Cancún vs Puerto Vallarta
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 61. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Caribbean hub with the most US flights in Mexico
Full Cancún profile →Plan a trip to Cancún →Pacific beach town with a strong expat scene
Full Puerto Vallarta profile →Plan a trip to Puerto Vallarta →Where they differ
- Climate. Puerto Vallarta leads on climate, 67 to 58, against Cancún. Comfortable months: 7 vs 8.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, getting there & around, air quality, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Cancún if you want
- faster internet (33.4 Mbps measured)
Pick Puerto Vallarta if you want
- no clear edge over Cancún in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Cancún | Puerto Vallarta |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 58 | 58 |
| Safety | 28 | 28 |
| Healthcare | 75 | 75 |
| Internet | 67 ✓ | 64 |
| Visa ease | 90 | 90 |
| Getting there & around | 29 ✓ | 27 |
| Climate | 58 | 67 ✓ |
| Air quality | 87 ✓ | 85 |
| Quality of life | 57 | 57 |
Cost
| Metric | Cancún | Puerto Vallarta |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,400 | $1,400 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Cancún | Puerto Vallarta |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 25.64 | 25.64 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 55 | 55 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 79 |
| Life expectancy | 75.3 yrs | 75.3 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Cancún | Puerto Vallarta |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 33.4 Mbps ✓ | 28.6 Mbps |
| Upload | 11.9 Mbps ✓ | 9.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Cancún | Puerto Vallarta |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Entry, EU passport | 180 days | 180 days |
| Entry, UK passport | 180 days | 180 days |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Cancún | Puerto Vallarta |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 133 ✓ | 50 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Cancún | Puerto Vallarta |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 7 | 8 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 11 µg/m³ ✓ | 11.7 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Cancún or Puerto Vallarta?
- Cancún and Puerto Vallarta cost about the same: roughly $1,400 per month for one person.
- Is Cancún or Puerto Vallarta safer?
- Cancún and Puerto Vallarta score the same on safety (28), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Cancún or Puerto Vallarta?
- Cancún: a measured median of 33.4 Mbps versus 28.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- Cancún vs Playa del Carmen
- Cancún vs Bacalar
- Puerto Vallarta vs San Miguel de Allende
- Puerto Vallarta vs Ensenada
- All comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.3. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.