San Juan vs Punta Cana: which is sunnier?
🇵🇷 Puerto Rico vs 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic · 250 km apart · long-term climate normals (NASA POWER, 2001–2020)
Punta Cana is the sunnier overall: about 2,882 hours of sunshine a year to San Juan's 2,619. Punta Cana has the higher Sunshine Score in 12 of 12 months — a clean sweep.
Scores are the 0–100 Sunshine Score — sunshine, daytime warmth and dryness in one number, per month.
At a glance
| San Juan | Punta Cana | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine hours / year | 2,619 | 2,882 |
| Sunniest month | February (86/100) | February (91/100) |
| Nov–Feb average score | 81/100 | 88/100 |
| Jun–Aug average score | 75/100 | 86/100 |
| Rain / year | 1,207 mm | 650 mm |
| Warmest sea | 31°C / 88°F | 30°C / 86°F |
| Peak midday UV | 10 (very high) | 11 (extreme) |
San Juan vs Punta Cana month by month
| Month | Sunshine Score | Day high °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan | Punta Cana | San Juan | Punta Cana | San Juan | Punta Cana | San Juan | Punta Cana | |
| January | 85 | 89 | 28° | 26° | 51 | 38 | 27° | 28° |
| February | 86 | 91 | 28° | 26° | 45 | 26 | 27° | 27° |
| March | 83 | 91 | 28° | 26° | 61 | 26 | 27° | 27° |
| April | 80 | 88 | 29° | 27° | 77 | 46 | 27° | 28° |
| May | 71 | 82 | 30° | 27° | 129 | 75 | 29° | 29° |
| June | 78 | 87 | 30° | 28° | 90 | 50 | 30° | 29° |
| July | 76 | 86 | 30° | 29° | 100 | 55 | 30° | 30° |
| August | 71 | 84 | 30° | 29° | 130 | 67 | 30° | 30° |
| September | 67 | 82 | 30° | 29° | 162 | 74 | 30° | 30° |
| October | 67 | 84 | 30° | 29° | 161 | 68 | 31° | 30° |
| November | 69 | 82 | 29° | 28° | 137 | 79 | 30° | 29° |
| December | 83 | 88 | 28° | 27° | 64 | 46 | 29° | 28° |
The sunnier month by month: Jan Punta Cana · Feb Punta Cana · Mar Punta Cana · Apr Punta Cana · May Punta Cana · Jun Punta Cana · Jul Punta Cana · Aug Punta Cana · Sep Punta Cana · Oct Punta Cana · Nov Punta Cana · Dec Punta Cana.
When to pick which
- November–February: Punta Cana (average score 88/100 vs 81). Daytime highs are similar (28°C vs 27°C). See the winter sun ranking.
- March–May: Punta Cana (average score 87/100 vs 78). San Juan is the warmer, around 29°C daytime highs vs 27°C.
- June–August: Punta Cana (average score 86/100 vs 75). Daytime highs are similar (30°C vs 29°C).
- September–October: Punta Cana (average score 83/100 vs 67). Daytime highs are similar (30°C vs 29°C).
Sea temperature
San Juan's sea gets warmer: 31°C / 88°F at its peak vs 30°C. Swimmable water (21°C+): San Juan all year, Punta Cana all year. Month-by-month sea temperatures are in the table above.
Full month-by-month guides: San Juan weather by month · Punta Cana weather by month · Best time to visit Dominican Republic.
More comparisons: San Juan vs Charlotte Amalie · San Juan vs Christiansted · Punta Cana vs Santo Domingo · Punta Cana vs Cancún · Punta Cana vs Puerto Plata · all head-to-heads