Climate
Cabo San Lucas logs 12 outdoor-dinner months a year to Oaxaca's 4 — Cabo San Lucas wins by 8. Cabo San Lucas also leads on sunny days by 48.
Cabo San Lucas
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Oaxaca
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Oaxaca is $847/mo cheaperCabo San Lucas runs about $2,176/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Oaxaca's $1,329/mo — Oaxaca comes in $847 cheaper each month, roughly 64% less.
Cabo San Lucas
$2,176monthly · balanced
Oaxaca
$1,329monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, Cabo San Lucas scores 2.0 vs Oaxaca's 1.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on airport accessibility. Oaxaca still holds an edge on walkability.
Culture
Oaxaca's culture score of 3.4 sits well above Cabo San Lucas's 0.6, with the biggest gap on history museums.
Nature & Outdoors
Cabo San Lucas's nature & outdoors score of 3.5 sits well above Oaxaca's 2.5, with the biggest gap on sea access. Oaxaca still holds an edge on forest access.
Safety
Cabo San Lucas and Oaxaca score neck-and-neck on safety (1.5 vs 1.6, 0–5 scale).
Career
Oaxaca's career score of 1.7 sits well above Cabo San Lucas's 1.4, with the biggest gap on career opportunities. Cabo San Lucas still holds an edge on coworking infrastructure.
Social & Community
Cabo San Lucas and Oaxaca score neck-and-neck on social & community (2.7 vs 2.6, 0–5 scale).
Food & Dining
Cabo San Lucas and Oaxaca score neck-and-neck on food & dining (2.0 vs 2.0, 0–5 scale).
Family
On family, Cabo San Lucas scores 1.6 vs Oaxaca's 1.3 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on supermarkets. Oaxaca still holds an edge on universities.
Healthcare
On healthcare, Cabo San Lucas scores 3.0 vs Oaxaca's 1.0 (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 Oaxaca's 17.0 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) — Cabo San Lucas breathes ~40% cleaner air (6.7 µg/m³ lower).
Cabo San Lucas
Oaxaca
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 Oaxaca (511K) are 2.0x in population — Oaxaca is the larger metro, Cabo San Lucas the smaller; on land area Oaxaca spans roughly 3.0x more ground.
Oaxaca is roughly 2.5x the scale of Cabo San Lucas
Combined population & area comparison
OaxacaCabo San LucasCity Scale Rankings
Oaxaca511K2.0xCabo San Lucas256K1xOaxaca124 km²3.0xCabo San Lucas41 km²1xCabo San Lucas
Oaxaca
Who Thrives Here
Cabo San Lucas favours the ocean lover, while Oaxaca suits the crowd avoider. Both cities work well for the sunshine lover.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Cabo San Lucas vs Oaxaca
▶Which is cheaper, Cabo San Lucas or Oaxaca?
▶How does the climate compare between Cabo San Lucas and Oaxaca?
▶Is Cabo San Lucas or Oaxaca safer?
▶Should I move to Cabo San Lucas or Oaxaca?
The best city depends on what matters to you
This comparison shows how Cabo San Lucas and Oaxaca stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.
Take the free diagnostic10 minutes, no account needed