neck on safety (1.5 vs 1.5, 0–5 scale).
Career
Cancún's career score of 2.0 sits well above Cabo San Lucas's 1.4, with the biggest gap on economic scale.
Social & Community
Cabo San Lucas and Cancún score neck-and-neck on social & community (2.7 vs 2.8, 0–5 scale).
Food & Dining
On food & dining, Cancún scores 2.8 vs Cabo San Lucas's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on brunch availability.
Family
On family, Cancún scores 2.5 vs Cabo San Lucas's 1.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on universities. Cabo San Lucas still holds an edge on tennis/pickleball.
Healthcare
On healthcare, Cancún scores 4.0 vs Cabo San Lucas's 3.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
Cabo San Lucas averages 10.3 µg/m³ (moderate) PM2.5 annually versus Cancún's 11.0 µg/m³ (moderate) — Cabo San Lucas breathes ~6% cleaner air (0.7 µg/m³ lower).
Cabo San Lucas
Cancún
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Cabo San Lucas (256K) and Cancún (611K) are 2.4x in population — Cancún is the larger metro, Cabo San Lucas the smaller; on land area Cancún spans roughly 2.0x more ground.
Cancún is roughly 2.2x the scale of Cabo San Lucas
Combined population & area comparison
CancúnCabo San LucasCity Scale Rankings
Cancún611K2.4xCabo San Lucas256K1xCancún84 km²2.0xCabo San Lucas41 km²1xCabo San Lucas
Cancún
Who Thrives Here
Cabo San Lucas favours the english speaker, while Cancún suits the nightlife & social. Both cities work well for the winter escapist.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Cabo San Lucas vs Cancún
▶Which is cheaper, Cabo San Lucas or Cancún?
▶How does the climate compare between Cabo San Lucas and Cancún?
▶Is Cabo San Lucas or Cancún safer?
▶Should I move to Cabo San Lucas or Cancún?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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