Photos: Nuevo Vallarta by Harpqueen, Public domain; Punta del Este by Marcelo Campi, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped.
Nuevo Vallarta 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 Nuevo Vallarta for
- prices
- wellness
- nature and the outdoors
What lies behind each score is written up on Nuevo Vallarta’s own page.
Choose Punta del Este for
- nightlife
- shopping
- culture and sights
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: Nuevo Vallarta 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 wellness 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.
Nuevo Vallarta in July
Punta del Este in July
Daytime high, °C
Rainfall in the month, mm
Where the figures come from
Nuevo Vallarta 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.
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. Nuevo Vallarta: 1991-2020 normals, TerraClimate 4 km grid at the town, no weather station within 90 km. Punta del Este: 1991-2020 normals, Rocha (78.5 km from centre).
Before you go
| Measure | Nuevo Vallarta | 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 | 3 m | 11 m |
| Main airport | Puerto Vallarta International Airport (PVR)4 km from centre52 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 | Nuevo Vallarta | Punta del Este |
|---|---|---|
| City population | 1,301 | 9,277 |
| People per km² | - | 455 |
| Museums within 10 km | 0 | 5 |
| UNESCO World Heritage sites within 50 km | 1 | 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 Nuevo Vallarta or Punta del Este somewhere new.