Photos: Cancun by Tellez Erik, Pexels License; Fukuoka by Nick-D, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
Cancun or Fukuoka?
Our verdict in twelve categories, each scored against the same fixed benchmark cities, and the climate month by month, so you can choose for your trip.
Choose Cancun for
- beaches
- nightlife
- nature and the outdoors
What lies behind each score is written up on Cancun’s own page.
Choose Fukuoka for
- getting around
- food and drink
- culture and sights
What lies behind each score is written up on Fukuoka’s own page.
Scoreboard
Twelve categories on one fixed scale from 0 to 100. The shaded stretch is the gap between the two.
What lies behind each score is written up on the two cities’ own pages: Cancun and Fukuoka.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Wins on beaches and nightlife with your weighting.
Wins on getting around and food and drink with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Cancun in July
Fukuoka in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Cancun has no weather station within reach, so its figures come from a gridded climate model rather than a measured record, and read a broad area rather than the city itself.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Cancun: 2001-2020 normals, NASA POWER reanalysis grid, no weather station within 90 km. Fukuoka: 1991-2020 normals, Fukuoka (1.9 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Cancun | Fukuoka |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya | Japanese |
| Currency | Mexican Peso (MXN) | Yen (JPY) |
| Sockets | AB127 V, 60 Hz | AB100 V, 50 and 60 Hz depending on the region |
| Driving side | Right | Left |
| Time zone | UTC-5 | UTC+9 |
| Emergency number | 911 | Police 110, fire 119 |
| Elevation | 5 m | 8 m |
| Main airport | Cancún International Airport (CUN)14 km from centre137 non-stop destinations | Fukuoka Airport (FUK)5 km from centre46 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 9 days | 16 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Cancun | Fukuoka |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 888,797 | 1,603,043 |
| People per km² | - | 4,715 |
| Museums within 10 km | 1 | 23 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 2 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 12 months | 4 months |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Cancun or Fukuoka somewhere new.