Scottsdale or Tijuana?

Neither is a beach destination, but Tijuana at least has the Pacific. There is the long promenade at Playas de Tijuana, where the border fence runs into the surf, and the wider sand of Rosarito half an hour south. Swimming is limited by cool water, strong currents and poor water quality near the city.

In Scottsdale, water means the resort pool. Beyond it are desert lakes such as Saguaro and Canyon in the Tonto National Forest, or tubing down the Salt River in summer.

This is Tijuana's strongest card and the gap is wide. It has spit-roasted adobada, birria, Ensenada-style fish tacos and tostadas heaped with sea urchin, Baja Med cooking in Zona Río and Chapultepec, a serious craft beer culture and Valle de Guadalupe wines. It is also where the Caesar salad was invented.

Scottsdale eats well but predictably, with steakhouses, patio grills and long happy hours aimed at golfers and groups. Its most local food, Sonoran-style Mexican, is mostly found in family places across the wider Phoenix area.

Neither city is heavy on sights, and Scottsdale has slightly more to show. Its centrepiece is Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's UNESCO-listed desert studio. It also has a western art museum and a strong commercial gallery scene, and the Heard Museum and the Musical Instrument Museum are a short drive away.

Tijuana's interest lies in its history as a border town rather than in its buildings. The Museo de las Californias covers the history of the peninsula, Avenida Revolución keeps its Prohibition-era look, and the painted border fence at the beach brings the division home. It fills a day or two.

Tijuana has the livelier and more varied night out. Avenida Revolución keeps its loud tradition of cross-border drinking, while Calle Sexta's cantinas and dive bars and the taprooms of Zona Río and Colonia Cacho draw a younger local crowd late into the night. Some streets near the Zona Norte call for care and ride-hailing after dark.

Scottsdale's going out is packed into a few blocks of Old Town. Expect glossy clubs, rooftop lounges, dress codes and bachelorette parties until the bars close at 2am, and quiet resort evenings everywhere else.

Scottsdale is far stronger for the outdoors. The McDowell Sonoran Preserve starts on the city's north side, Camelback Mountain and Pinnacle Peak make quick, steep climbs, and the Superstition Mountains and Tonto National Forest add horse riding, kayaking and wild horses. Balloon flights and golf round it out, though summer heat limits hiking to dawn.

Tijuana itself is dry hills and few parks. Its outdoor appeal lies down the coast: surf breaks near Rosarito, the cliff road to Ensenada, winter whale watching and gentle walks among the vineyards.

Tijuana has the edge because it gives access to two countries. To the south lie Rosarito's lobster villages, the port of Ensenada and the wineries of the Valle de Guadalupe, and to the north are San Diego, Balboa Park and La Jolla. The catch is the return crossing into the United States, which can take hours.

Scottsdale's best outings mean longer drives on the interstate. Sedona's red rocks are about two hours north, with Montezuma Castle and the mining town of Jerome on the way, and Tucson lies south. The Grand Canyon really needs an overnight stay.

Scottsdale is much better set up for children. Many resorts have water slides, lazy rivers and kids' clubs. In town there is the miniature railway and carousel at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, the OdySea Aquarium and Butterfly Wonderland are just east of the city, and spring training baseball is easy-going. Summer heat and constant driving are the drawbacks.

Tijuana has El Trompo's hands-on science museum, the IMAX dome and Parque Morelos. Beyond those, patchy pavements and an adult-focused downtown make it hard work with small children.

Both cities are built for cars, but Tijuana is a little easier without one. Downtown and Avenida Revolución are a walk from the San Ysidro pedestrian crossing, and cheap, plentiful ride-hailing and yellow taxis cover the rest. Border traffic is heavy, though.

Scottsdale stretches along wide arterial roads that the light rail does not reach. Only Old Town and its free trolley work without a car. Driving there is easy and parking is simple, so most visitors hire a car.

Scottsdale is the clear choice for serious shopping. It has a luxury mall with the big fashion houses on Scottsdale Road, open-air centres to the north, and Old Town dealers selling high-quality Navajo and Hopi silver, Pueblo pottery and southwestern art along Main Street and Marshall Way.

In Tijuana you shop for colour and bargains: curio stalls by the border, chillies and vanilla at Mercado Hidalgo, and small studios and record shops in Pasaje Rodríguez. It has little fashion or luxury.

Tijuana is far cheaper. Street tacos, neighbourhood cantinas and Zona Río hotels stretch a budget a long way, and only the Revolución strip, the top Baja Med restaurants and wine-country tastings charge close to international prices.

Scottsdale is an upmarket resort town where rooms, golf, spa visits and car hire all add up in the winter season. The real savings come from summer resort rates, motels on the main corridors and free trails in the desert preserve.

Scottsdale has the deeper programme within reach. Its Old Town arts centre covers jazz, chamber music and comedy, the Musical Instrument Museum's theatre hosts world music, and Phoenix's symphony, opera and ballet are half an hour away. What it lacks is a local sound of its own.

Tijuana is the reverse. The Centro Cultural Tijuana and a long-standing opera company provide the formal side, but the character lies in banda in the cantinas, mariachis at Plaza Santa Cecilia and the Nortec sound born around Calle Sexta.

Few pairs are further apart here. Scottsdale is built around rest, with a dense cluster of resort spas offering desert-inspired treatments, outdoor pools and yoga retreats, all set in dry air at a pace of golf and early nights. It is private and costly, and there is no bathing tradition.

Tijuana has hotel spas and fairly priced massage, but the city is noisy and shaped by the border, and its health visitors come for dentists and clinics. For quiet, people head out to the vineyard stays in the wine valleys.