Art Deco hotels and palm trees along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
Aerial view of Cancún's Hotel Zone beach and turquoise Caribbean water

Florida (Miami) vs. Mexico (Cancún)

Two beach cities, similar flight times. Which week costs less?

Beach🗓 7 nights👥 2 adults✈ Round trip from Los Angeles📅 Checked October 2026

Flying from

Photos: Miami: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cancún: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons · Photo credits

Heads up: every price on this page is a sample estimate, not live pricing or a quote. Ranges are based on published typical fares and rates plus our own assumptions (see sources below). Switch the departure airport above to recalculate. Use the buttons to check today's real prices.

. Flight fares and all totals are estimates, not live pricing.

Miami

≈ $4,550

$3,286–$5,804

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $350 of each other.

Flying from Los Angeles (LAX)

Sample estimate, not live pricing

Cancún

≈ $4,200

$3,023–$5,374

Art Deco hotels and palm trees along Ocean Drive in Miami Beach
US trip

Florida (Miami)

USA · MIA

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,286–$5,804

Midpoint ≈ $4,550 · ≈ $2,270 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $278–$417 per person$556–$834
Lodging7 nights × $200–$350 per night$1,400–$2,450
Food & drink7 days × $120–$200 per day$840–$1,400
Local transport7 days × $30–$60 per day$210–$420
Activities7 days × $40–$100 per day$280–$700
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,286–$5,804
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 5 hr nonstop
Best time to go
March–May: after the winter peak, before hurricane season (June–November).
Entry
No passport needed for US citizens.
Watch for
Resort/destination fees and pricey hotel parking in Miami Beach; automatic service charges on many restaurant bills.
Best for
Nightlife, city + beach, no passport

Book flights, tours & more for Miami ↓ (affiliate links)

Aerial view of Cancún's Hotel Zone beach and turquoise Caribbean water
Abroad

Mexico (Cancún)

Mexico · CUN

All-in total, 7 nights for 2 adults, round trip from Los Angeles (LAX)

$3,023–$5,374

Midpoint ≈ $4,200 · ≈ $2,100 per person

Sample estimate, not live pricing
Cost breakdown (sample estimate, not live pricing)
ItemEstimate
Round-trip flights from LAX2 × $444–$517 per person$888–$1,034
Lodging7 nights × $150–$300 per night$1,050–$2,100
Food & drink7 days × $80–$150 per day$560–$1,050
Local transport7 days × $25–$50 per day$175–$350
Activities7 days × $50–$120 per day$350–$840
Total Sample estimate, not live pricing$3,023–$5,374
Flight time from Los Angeles
About 4.5–5 hr nonstop
Best time to go
December–April (dry season); late April–May for lower prices. Hurricane season runs June–November.
Entry
Passport required. Mexico tourist entry form, plus Quintana Roo's VISITAX visitor fee.
Watch for
VISITAX and hotel taxes; tipping culture similar to the US; all-inclusive resorts change the math (higher room rate, lower food spend).
Best for
Turquoise water, ruins, all-inclusive value

Book flights, tours & more for Cancún ↓ (affiliate links)

All-in totals by departure city

7 nights for 2 adults, round-trip flights from each city included. Midpoint of our estimate range, with the full range below it. Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Flying fromMiamiCancúnResult
Los Angeles (LAX)≈ $4,550$3,286–$5,804≈ $4,200$3,023–$5,374Roughly even (within ~$350)
Las Vegas (LAS)≈ $4,490$3,190–$5,790≈ $4,290$2,995–$5,590Roughly even (within ~$200)
Phoenix (PHX)≈ $4,730$3,408–$6,054≈ $4,470$3,177–$5,772Roughly even (within ~$250)
Denver (DEN)≈ $4,420$3,028–$5,818≈ $4,260$2,901–$5,622Roughly even (within ~$150)
Dallas (DFW)≈ $4,220$2,936–$5,508≈ $4,080$2,805–$5,346Roughly even (within ~$150)
Seattle (SEA)≈ $4,770$3,416–$6,114≈ $4,570$3,193–$5,952Roughly even (within ~$200)
Chicago (CHI)≈ $4,310$3,094–$5,534≈ $4,040$2,793–$5,280Roughly even (within ~$300)
New York (NYC)≈ $4,450$3,122–$5,778≈ $4,260$2,849–$5,670Roughly even (within ~$200)

Book this trip

Flights search from Los Angeles (LAX) for a 7-night trip; switch the departure city above to update. Prices on partner sites are live and may differ from our estimates.

