How hot is Cancun in November?

Cancun averages 29C daytime highs in November with a sea temperature around 28C.

Head-to-head for families

Cancun or Playa del Carmen in November for families?

Families score Cancun 8.9 out of 10 in November against 7.9 for Playa del Carmen, mainly on families and all-inclusive.

Kids in tow changes the maths: pool time, short transfers, food everyone will eat and day trips that survive a nap schedule.

Quick verdict

Cancun for families, all-inclusive, nightlife. Playa del Carmen for very walkable.

Cancun, Mexico

8.9/10

29C days, 28C sea, 120mm rain

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

7.9/10

29C days, 118mm rain

Rated for families

Out of five on each criterion. Highlighted rows are the ones that matter most to you.

Cancun and Playa del Carmen rated out of five on each criterion
What matters	Cancun	Playa del Carmen
NightlifeBars, clubs and late-night energy
BeachesSand quality, water clarity and swimming
Food sceneRange, quality and local character
FamiliesKid-friendly resorts, pools and day trips
RomanceCouples, honeymoons and adults-only stays
Things to doExcursions, culture and day trips
All-inclusiveChoice and value of all-inclusive resorts
Value for moneyWhat a typical day actually costs
Easy and safeComfort for first-time visitors
Exploring soloHow easy it is to get out on your own
Flight accessDirect routes and flight time from North America

Side by side in November

Cancun compared with Playa del Carmen
Factor	Cancun	Playa del Carmen
Daytime high	29C	29C
Rainfall	120mm	118mm
Sea temperature	28C, swimmable	Varies by season
Beach quality	Wide white sand, calm Caribbean	4 out of 5
Getting there	under 5 hours from most of North America	50m drive from Cancun airport
Typical cost	Good value, with all-inclusive rates well below peak.	Mid range
Between beach days	Chichen Itza, Tulum, cenotes, Isla Mujeres, reef snorkelling	Very walkable, Great cafes and expat scene

What is on in Cancun in November

Hanal Pixan and Day of the Dead altars across the city on 1 and 2 November
Perfect weather returns and sargassum clears
Best value-to-weather ratio of the entire year

Crowds. Pleasant shoulder season with space on the beach.

Prices. Good value, with all-inclusive rates well below peak.

Seaweed. Sargassum seaweed risk is low, so the sand is at its cleanest.

Storms. Hurricane season is technically open but direct hits this month are rare.

Dated plans and community meetups are listed on the Cancun events calendar.

Book Cancun for November

Prefer a plan first? Build a free day-by-day Cancun itinerary.

Where Playa del Carmen genuinely wins

Very walkable
Great cafes and expat scene
Ferry to Cozumel

Pick Playa del Carmen if very walkable is the single thing you care most about on this trip.

What catches people out

Beach is narrower than Cancun's
Fifth Avenue touts
Fewer big all-inclusive bargains

The Cancun edge

Cancun has the wider beach, the bigger flight network, and Playa is a 50 minute bus ride when you want it.

Cancun is the rare beach destination that also works as a base. The airport is one of the busiest in Latin America, the transfer to your hotel takes twenty minutes, and within two hours you can be swimming in a cenote, climbing a Mayan pyramid, snorkelling the second largest reef on the planet, or eating cochinita pibil in a downtown market for the price of a coffee elsewhere. That combination is why we keep building these comparisons and keep reaching the same conclusion.

Cancun wins for you? Start here.

Compare hotelsAll-inclusive, adults-only and boutique Explore activitiesRuins, cenotes, reef and boat days Find your areaHotel Zone, downtown or Isla Mujeres Build your tripFree day-by-day planner

Cancun or Playa del Carmen for your kind of trip

Compare Playa del Carmen in other months

Other places people compare with Cancun in November

See every destination comparison