Cabo San Lucas vs Puerto Vallarta
When comparing Cabo San Lucas vs Puerto Vallarta, which do you choose?
Mexico’s Pacific coast forever attracts vacation-goers and is one of the best areas to visit in the country. With dark red sunsets, deep blue waters, and lots of friendly towns, it’s a must-visit when heading to Mexico.
Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta are two of the most popular destinations along this stretch of coast, each with its strong pros as well as cons.
In this comparison guide, we’ll explore both travel hubs of Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. We’ll look at major factors such as Location, Cost, and Weather, giving our winner for each.
Lastly, we’ll give our professional opinion on which is better, although this will still, of course, depend on you and what you want from your trip.
Cabo San Lucas vs Puerto Vallarta
Now let’s take a look at our detailed breakdown of Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. We’ll also give our overview of which destination is better for each category.
We have wrote a lot about backpacking Mexico and with this comparison guide we are able to share more of the things we have learned during our travels.
A) Location Factors
Mexico’s Pacific is much longer than its Caribbean coast, and as such the distance between the two is a staggering 480km.
Cabo San Lucas is further north in the popular region of Baja California Sur, whilst Puerto Vallarta sits much further south in the colorful state of Jalisco.
Overall Winner for Location: Puerto Vallarta
Accessibility
Both of these destinations are very easy to get to, with airports connecting both domestically and internationally either in, or near the cities.
Cabo San Lucas is a little more challenging since its major airport of Los Cabos (which is in a different city) is roughly 30km from the city, meaning you’ll need to take a taxi or bus to get to Cabo.
Many visitors choose to hire a car and drive to their final destination for the ultimate freedom.
Puerto Vallarta is easier since its airport is just a couple of kilometers outside of its center, and has direct flights connecting with many Mexican big cities.
Cities such as Mexico City and Guadalajara, as well as several destinations in the USA. However, getting a shuttle transfer is much more accommodating than most other modes of transportation from the airport here.
🏆 Our Winner: Puerto Vallarta
Beaches
The beaches in Cabo San Lucas are much wilder than those of Puerto Vallarta, which brings its own pros and cons. Firstly, you’ll be able to find many more secluded beaches just a stone’s throw away.
However, due to the strong currents (as it’s sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez), many of the beaches can be quite unsafe for swimming.
Whilst Puerto Vallarta’s beaches may be more popular with more infrastructure (ie busier with more tourists), however, they are equally as beautiful with typical white sand beaches and palm trees galore as you’d imagine. Also, some of the best beach hotels are on this coast line.
One of the best beaches in Puerto Vallarta is called Playa Garza Blanca. Along this stretch of coast, the waters are calmer and safer for swimming.
🏆 Our Winner: Puerto Vallarta
Weather
Although you’d think the climates will be the same, they do have stark differences which we’ll cover here.
Cabo is actually located in the desert region, as it’s much further north and somewhat closer to the US border. As you can imagine, thankfully, rainfall is much lower throughout the year.
The dry season here runs from November until June, with anywhere from 0-0.5 inches falling throughout each month. The wet season, from July until October sees between 1-2.5 inches of rainfall each month. We have already wrote about visiting Cabo in November since November is shoulder season for Cabo which makes it a cheaper time to visit.
Puerto Vallarta has a much more tropical climate. The dry season is shorter here, running from November until late April. You can expect between 0-1 inches of rainfall throughout each of these months.
The bigger difference between these two destinations is the downpours during the wet season. From May until October, each month see’s between 3.5-10 inches of rainfall.
The temperatures are very similar between the two, with averages of 71-83F, highs of up to 91F, and evening lows of 62F. July and August are the hottest months to visit both, whilst January and February are the coolest.
No matter what time of year you travel remember to carry sunscreen to protect yourself and/or your family from the sun’s harsh rays.
🏆 Our Winner: Cabo San Lucas
B) Tourism Factors
In this section, we’ll explore each destination and the main reason you’ll want to visit them. This includes the best things to do, the foods as well as the quality of nightlife on offer.
