Puerto Vallarta vs Los Cabos
The short answer
Puerto Vallarta is the cheaper trip, by roughly 42% a day — $65–140 against $100–250 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in Nov–Jun, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way — see how we work these out.
| 🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta | 🇲🇽 Los Cabos | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $65–140cheaper | $100–250 |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $4–7cheaper | $7–12 |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $90–180cheaper | $150–350 |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $0.35cheaper | $0.60 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $650 | ≈ $750 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇲🇽 Puerto Vallarta
A Pacific Coast resort town where jungle-covered mountains drop straight into Banderas Bay — a mile of oceanfront Malecón sculpture walk, cobblestone Zona Romántica, and one of Latin America's most established LGBTQ+-friendly scenes.
- La Bodeguita del Medio$$Nightlife
- La Palapa$$$Restaurants
- Blue Chairs Beach Club$$Beach clubs
- Paco's Ranch$$Nightlife
- Café des Artistes$$$Restaurants
🇲🇽 Los Cabos
Where the Baja California desert meets the Sea of Cortés — the twin towns of Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, sportfishing marinas, El Arco's rock formations, and Mexico's most American-tourist-heavy, priciest resort stretch.
- Cabo Wabo Cantina$$Nightlife
- Flora's Field Kitchen$$$Restaurants
- Mango Deck$$Beach clubs
- El Squid Roe$$$Nightlife
- Edith's$$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Puerto Vallarta | Los Cabos | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Spanish. English is widely spoken in hotels, restaurants, and Zona Romántica — decades of US/Canadian tourism and a large expat community made this one of Mexico's easiest cities for non-Spanish-speakers. | Spanish, but English is the practical default in almost every hotel, restaurant, and shop — Los Cabos is built around US visitors more than any other Mexican destination. |
| Currency | Mexican peso (MX$). US$1 ≈ MX$18–19 | Mexican peso (MX$). US$1 ≈ MX$18–19 — US dollars are accepted everywhere, often at a worse rate than paying in pesos or by card. |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6), no daylight saving | MST (UTC-7), no daylight saving |
| Tap water | Don't drink it — bottled and purified water are everywhere, restaurant ice is safe | Don't drink it — resorts and restaurants use purified water throughout |
The same in both:
- Power
- Type A/B plugs, 127V (US plugs fit)
- Emergency
- 911