Photos: Huatulco by Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped; Punta del Este by Marcelo Campi, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped.
Huatulco or Punta del Este?
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 Huatulco for
- prices
- nature and the outdoors
- wellness
What lies behind each score is written up on Huatulco’s own page.
Choose Punta del Este for
- nightlife
- shopping
- live music and the arts
What lies behind each score is written up on Punta del Este’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: Huatulco and Punta del Este.
Your match
Pick a travel style or drag the sliders, and both match scores follow your weighting.
Too close to call, 1 point apart
Wins on prices and nature and the outdoors with your weighting.
Wins on nightlife and shopping with your weighting.
What matters to you?
When should you go?
Pick your month. The climate figures are measured averages, not a forecast.
Huatulco in July
Punta del Este in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Huatulco's temperatures are measured 42 km from the centre, at Puerto Angel, Oax..
Huatulco's station stands 177 m below the city centre, so the centre is likely a little cooler than the figures say.
Huatulco has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Punta del Este's temperatures are measured 79 km from the centre, at Rocha.
Punta del Este has no rain gauge within 25 km of the centre, so its rainfall comes from a gridded climate dataset read at the city rather than from a gauge further away.
Temperature and rainfall are climate normals, averaged over the years shown. Huatulco: 1991-2020 normals, Puerto Angel, Oax. (42.2 km from centre). Punta del Este: 1991-2020 normals, Rocha (78.5 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Huatulco | Punta del Este |
|---|---|---|
| Official language | Spanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya | - |
| Currency | Mexican Peso (MXN) | Peso Uruguayo (UYU) |
| Sockets | AB127 V, 60 Hz | CFIL230 V, 50 Hz |
| Driving side | Right | Right |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC-3 |
| Emergency number | 911 | 911 |
| Elevation | 220 m | 11 m |
| Main airport | Bahías de Huatulco International Airport (HUX)15 km from centre13 non-stop destinations | Capitan Corbeta CA Curbelo International Airport (PDP)18 km from centre6 non-stop destinations |
| Public holidays this year | 9 days | 15 days |
By the numbers
| Measure | Huatulco | Punta del Este |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 7,409 | 9,277 |
| People per km² | - | 455 |
| Museums within 10 km | 0 | 5 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 0 | 0 |
| Swim season, months above 21 °C | 12 months | 3 months |
Where else could you go?
Every comparison below shares a destination with this one, so you can follow Huatulco or Punta del Este somewhere new.