A dehumidifier and an air conditioner are almost the same machine. For hot regions, it makes little sense to buy a dehumidifier and not an air conditioner.
We had AC installed in our bedroom precisely for this. Where I live it barely gets hot enough to warrant AC, but humidity in the summer is very high. Compared to a dehumdifier it's quieter, doesn't need emptying and has extra features (cooling / heating).
The fact that it was done through cooling was merely a by-product.