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Updated November 2026 · 8 guides
Don't buy the wrong property in Mexico
What homes really cost, what you pay on top, the rules, and the mistakes foreign buyers keep making.
2-bed flat, Mexico City
Asking price · our estimates
What's your plan in Mexico?
Pick one, and we'll show you the guide and the free articles to start with.
Where in Mexico? Place by place.
The same four numbers, side by side, for the places foreigners look at most.
| Place | Price a m² asking | 2-bed flat typical price | 2-bed rent a month | Airbnb occupancy over a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico Citythe big capital | $3,150 | $221k | $1,250 | 64% |
| Playa del Carmenthe caribbean beach town | $3,000 | $210k | $1,300 | 55% |
| Tulumthe boho beach town | $3,100 | $217k | $1,200 | 43% |
| Puerto Vallartathe pacific resort | $4,200 | $294k | $1,600 | 56% |
| Cabo San Lucasthe upscale baja resort | $4,800 | $336k | $2,200 | 49% |
| San Miguel de Allendethe colonial art town | $2,800 | $196k | $1,300 | 42% |
| Méridathe safe colonial city | $1,700 | $119k | $800 | 58% |
| Lake Chapalathe retiree lakeside towns | $1,900 | $133k | $900 | 45% |
| Guadalajarathe second city | $2,830 | $198k | $900 | 51% |
| Querétarothe calm business city | $1,600 | $112k | $700 | 58% |
Asking prices for flats. 2-bed flat: about 70 m². Rent: long-term lease, unfurnished. Our best estimates, from listings and our guides.
The 8 traps foreign buyers fall into.
Within 50 km of the coast you can't hold the title yourself. You need a bank trust, about $500–1,000 a year.
Cheap beach lots often sit on ejido farmland. Without private title, your purchase can be void.
Sellers ask to declare a lower price to cut their tax. You pay more tax when you sell.
In Tulum and Playa, off-plan often finishes years late. Check permits and the builder's record.
Most states don't license agents. Use your own notary and lawyer, not the agent's picks.
Acquisition tax (2–4.5% by state), notary, trust and appraisal add 5 to 8% on top of the price. Budget for it.
Unpaid tax, water and HOA fees pass to you. The notary gets no-debt letters before signing.
Paying over about $50,000 in cash for a home is illegal. Wire the money instead.
From offer to keys in about 10 weeks.
Paying cash; a mortgage adds 1 to 2 months.
Read our research.
Buying
Can foreigners buy property in Mexico?Can Americans buy property in Mexico?Can foreigners get a mortgage in Mexico?Prices & market
How expensive is property in Mexico now?How much does a house cost in Mexico today?Where is the best place to buy in Mexico now?Retiring in Mexico? Know what it really costs before you go.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Retire in Mexico: everything explained before you leave
Inside the guide
- How much you need saved, with or without a pension
- What a month really costs you there
- Where foreign retirees actually live
- Which neighborhoods fit your budget
- What health insurance costs at your age
- Whether you can still join a plan after 65
- Where to get serious care, and how fast help arrives
- How your budget changes as you get older
- Whether Mexico taxes your pension
- Which residency fits a retiree
- What buying and owning a home really costs
- What help at home costs
Moving to Mexico? Get the visa, the area and the budget right.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Moving to Mexico: everything explained before you go
Inside the guide
- Which visa lets you move, and how long it takes
- What life costs each month, alone or as a family
- Which neighborhoods feel safest
- Which areas fit a $1,000 rent
- How health plans work, and up to what age you can join
- Where to get serious care
- Whether Mexico taxes your remote salary
- Whether there’s a tax treaty with your country
- What your US paycheck is really worth there
- What a housekeeper or nanny costs
- What buying a home costs on top of the price
- What owning a home costs each year
Foreign buyers always make the same mistakes in Mexico. Don’t be next.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Buying in Mexico as a Foreigner: how to make zero mistakes
Inside the guide
- What a foreigner can and can’t buy
- Every step, from offer to keys
- Who does what, and who to double-check
- The traps foreign buyers fall into
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- How to move your money in safely