Overall Winner for Tourism: Cabo San Lucas
Things to do
Cabo is very much known for its wide variety of entertainment options, and we’ll cover this in more detail within the Nightlife subcategory.
Along Medano beach, you’ll find lots of water sports activities and tours to take you out to the famous Arco.
Those who love adventure will want to head on this combo tour, which includes an ATV Ride as well as exploring the region on a Camel!
There are many top beaches to explore here such as Pedregal and Chileno. It’s also one of the best places to surf in North America, with close-by Todos Santos being famous for its waves.
Puerto Vallarta also has many great entertainment options, which are spread out along its long Malecón running adjacent to the beach.
The variety is slightly less than that of Cabo, although the day trip to the Marieta Islands definitely makes our Mexico Bucket List.
Puerto Vallarta is also a much more authentic destination compared to Cabo San Lucas and feels a lot more Mexican.
When it comes to travel insurance for Puerto Vallarta or Cabo San Lucas we suggest getting a quote with SafetyWing so you can reap the benefits of an insurance policy that is tailored to suit you. Taking out insurance before you leave is extremely important to cover you in case of any accidents.
🏆 Our Winner: Cabo San Lucas
Best Food
Like most coastal areas of Mexico, Cabo is best known for its seafood dishes. Smoked Marlin and Shrimp Tacos are among the most popular Bajan dishes to munch on, which can be found in most restaurants (both local and foreign) around the Mariner Area. This Taco tour is perfect for discovering new foods.
There are some Michelin star restaurants in Cabo san Lucas and by just walking along Medano beach you’ll find a selection of classy restaurants serving a variety of cuisines.
Puerto Vallarta is such an underrated Mexican food destination. Not only is it located within Jalisco, one of the most varied regions for grub in the country, but it’s also located in a prime fishing area too.
Local catches such as Marlin, Red Snappers, and Tuna can be found on most beachside menus. Other great regional dishes to try include Birria (goat stew) as well as Biónico (fruit cocktail).
There are many food tours in Puerto Vallarta that you can do also.
As well as some hidden gem restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, with a short stroll around El Centro, you’ll also find many foreign, extravagant restaurants and cuisines from all over the world.
🏆 Our Winner: Puerto Vallarta
Nightlife
Cabo has always been a popular party break destination, especially with those flying in from the nearby USA. Cabo Wabo has earned a legendary status due to being founded by rockstar Sammy Hagar, with its same-named drink a rite of passage for anyone heading to Cabo.
You’ll also find lots of regular venues, hotel bars, and late dining options along Medano Beach, with our favorite being Baja Brewing. There are lots of big clubs for a boogie here too such as El Squid Roe and La Vaquita.
One of the best bars in Cabo san lucas is called the Monkey’s Cave Bar.
Puerto Vallarta is actually lesser known for its nighttime antics, with most imagining a more laidback, tropical experience. Despite somehow keeping this chill tag, Puerto Vallarta is actually a thriving hotspot along Mexico’s Pacific!
Endless bars and late eat-outs surround the Malecón, and you’ll find some great nightclubs here such as La Vaquita and Mandala.
The Hotel Zone (in the north) is well known for its parties and events that take place pretty much every day of the week.
Both have great local nightlife too, with an assortment of Salsa Clubs and taverns lying just outside of the touristy areas.
On nights out we recommend you carry a safe wallet or the equivalent to keep any valuables and possessions safe.
🏆 Our Winner: Cabo San Lucas
C) Practical Factors
Having already explored location and tourism factors, we now turn our attention to the more important practicalities of holidaying in both Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. This includes staying safe, costs, and the overall range of accommodation options.
Overall Winner for Practicality: Puerto Vallarta
Safety
Both cities are pretty safe, especially within the tourist zones. In fact, Cabo and Puerto Vallarta usually rank higher than most US cities on the annual Global Safety Index, hopefully relaxing anyone that’s otherwise worried about visiting these beautiful Mexican destinations.
