Clear & concise

Guides

How buying property in Mexico works, step by step, plus 196 articles on costs, tax, rentals and life in the Riviera Maya.

The buying process in 4 steps

Buying in Mexico is different from the US and Canada. Read these in order before you make an offer.

1Step 1IntroductionEach country has their own rules for buying Real Estate and when you first buy in Mexico it can seem confusing! If you…Read step 1 →
2Step 2Fideicomiso or CorporationA Fideicomiso gives a foreign buyer all the property rights and privileges of a citizen, with the additional advantage…Read step 2 →
3Step 3Buying ProcessWhen making your initial offer, this should be done using a written Offer to Purchase contract, ensuring no confusion…Read step 3 →
4Step 4Closing and Title TransferAt this point, both parties should be able to execute the purchase/sales agreement (compra-venta), start the closing…Read step 4 →

Articles

Location & Lifestyle

Neighbourhoods, beaches, schools and day-to-day life.

Location & Lifestyle

Playacar Phase I vs. Phase II: What Actually Separates Them

"Playacar" gets used as one word, but Phase I and Phase II are genuinely different neighborhoods with different histories, different products, and different day-to-day experiences. If you're comparing the two, here's what actually matters. A quick history Playacar Phase I was developed starting in the 1970s and 80s as a beachfront, gated residential community directly south of Playa del Carmen's town center — walkable to Fifth Avenue, but set apart behind its own single entrance. Phase II...

Aug 29 · 3 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Riviera Maya vs. Cabo San Lucas: Which Fits a US or Canadian Buyer Better?

Riviera Maya and Cabo San Lucas both draw serious numbers of American and Canadian buyers, but they're genuinely different products. Choosing between them isn't about which is "better" — it's about which matches the life you actually want to live. Geography and climate The Riviera Maya sits on the Caribbean side of the Yucatán Peninsula: warm, humid, tropical, with calm turquoise water, gently sloping beaches, and a backdrop of jungle rather than mountains. Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip...

Aug 29 · 3 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Bacalar: The Lagoon Town Becoming the Riviera Maya's Next Frontier

Bacalar, roughly two hours south of Tulum, has spent the last several years shifting from a little-known lagoon town into one of the most talked-about emerging markets on the Yucatán Peninsula. Its famous "Lagoon of Seven Colors" draws a different kind of buyer than the beach towns further north — but the infrastructure and market here are still genuinely a step behind, and that gap is exactly what buyers need to understand before jumping in. Why Bacalar is drawing attention Bacalar centers...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Isla Mujeres: A Quieter Island Option Near Cancun

Isla Mujeres gets pitched as "Cancún, but calmer," and that's mostly fair — but it's worth understanding exactly what you're trading and gaining before treating it as a straightforward substitute. Here's an honest look at the island for buyers weighing it against the mainland Riviera Maya. The basics Isla Mujeres sits about 13 kilometers off Cancún, a 20-minute passenger ferry ride from either Puerto Juárez or the Zona Hotelera terminals. Unlike Holbox, it has paved roads and permits regular...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Costa Mujeres: The New Development Corridor North of Cancun

Costa Mujeres is the newest chapter of Cancún's growth story, and 2026 is shaping up to be a milestone year for it — the St. Regis Costa Mujeres opened its doors this year, and the Grand Hyatt Cancun Beach Resort follows in September. For buyers, that's both the appeal and the caveat: this is a corridor still being written, not a finished neighborhood. Where it is and how it's different Costa Mujeres refers to the coastal strip north of the Boca de Nizuc bridge, effectively the natural...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Holbox: Should Buyers Consider This Car-Free Island Alternative?

Holbox keeps coming up in conversations with buyers who feel like Tulum and Playa del Carmen have gotten too built-up. It's a real alternative, but it's also a genuinely different kind of ownership experience — one with its own logistics, limitations, and charm. Here's what actually separates Holbox from the mainland Riviera Maya, beyond the Instagram photos. What makes Holbox different Holbox is a narrow barrier island off the northern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula, inside the Yum Balam...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Common Culture Shock Moments New Owners Don't Expect

Most new owners prepare for the big adjustments — language, climate, distance from family. It's the smaller, recurring frictions that actually catch people off guard, and knowing about them ahead of time makes the transition noticeably smoother. Bureaucracy moves at its own pace Nearly every relocation guide mentions this, and it's mentioned so often because it's consistently true: paperwork here — utility hookups, immigration processes, even routine property matters — tends to take longer...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Grocery Shopping, Everyday Costs, and What a Local Budget Really Looks Like

Cost of living numbers in glossy relocation guides tend to skew optimistic. Here's a more grounded look at what groceries and everyday expenses actually run in the Riviera Maya in 2026, based on real spending patterns rather than best-case estimates. Where you shop changes your budget significantly Chain supermarkets Walmart, Chedraui, and similar chain supermarkets carry both local and imported products, and a solo grocery budget shopping mostly here typically runs $200–$450 a month...

Aug 29 · 3 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Visiting Before You Buy: How to Structure a Serious Property-Scouting Trip

A week on the beach and a few casual open-house visits is not the same thing as a real property-scouting trip. Buyers who structure their visit deliberately end up with far better information — and far fewer surprises after closing — than those who let the trip happen casually around a vacation. Before you go: set the actual goals Decide in advance whether this trip is primarily about narrowing down a neighborhood, comparing specific listings, or doing final due diligence on a property you're...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Cozumel: Should Buyers Consider the Island Instead of the Mainland?

Cozumel offers something the mainland Riviera Maya can't: genuine island living, a world-class reef right offshore, and a real sense of separation from the mainland's rapid growth. It also comes with a dependency the mainland doesn't have — everything, including you, moves by boat or plane to get there. Whether that trade-off works depends entirely on what you're looking for. What makes Cozumel different Cozumel sits about a 40-minute ferry ride from Playa del Carmen and roughly 40 minutes by...

Aug 29 · 3 min read

Location & Lifestyle

Tankah Bay and Sian Ka'an: What's Actually Buildable South of Tulum

South of Tulum, the coastline changes character quickly — and understanding exactly where development is possible, and where it categorically isn't, matters more here than almost anywhere else on this coast. Getting this wrong isn't just a bad investment; it can mean buying into a property that was never legally developable in the first place. Sian Ka'an: a federally protected reserve, not a development zone Sian Ka'an is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and federally protected biosphere reserve,...

Aug 29 · 4 min read

Location & Lifestyle

What Owning a Second Home in the Riviera Maya Actually Looks Like Day to Day

The brochure version of second-home ownership here involves ocean breezes and effortless rental income. The real version involves a property manager you actually trust, a maintenance rhythm shaped by heat and humidity, and a handful of recurring tasks that are easy to underestimate before you own the place. Here's the practical picture. The maintenance reality of a tropical coastal property Salt air, humidity, and intense sun accelerate wear on almost everything — metal fixtures corrode...

Aug 29 · 4 min read