Climate
Cancún logs 0 hot days a year to Puerto Vallarta's 6 — Cancún wins by 6. Puerto Vallarta also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 4.
Cancún
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Puerto Vallarta
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Cancún is $172/mo cheaperCancún runs about $1,765/mo for a balanced lifestyle against Puerto Vallarta's $1,937/mo — Cancún comes in $172 cheaper each month, roughly 10% less.
Cancún
$1,765monthly · balanced
Puerto Vallarta
$1,937monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, Puerto Vallarta scores 2.6 vs Cancún's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on walkability. Cancún still holds an edge on flight connectivity.
Culture
Cancún and Puerto Vallarta score neck-and-neck on culture (2.1 vs 2.3, 0–5 scale).
Nature & Outdoors
Puerto Vallarta's nature & outdoors score of 4.5 sits well above Cancún's 4.0, with the biggest gap on mountain access. Cancún still holds an edge on lakes & rivers.
Safety
Puerto Vallarta's safety score is ~1.5× Cancún's — below average, while Cancún lands below average, with the biggest gap on walking safety. Cancún still holds an edge on earthquake safety.
Career
Cancún's career score of 2.0 sits well above Puerto Vallarta's 1.6, with the biggest gap on economic scale.
Social & Community
Puerto Vallarta's social & community score of 3.2 sits well above Cancún's 2.8, with the biggest gap on everyday english. Cancún still holds an edge on urban energy.
Food & Dining
Cancún and Puerto Vallarta score neck-and-neck on food & dining (2.8 vs 2.6, 0–5 scale).
Family
On family, Cancún scores 2.5 vs Puerto Vallarta's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on universities.
Healthcare
On healthcare, Cancún scores 4.0 vs Puerto Vallarta's 3.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
Cancún averages 11.0 µg/m³ (moderate) PM2.5 annually versus Puerto Vallarta's 8.5 µg/m³ (good) — Puerto Vallarta breathes ~23% cleaner air (2.5 µg/m³ lower).
Cancún
Puerto Vallarta
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.
Cancún (611K) and Puerto Vallarta (190K) are 3.2x in population — Cancún is the larger metro, Puerto Vallarta the smaller; on land area Cancún spans roughly 1.9x more ground.
Cancún is roughly 2.4x the scale of Puerto Vallarta
Combined population & area comparison
CancúnPuerto VallartaCity Scale Rankings
Cancún611K3.2xPuerto Vallarta190K1xCancún84 km²1.9xPuerto Vallarta45 km²1xCancún
Puerto Vallarta
Who Thrives Here
Cancún favours the nightlife & social, while Puerto Vallarta suits the mountain seeker. Both cities work well for the ocean lover.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Cancún vs Puerto Vallarta
▶Which is cheaper, Cancún or Puerto Vallarta?
▶How does the climate compare between Cancún and Puerto Vallarta?
▶Is Cancún or Puerto Vallarta safer?
▶Should I move to Cancún or Puerto Vallarta?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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