Mexico City · Month comparison

November vs January

November ranks #1 overall vs January at #2. The finest month — Día de Muertos on the 1st and 2nd combines perfect dry-season weather with Mexico's most profound cultural ceremony.

Mexico City November — marigold-lined ofrenda altar with candles and photographs during Día de Muertos

November

#1 of 12 months

Best match

The finest month — Día de Muertos on the 1st and 2nd combines perfect dry-season weather with Mexico's most profound cultural ceremony.

  • ↑Día de Muertos (1–2 November): Mexico's most important cultural ceremony — the cemetery vigils in Mixquic, Xochimilco's canal processions, and the ofrenda altars throughout the city constitute one of the most moving collective experiences available to any traveller anywhere in the world
  • ↑Dry season restored: 13mm of rain across the month, 7.3 hours of sunshine, and clear mountain views returning — the best photography conditions since April
Mexico City January — the Palacio de Bellas Artes under a clear winter blue sky during the dry season

January

#2 of 12 months

Best match

Peak dry season — crystal-clear days, 21°C highs, and the quietest month of the year.

  • ↑Best air quality of the year: the combination of dry season and post-Christmas exodus clears the smog, giving the mountain views of Popocatépetl that are invisible for most of the year
  • ↑Hotels at or near their cheapest: January is the quietest month for both domestic and international tourism — 4-star hotels in Polanco and Condesa at off-season rates
FactorNovemberJanuary
Weather score
9
9
Value score
5
7
Crowd score
4
7
Events score
10
5
Atmosphere
10
8
Avg high temp22°C21°C
Monthly rain13mm11mm
Daily sunshine7.3hrs7.7hrs

November trade-offs

  • ↓Día de Muertos weekend (1–2 November) brings the largest international tourist influx of the year: accommodation books out months ahead and hotel rates spike to their annual peak
  • ↓The Mixquic cemetery vigil requires arriving early and staying late — it is deeply respectful and non-commercial, but it is also extremely crowded and requires transport planning
  • ↓8°C overnight lows from mid-November: the full dry-season return also brings cold nights — pack accordingly for the cemetery vigil

January trade-offs

  • ↓Cold nights: 6°C lows require a proper jacket — the altitude means nighttime temperatures feel sharper than the latitude suggests
  • ↓Some restaurants on reduced hours around the first week of January as staff return from the holiday period
  • ↓Limited special events: January is culturally the quietest month before the city's packed event calendar resumes
See all 12 months for Mexico City →November in detail →January in detail →
Scores compare months within Mexico City. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →