Santo Domingo vs Punta Cana: which is sunnier?
🇩🇴 Dominican Republic vs 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic · 138 km apart · long-term climate normals (NASA POWER, 2001–2020)
Santo Domingo and Punta Cana are virtually tied for annual sunshine — about 2,867 vs 2,882 hours a year. Their Sunshine Scores are within 2 points of each other in every month of the year.
Scores are the 0–100 Sunshine Score — sunshine, daytime warmth and dryness in one number, per month.
At a glance
| Santo Domingo | Punta Cana | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine hours / year | 2,867 | 2,882 |
| Sunniest month | February (92/100) | February (91/100) |
| Nov–Feb average score | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| Jun–Aug average score | 85/100 | 86/100 |
| Rain / year | 604 mm | 650 mm |
| Warmest sea | 31°C / 88°F | 30°C / 86°F |
| Peak midday UV | 11 (extreme) | 11 (extreme) |
Santo Domingo vs Punta Cana month by month
| Month | Sunshine Score | Day high °C | Rain mm | Sea °C | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santo Domingo | Punta Cana | Santo Domingo | Punta Cana | Santo Domingo | Punta Cana | Santo Domingo | Punta Cana | |
| January | 90 | 89 | 29° | 26° | 31 | 38 | 28° | 28° |
| February | 92 | 91 | 30° | 26° | 24 | 26 | 27° | 27° |
| March | 92 | 91 | 31° | 26° | 22 | 26 | 28° | 27° |
| April | 88 | 88 | 31° | 27° | 41 | 46 | 28° | 28° |
| May | 83 | 82 | 31° | 27° | 72 | 75 | 29° | 29° |
| June | 87 | 87 | 31° | 28° | 48 | 50 | 30° | 29° |
| July | 85 | 86 | 32° | 29° | 58 | 55 | 30° | 30° |
| August | 84 | 84 | 32° | 29° | 64 | 67 | 30° | 30° |
| September | 84 | 82 | 32° | 29° | 67 | 74 | 31° | 30° |
| October | 85 | 84 | 31° | 29° | 61 | 68 | 31° | 30° |
| November | 83 | 82 | 30° | 28° | 73 | 79 | 29° | 29° |
| December | 88 | 88 | 30° | 27° | 43 | 46 | 29° | 28° |
The sunnier month by month: Jan even · Feb even · Mar even · Apr even · May even · Jun even · Jul even · Aug even · Sep even · Oct even · Nov even · Dec even.
When to pick which
- November–February: too close to call — Santo Domingo averages 88/100, Punta Cana 88/100. Santo Domingo is the warmer, around 30°C daytime highs vs 27°C. See the winter sun ranking.
- March–May: too close to call — Santo Domingo averages 88/100, Punta Cana 87/100. Santo Domingo is the warmer, around 31°C daytime highs vs 27°C.
- June–August: too close to call — Santo Domingo averages 85/100, Punta Cana 86/100. Santo Domingo is the warmer, around 32°C daytime highs vs 29°C.
- September–October: too close to call — Santo Domingo averages 85/100, Punta Cana 83/100. Santo Domingo is the warmer, around 32°C daytime highs vs 29°C.
Sea temperature
Santo Domingo's sea gets warmer: 31°C / 88°F at its peak vs 30°C. Swimmable water (21°C+): Santo Domingo all year, Punta Cana all year. Month-by-month sea temperatures are in the table above.
Full month-by-month guides: Santo Domingo weather by month · Punta Cana weather by month · Best time to visit Dominican Republic.
More comparisons: Santo Domingo vs Port-au-Prince · Santo Domingo vs Puerto Plata · Punta Cana vs San Juan · Punta Cana vs Cancún · Punta Cana vs Puerto Plata · all head-to-heads