Oaxaca in October: Weather, Rain Days, Monte Albán Hours and Entry Fees

OAXACA · OCTOBER · 1,594 M

October is when the rains let go of the Oaxaca valley. Mexico’s national weather service counts measurable rain on 21.4 days in September, 12.0 in October and 3.5 in November, and this month sits in the middle of that slide. Afternoons average 84.7°F, mornings start near 58.1°F, and there is room for a full day outdoors.

Monte Albán, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, crowns the Cerro del Jaguar above the valley and was the Zapotec capital for some 1,500 years. Around it the valley fills the days with a Sunday market in Tlacolula, hand-woven wool rugs in Teotitlán del Valle and mezcal poured at small palenques.

On this page

• Oaxaca weather in OctoberHighs of 84.7°F, lows of 58.1°F and 12.0 rain days
• Oaxaca temperature at night in OctoberThe 58.1°F average low, altitude and the frost question
• Oaxaca prices and crowds in OctoberEntry fees of 210 pesos and what we could not verify on rooms
• Things to do in Oaxaca in OctoberMonte Albán, Mitla, Yagul, Hierve el Agua and Tlacolula
• Oaxaca 2 day itinerary for OctoberTwo days with opening hours and sunset at 6:06 p.m.
• Oaxaca in October vs September and NovemberRain days of 21.4, 12.0 and 3.5
• Is October a good time to visit Oaxaca?Who should go in October and who should wait for November

Every figure here comes from the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional’s own weather station in Oaxaca de Juárez (station 20079), at 1,594 meters in the valley, not from a satellite model. Villages up in the Sierra sit higher and cooler, so a night in the mountains will read below these numbers.

Oaxaca weather in October

Oaxaca’s October normals for 1991-2020, published by Mexico’s national weather service (SMN, part of CONAGUA), give an average high of 84.7°F, an average low of 58.1°F and 2.48 inches of precipitation. They come from a thermometer in the valley city, so they describe Oaxaca de Juárez better than a village in the Sierra.

Measurable rain falls on 12.0 days of an average October by the SMN’s own count, roughly two days in five. In a day’s plan that means a light rain shell in the bag every day and a museum stop held in reserve for the wet one. The SMN sheet doesn’t publish the amount that counts as measurable, so a tally from another source may differ.

Between the 84.7°F high and the 58.1°F low sits a swing of 26.6 degrees. A light sweater covers the early hour and the evening, a hat and sunscreen cover the exposed ruins, and cotton covers the middle of the day, with the rain shell on top.

On October 15 the sun rises at 6:18 a.m. and sets at 6:06 p.m., about 11 hours 47 minutes of daylight (the source gives 12:18 and 00:06 UTC, converted here to Mexico City time). Monte Albán’s gate closes at 5 p.m., about an hour before sunset, so the last hour of light belongs to the Zócalo.

How warm is Oaxaca in October?

Warm in the afternoon, cool at night: the average high reaches 84.7°F and the average low drops to 58.1°F. Oaxaca sits inland at 1,594 meters, so no sea temperature applies, and the altitude keeps the nights cool.

Spend the cool hours on open ground at Monte Albán, Yagul or Mitla, and the warm ones under the laurel trees of the Zócalo or inside the Museo de las Culturas. Long sleeves suit breakfast and short sleeves suit noon.

We found no count of frost nights for October, and the SMN normals give only averages. The average low of 58.1°F sits far above freezing in the valley city. Sierra villages sit higher and cooler, so pack a warmer layer if you plan a night up there.

How busy is Oaxaca in October? Crowds and prices

We found no occupancy series and no monthly hotel-rate table for Oaxaca, so we crown no month expensive and no month cheap. What the calendar does show is a rainy season on its way out.

We found no source for how far ahead October rooms fill, so we give no number of weeks. Check the INAH pages before fixing a date around a ruin or a museum, and read our travel basics for general planning.

We could not verify Oaxaca’s lodging-tax rate, so we give no percentage. Ask for the total with tax included when you book a room.

INAH lists a single general admission of 210 pesos at Monte Albán, Mitla, Yagul and the Museo de las Culturas, with 105 pesos for Mexican nationals and foreign residents, and those listings show no October surcharge. Yagul, Mitla and Hierve el Agua all lie east of the city, so the one place where spending more changes October is a hired driver or a rental for a single valley day, linking the stops in the cool morning hours.

Things to do in Oaxaca in October

Of the three months compared here, October is the first where a day at the ruins is more likely dry than wet: 12.0 rain days against 21.4 in September. The open-air circuit of Monte Albán, Yagul, Mitla and Tlacolula’s Sunday market becomes a reasonable bet.