Cabo is most safe within the tourist zone, which is around The Harbour and also Medano Beach. During the day you’ll want to keep minimal things on you if visiting the beach, as sometimes opportunistic thieves have been known to strike as people have gone for a quick swim.
We have a guide on safety in Cabo San Lucas explaining more about what to avoid. At night the harbor and Main Street (Lazaro Cardenas) are safe to walk around, although we recommend using taxis if coming in from further away.
Avoid walking along the beaches at night as there’s a higher risk of robbery or assault. Puerto Vallarta is also a pretty safe destination, however, always has some areas that are best avoided.
El Centro and Los Muertos (quite ironically named we have to say!) are the safest areas for tourists. Even at night, the Malecón strip is safe for a nighttime stroll.
Heading out from these areas alone is not really recommended, especially not at night. The Hotel Zone is extremely safe, just use taxis if hopping between hotels when crawling.
🏆 Our Winner: Puerto Vallarta
Cost of Travel
Firstly we need to talk about getting to both of these destinations. As already mentioned in this article, both have international airports with direct flights to the USA costing more or less the same for each.
If already within Mexico, you’ll find it slightly easier getting cheaper flights to Puerto Escondido as it’s more central.
Cabo is slightly more expensive, especially when it comes to accommodation prices. However, you’ll find the food to be pretty affordable, and also very cheap when visiting more authentic cantinas and typical Mexican venues.
Puerto Vallarta is cheaper when it comes to finding good value hotels or accommodations to stay in.
However, restaurants can be a little more pricey, especially when staying within the Los Muertos and El Centro areas.
You can find cheaper venues, however, these are more sparse than in Cabo (since Puerto has overall become much more of a “resort” compared to Cabo).
🏆 Our Winner: N/A
Accommodation
Both have quite an incredible range of accommodation options, however, each with some differences which we’ll explore now.
Cabo San Lucas is best known for its independent resorts, which are usually found along the beach and have their own private access.
Most of the best hotels are focused around Medano Beach and The Harbour, which is good news for you since these are the most bustling areas (and there’s not much for tourists outside of these anyway).
Puerto Vallarta also has resorts, however, these are a little less extravagant than those of Cabo. Due to its more tropical setting, you’ll find a lot more beachfront properties and bungalows.
Los Muertos is the designated area for tourists (for those who don’t want to be limited to the Hotel Zone further north), with a range of accommodation options for all tastes and budgets.
Many visitor find that the hotels in Puerto Vallarta are also slightly cheaper than those in Cabo San Lucas.
🏆 Our Winner: Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta vs Cabo San Lucas: Which is Best?
Having explored both Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, you should have started to get a better idea of which destination will work more for you.
We’ve overall found Puerto Vallarta to be the better of the two for a visit, with location, food, and cheaper costs its main winners.
Of course, each has its own advantages and cons (as covered above), so it really depends on what you want from your trip!
If you’ll be traveling soon, why not take a look at our Mexico packing list for ideas on what to pack as we’ve covered all the important things there?
Cabo San Lucas vs Puerto Vallarta: Final Words
And that’s everything for our Cabo San Lucas vs Puerto Vallarta comparison guide.
Both of these exotic destinations continue to be among the best to visit in all of Mexico. Regardless of when you’ll visit, you’ll have great temperatures and many exciting experiences waiting for you.
Overall, having compared the factors listed above, we’ve found that Puerto Vallarta is the overall best destination to visit.
Of course, this is just based on statistics and our experiences, so what you prefer may be different, and that’s completely fine.
Whether you choose Cabo or Puerto Vallarta, we’re sure you’ll have a great time! See our Cabo San Lucas itinerary if you are leaning toward that region.
👉🏽 P.S. If you’ve found this guide helpful, buy us a coffee here to say thanks! Or, support us by downloading our South America Travel Bible to get our best content.
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