Puerto Escondido — "hidden port," after a legend of a woman who fled captors here — stayed a sparsely peopled coffee port until the 1930s, when its lack of fresh water discouraged settlement. It is now Oaxaca's surf capital: Zicatela's beach break, the "Mexican Pipeline," anchors an international competition calendar every November. A 2024 superhighway cut the drive from Oaxaca City from seven hours to two and a half, and the remote-worker wave since has outpaced the infrastructure of a town of 25,900 — construction grew roughly 400% in 2022, water now runs on a nine-to-ten-day rotation in high season, and residents describe being priced out of Zicatela and La Punta.
Puerto Escondido barely changes season: around 27°C most of the year.
There is a clear wet season from June – October, peaking in September with around 230 mm. The dry months run from November – April.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: May averages an AQI of 58, while January clears to 34.
Days stretch to about 12.9 hours of light in June and shrink to 11.1 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in Puerto Escondido are October – May. Expect fast internet (62 Mbps) and a high cost of living (about €1700 a month).
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