Monte Albán charges 210 pesos general admission and 105 pesos for Mexican nationals and foreign residents. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last entry at 4 p.m. The Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, in the former Santo Domingo convent, charges the same 210 pesos (105 for nationals and residents) and opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mitla and Yagul share the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours and the same 210 pesos, with 105 for nationals and residents. Last entry is 4:30 p.m. at Mitla and 4 p.m. at Yagul, which sits just past Tlacolula on the Panamerican Highway. These are open-air sites, so the hour sets the comfort: cool at the 8 a.m. opening, near the 84.7°F average high by afternoon.

Tlacolula’s Sunday market, in the valley near Mitla and Yagul, is a weekly market for local food and crafts. Hierve el Agua’s petrified waterfalls and mineral pools, east of the city near San Lorenzo Albarradas, are managed by the local community, which collects its own fee on site. We could not verify the amount, so we give none. Teotitlán del Valle, on the road to Mitla, is known for hand-woven wool rugs, and small mezcal palenques around the valley open their stills to visitors. Walking the Zócalo needs no ticket.

Oaxaca itinerary for October

Be at the Monte Albán gate for the 8 a.m. opening. Sunrise is at 6:18 a.m., the air is still cool with the average low at 58.1°F, and the ticket is 210 pesos. Stay on the platforms until the heat builds toward the 84.7°F average high, then head down for lunch. The Museo de las Culturas takes the afternoon (Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). On a Monday it is closed, so give that hour to the Zócalo. Sunset is at 6:06 p.m.

Go east on a Sunday. Tlacolula’s weekly market comes first, then Yagul just past town on the Panamerican Highway (last entry 4 p.m.) and Mitla (last entry 4:30 p.m.), 210 pesos each. Teotitlán del Valle, on the road to Mitla, has the hand-woven rugs. If rain arrives on one of October’s 12.0 rain days, put the museum, the rug weavers and a mezcal palenque on the wet day and keep the ruins for the dry one.

Oaxaca in October vs September and November

Afternoon highs barely move across the three months: 84.4°F in September, 84.7°F in October and 84.2°F in November. Nights do the moving, with the average low dropping 2.9 degrees from September to October and another 4.0 degrees into November. Rain moves most: 6.44 inches on 21.4 days in September, 2.48 inches on 12.0 days in October, 0.36 inches on 3.5 days in November. Oaxaca is inland, so no sea temperature enters the comparison.

Shifting four weeks earlier buys warmer nights (a 61.0°F average low) and costs a rain count of 21.4 days. Shifting four weeks later buys 3.5 days of rain and gives up 4.0 degrees of overnight warmth. We hold no room-rate series, so we cannot say either shift saves money, and we found no October event dates to weigh.

Is October a good time to visit Oaxaca?

Yes for anyone who wants open-air ruins, markets and cool starts to the day: rain on 12.0 days is the tail of a rainy season, and a light shell handles it. No for anyone who needs a dry guarantee. The U.S. State Department’s Mexico advisory, issued May 29, 2026, rates the state of Oaxaca at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, the same baseline as most of the country.

If dry days matter most, choose November: 3.5 days of measurable rain and 0.36 inches, with highs still at 84.2°F. Nights fall to an average low of 54.1°F, so a sweater joins the bag. Other months and other places are laid out in our month-by-month planner.

Of the three months, October pairs a rain count cut from 21.4 days to 12.0 with nights still at 58.1°F, before November’s 54.1°F lows.

The last word

Book Monte Albán for the 8 a.m. gate on day one, leave day two loose for Tlacolula’s Sunday market and the road to Mitla, and spend an evening in the Zócalo between the cathedral and the state government palace after an afternoon at a mezcal palenque.

Sources & data for this guide

• Temperature, precipitation and rain days for September, October and November, 1991-2020 normals · Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (CONAGUA), station 20079, Oaxaca de Juárez · checked Sep 29, 2026 · the SMN sheet does not publish its rain-day threshold
• Sunrise, sunset and daylight for October 15 · sunrise-sunset.org, converted to Mexico City time · checked Sep 29, 2026
• Monte Albán admission and hours · INAH, Zona Arqueológica de Monte Albán · checked Sep 29, 2026
• Mitla admission and hours · INAH, Zona Arqueológica de Mitla · checked Sep 29, 2026
• Yagul admission and hours · INAH, Zona Arqueológica de Yagul · checked Sep 29, 2026
• Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca admission and hours · INAH, Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca Santo Domingo · checked Sep 29, 2026
• UNESCO listing and Zapotec history of Monte Albán · INAH, Lugares INAH · checked Sep 29, 2026
• Travel advisory for the state of Oaxaca · U.S. Department of State, Mexico Travel Advisory, issued May 29, 2026 · checked Sep 29, 2026
• Hierve el Agua, Tlacolula, Teotitlán del Valle, mezcal palenques and the Zócalo are described from general knowledge, with no figures attached. We found no occupancy series, lodging-tax rate or October event dates, so none appears. Hours and fees change · check INAH before you go.