Florida (Miami)

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doTiqets

Mexico (Cancún)

Flights from LAXAviasalesThings to doTiqetsTravel insuranceEKTAeSIM dataAiraloAirport transferWelcome Pickups

Miami vs Cancún cost breakdown: where the money goes

Midpoint of each estimate range, 2 adults, 7 nights, flying from Los Angeles (LAX). Sample estimate, not live pricing.

Round-trip flights from Los Angeles

Miami ≈ $700
Cancún ≈ $960

Lodging

Miami ≈ $1,930
Cancún ≈ $1,580

Food & drink

Miami ≈ $1,120
Cancún ≈ $810

Local transport

Miami ≈ $320
Cancún ≈ $260

Activities

Miami ≈ $490
Cancún ≈ $600

The verdict: is Cancún cheaper than Miami?

Roughly a wash: the midpoints are within about $350 of each other. (from Los Angeles, sample estimate, not live pricing)

Cancún's airfare is often a bit higher, but cheaper rooms and meals tend to make the week come out cheaper overall, especially outside the December–April peak. How close it is depends on your departure city: from Los Angeles, where Miami fares run higher, Cancún comes out roughly $400 cheaper for the week, while from the other cities we cover it's close to a toss-up. Miami adds nightlife, Art Deco and no passport; Cancún adds Caribbean water, Mayan ruins and the all-inclusive option.

Miami vs Cancún: common questions

Answers use flights from Los Angeles unless a city is named; see the table above for every departure city.

Is Cancún cheaper than Miami?

It's close. Flying from Los Angeles, the two land within about $350 of each other for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,200 for Cancún vs ≈ $4,550 for Miami, flights included). It's roughly even from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, Chicago and New York. These are midpoints of our sample estimates, not live prices.

Is Cancún cheaper than Miami from Chicago?

It's close. Flying from Chicago, the two land within about $300 of each other for 2 adults and 7 nights (≈ $4,040 for Cancún vs ≈ $4,310 for Miami, flights included).

How much does a week in Cancún cost for two?

About $3,023–$5,374 all-in (midpoint ≈ $4,200, ≈ $2,100 per person) for 7 nights for 2 adults with round-trip flights from Los Angeles: flights $888–$1,034, lodging $1,050–$2,100, food & drink $560–$1,050, local transport $175–$350, activities $350–$840. The same week in Miami runs about $3,286–$5,804.

How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Cancún?

About 4.5–5 hr nonstop. For comparison, Miami: About 5 hr nonstop.

When is the best time to visit Miami or Cancún?

Miami: March–May: after the winter peak, before hurricane season (June–November). Cancún: December–April (dry season); late April–May for lower prices. Hurricane season runs June–November.

Sources, notes & assumptions

Flight ranges come from typical round-trip economy fares that fare-search sites (KAYAK, Google Flights, Priceline, momondo, Expedia, airline fare pages) published for each route from each departure airport we cover (currently LAS and LAX), viewed October 2026. Lodging uses published hotel averages where we found them (Engine's August 2026 US city averages; Budget Your Trip traveler averages abroad), adjusted to a mid-range room; otherwise it is an editor estimate. Daily food, local transport and activity budgets are editor estimates for a mid-range couple; where a Budget Your Trip average exists we set the range around it, but the range bounds are our own judgment and have NOT been verified against a single published source. Ski lift tickets use published 2025/26 (or 2026/27) resort prices; euro and yen prices are converted at editor-assumed exchange rates. Taxes, resort fees, baggage fees and tips may not be fully included. Flight ranges marked "Travelpayouts (Aviasales) Data API" in the sources are refreshed automatically from cached round-trip economy fares that Aviasales users found recently for departures about 1–4 months out (low = cheapest fare found, high = roughly the 75th percentile); routes without enough fresh data keep their previous published-fare range.

Florida (Miami)

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Lodging assumes a mid-range Miami Beach / Brickell hotel outside peak events (Art Basel, spring break).

Mexico (Cancún)

Last checked: 2026-10-18

Lodging is a mid-range, non-all-inclusive hotel-zone room. An all-inclusive could replace most of the food line.

Assumptions: economy fares, 1 mid-range room, 7 nights / 7 days of spending, 2 adults. Excludes passports, travel insurance, checked-bag fees and souvenirs unless noted. Found a better number? Tell us.

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