Head to head

Cancun or Ibiza?

Ibiza, clearly — 78 vs 66 across the year.

By the Atlas Ranger Score it's Ibiza 78, Cancun 66 — a clear gap, not a clean sweep. Ibiza owns 8 of 12 months; Cancun takes Jan–Mar and Dec, which is exactly when to prefer it. Peaks: Ibiza June (88), Cancun February (80).

Month by month

When to go

Pick a month. The line shows each place's score across the year; the figures below are that month's averages.

Cancun Ibiza

In October, Ibiza is the better bet — 90 vs 50.

Score

High / low

32° / 23°

24° / 19°

Rain

242 mm

43 mm

Sunshine

10.1 h

9.6 h

Cancun: Hurricane risk lingers, prices stay low

Ibiza: Season winds down — last warm beach days

At a glance

Side by side

Cancun Ibiza

Timing & weather

Year-round score66/10078/100

Best monthFebruary (80)June (88)

Months it leadsJan–Mar and DecApr–Nov

Cheapest monthsMay and Sep–OctJan–Mar and Nov–Dec

Driest monthApril (37mm)June (8mm)

Wettest monthOctober (242mm)September (74mm)

Hottest monthJune (34°C)July (31°C)

Best for

BeachesBoth are beach destinations — compare the months above for when each is warmest and driestEvenEven

Off-peak monthsBoth have 7 shoulder or low-season monthsEvenEven

Practical

Main airportCancun International Airport (CUN)Ibiza Airport (IBZ)

CurrencyMXN (Mexican Peso) — USD widely acceptedEUR (Euro)

LanguageSpanish (English widely spoken in the Hotel Zone)Spanish (Castilian) + Catalan/Ibicenco

Time zoneEastern EST (UTC−5)CET (UTC+1) / CEST (UTC+2)

ClimateTropical wet-and-dry (Köppen Aw)Hot-summer Mediterranean (Köppen Csa)

VisaMost Western nationalities enter visa-free for up to 180 days; you receive an FMM tourist card (now usually issued digitally) on arrival.Schengen — 90 days for EU/UK/US/Canada/Australia and most other nationalities

SafetyThe Hotel Zone and main tourist areas are very safe; the usual caution applies to petty theft and scams. During June–November, heed official hurricane and storm alerts.Low risk — standard precautions late at night

Named storms nearby nowNASA EONET, checked hourly. Not a forecast.None tracked within 1,000kmNone tracked within 1,000km

Your trip

Which should you pick?

PickCancun

Pick Cancun if you want beaches, plus easy family travel — it leads in Jan–Mar and Dec and peaks in February (80).

Cancun full guide

PickIbiza

Pick Ibiza if you want beaches, plus city life and food — it leads in Apr–Nov and peaks in June (88).

Ibiza full guide

Plan your trip

Hotels, flights and more

Switch between the two. Hotel prices are for a week in each destination's best month.

Book Cancun

$$$ · Beaches and resorts

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Questions

Good to know

Is Cancun or Ibiza better to visit?

Ibiza is the clearer pick — 78 vs 66 on the Atlas Ranger Score, our 0–100 measure of weather, crowds, value, and timing across the year. It leads most of the year, though the month-by-month chart still shows the other's stronger windows.

Which has better weather, Cancun or Ibiza?

Ibiza averages a higher weather score (76 vs 61). Weather is the biggest input to the score, but both have strong months and weak months; the month-by-month chart shows exactly when.

When is it cheapest to visit Cancun or Ibiza?

Cancun is cheapest in May and Sep–Oct; Ibiza is cheapest in Jan–Mar and Nov–Dec. Those are the low and shoulder months, when hotel rates and crowds ease — usually because the weather is less reliable, so check the month-by-month scores above before you book.

Can I visit both Cancun and Ibiza in one trip?

Often yes — many travellers pair them. The smart move is to time each leg to its own best months. Check each destination's full guide (linked below) for the month-by-month detail, then sequence your trip so each stop lands in its strong window.