What will closing actually cost you?
Enter your purchase price and municipio to estimate ISABI — the largest single closing cost after the unit price — plus the typical range for notary, avalúo, and registration fees. Independent, no obligation.
Your numbers
Converted at MX$16.90 / US$1 (Banxico FIX — Aug 21, 2026) — ISABI is always assessed in MXN at closing.
Enter an operation value to see your estimated closing costs.
What you are actually paying for at closing.
ISABI — the municipal acquisition tax, and the largest number on the page after the property itself. It is set by each municipio, not by the state or the federation, which is why an estimate that averages across Mexico tells you nothing useful. It is calculated on the highest of your agreed price, the cadastral value, and the appraisal.
Notary fee — the notario público is a public officer, not your lawyer, and the fee is a percentage of the operation value under a state tariff. Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur run materially higher than Yucatán.
Avalúo — the appraisal by an authorised valuer, which sets part of the tax base. It has a limited validity window, so an old one gets redone.
Registro Público — inscribing the deed so the world can see you own it. Skipping this is how buyers discover, years later, that their title never became opposable to third parties.
Certificates — no-debt letters for water and predial, freedom-from-lien certificates, and similar paperwork the notary must gather before signing.
ISABI by municipio, cited to the law.
Every rate below was read out of the municipality's own Ley de Hacienda or Ley de Ingresos, not from a summary. Where a figure could not be confirmed against the statute, the calculator says so instead of guessing.
| Municipio | State | 2026 ISABI rate |
|---|---|---|
| Bacalar | Quintana Roo | 2% |
| Cancún (Benito Juárez) | Quintana Roo | 3% |
| La Paz | Baja California Sur | 3% |
| Los Cabos | Baja California Sur | 3% |
| Mérida | Yucatán | Graduated: 2.5% to 5% by tranche |
| Playa del Carmen (Solidaridad) | Quintana Roo | 4% |
| Progreso | Yucatán | 4% |
| Tulum | Quintana Roo | 4% |
| Valladolid | Yucatán | Tiered: 3% / 3.5% / 4% / 5% |
Mérida applies a tariff rather than a flat rate: a fixed fee per tranche plus a factor on the amount above that tranche's lower limit. Rates change — usually in the December before the fiscal year — so confirm with your notary before wiring funds.
Four costs this estimate does not include.
The fideicomiso. Buy within 50 km of the coast or 100 km of a border as a foreigner and you will normally hold title through a bank trust — an SRE permit, a bank setup fee, and an annual fee for as long as you own the property.
Your own lawyer. The notary is neutral and the closing firm your broker recommends is usually not. Independent review is a separate line, and it is the one that pays for itself.
Subsidies you may qualify for. Some municipios discount ISABI for first-time or social-interest housing, and both Baja California Sur municipalities reduce the tax base for a dwelling. The estimate ignores these, so it errs high rather than low.
Anything the seller owes. ISR on the gain is the seller's, not yours — but unpaid predial, water, or condominium fees attach to the property, and you will be the one arguing about them if nobody checks first. That check is part of closings and due diligence.
Closing costs in Mexico, answered.
- How much are closing costs in Mexico?
- Budget roughly 4% to 8% of the purchase price. The single largest item is ISABI, the municipal acquisition tax, which runs from 2% in Bacalar to 5% in the top bracket in Valladolid. On top of that come the notary's fee, the appraisal, the public registry inscription, and a handful of no-debt certificates. Costs vary by municipio, not by state, which is why a national average is close to useless.
- What is ISABI, and who pays it?
- ISABI — impuesto sobre adquisición de bienes inmuebles, sometimes written ISAI — is a municipal tax on acquiring real property. The buyer pays it, and the notary withholds and remits it at closing. It is assessed on the highest of the price you agreed, the cadastral value, and the appraisal, so a low declared price does not lower the tax.
- Does the buyer or the seller pay closing costs in Mexico?
- The buyer carries ISABI, the notary's fee, the appraisal, registry inscription, and certificates. The seller carries ISR, the income tax on any gain, and normally the broker's commission. That split is customary rather than statutory, so a contract can move it — read what you signed before you assume.
- Are closing costs higher in Tulum than in Mérida?
- Usually, yes, and for two reasons. Tulum applies a flat 4% ISABI while Mérida uses a graduated tariff that only reaches 4.5% above three million pesos. Notary tariffs also run higher in Quintana Roo than in Yucatán. On the same purchase price, a Tulum closing commonly costs meaningfully more than a Mérida one.
- Does this calculator include the fideicomiso?
- No. If the property sits in the restricted zone — within 50 km of the coast or 100 km of a border — a foreign buyer normally acquires through a bank trust, which carries an SRE permit fee, a bank setup fee, and an annual maintenance fee that recur for as long as you hold the property. Those are real costs and they are not in this estimate. Ask us for the figures on the specific bank your seller proposes.
- When do I pay closing costs?
- At the closing itself, before the notary. The funds are usually delivered to the notary's account in advance so the escritura can be signed and the tax remitted the same day. Notaries must report the acquisition to the municipal treasury within roughly a month of the deed, so there is no waiting period that lets you defer the tax.