- Whether buying gets you residency
- How much tax you’ll owe
- Who inherits your home, and how fast
- What owning costs you every year
- What’s changed for foreigners this year
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Sellers in Mexico know you’re a foreigner. Know the real prices first.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Mexico: the real property prices, as of today
Inside the guide
- What homes really sell for, area by area
- Which areas are overpriced right now
- How much room you have to negotiate
- What your budget really gets you
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- What owning costs you every year
- How much tax you’ll owe
- The rules foreigners trip over
- The areas to stay away from
- Who to trust, and who to double-check
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Buying to rent out in Mexico? Don’t make a bad investment.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Starting a Rental in Mexico: everything explained to maximize your income
Inside the guide
- Where rentals really pay off
- What a rental earns once costs are paid
- Airbnb or long-term: which wins where
- The months your rental will sit empty
- The costs owners always forget
- How much of your rent goes to tax
- What the rules allow on Airbnb
- What buying costs before your first guest
- Which areas to avoid as a landlord
- How many years until it pays for itself
- What you’ll lose when you sell
- The classic mistakes that sink a rental
Don’t sign anything in Mexico before you know every fee.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Mexico Fees & Taxes: what to pay, what to avoid, and how to pay less
Inside the guide
- Every fee you’ll pay, line by line
- Who pays what: buyer or seller
- Where you can legally pay less
- The costs nobody mentions upfront
- What owning costs you every year
- How much tax you’ll owe on rent
- What you’ll pay when you sell
- How to move your money in cheaply
- Who does what, and what they charge
- The tax traps foreigners fall into
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Don’t buy in Mexico at the wrong time.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Mexico Market: everything you need to know before making a decision
Inside the guide
- Where prices are heading, area by area
- Whether now is a good time to buy
- What’s pushing prices up, or down
- How rents are moving, and why it matters
- How long homes take to sell
- How much room sellers leave to negotiate
- What the exchange rate does to your price
- Buy or rent: what makes more sense
- What you’ll lose if you sell too soon
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
Buying a plot in Mexico? Don’t sign before you’ve checked it all.
70+ pages in the full guide · click a page
Updated November 2026 · 70+ pages · PDF
Buying Land in Mexico: everything to check before you buy
Inside the guide
- What land really costs, area by area
- What you can build, and what you can’t
- The checks to run before you sign
- Coast, border, farmland: the special rules
- What you’ll pay on top of the price
- What owning land costs every year
- How much tax you’ll owe
- Who does what, and who to double-check
- How long it takes, from offer to title
- What you’ll pay when you sell
- What’s changed in the last 12 months
- What could go wrong, and how to avoid it
A question about Mexico?
A real person answers within 24 hours.
What you pay on top of the price in Mexico City.
On a $300,000 flat, count about $15,000 to $18,000 more.
Mexico City tax code · notary fee schedules · On the coast, add a bank trust: about $1,000, then $500–700 a year · Updated
Can you rent it on Airbnb in Mexico?
Mexico City now caps it. The coast wants a registry and taxes.
Host registry, and rented no more than half the year.
RestrictedFree state registry, local license, 6% lodging tax plus VAT.
Permit neededNo host registry. Platforms collect the lodging tax.
AllowedAllowed. Check the town registry and gated-community rules.
AllowedMexico City 2024 reform · Quintana Roo RETUR-Q · Updated
Safe areas in Mexico City, area by area.
Most places foreigners buy in are calm. A few are best avoided.
- Polanco
- Condesa
- Roma Norte
- Del Valle
- Nápoles
- Coyoacán
- San Ángel
- Juárez
- Centro Histórico
- Santa María la Ribera
- Doctores
- Tepito
- Guerrero
- Iztapalapa
People who feel unsafe where they live
INEGI city safety survey 2026 · US State Department, Level 2 · Updated