What does it cost to spend a season in Mazatlán?
This is the index we keep updated. Every figure carries the month we checked it and the source it came from. Where we have not verified something ourselves yet, the row says so instead of guessing — those are the numbers we are collecting here in Mazatlán right now.
The detail
Most cost guides for Mexico give you a national range and no date. That is close to useless when you are deciding whether to sign something.
Here every number says when we checked it. Rules and prices in Mexico move, and a figure without a date is a guess in a suit.
What do I need to prove to get residency?
| What | Cost | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary residency — income test | US$4,200–4,500 per month | Aug 2026 |
| Temporary residency — savings test | US$70,000–73,000 average balance | Aug 2026 |
| Permanent residency — income test | around US$7,400 per month | Aug 2026 |
| Tourist stay, no paperwork | 180 days, free | Aug 2026 |
| Temporary car import permit (TIP) | US$200–400 refundable deposit | Aug 2026 |
How much tax do I pay if I rent my place out?
| What | Cost | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Withholding without a Mexican tax ID | 36% of gross rent (20% income tax + 16% VAT) | Aug 2026 |
| Withholding with an RFC | around 10%, expenses deductible | Aug 2026 |
| Registering for an RFC | free | Aug 2026 |
| Property manager commission | around 25% of rental income | Aug 2026 |
| Local manager rates in Mazatlán | collecting — we are asking them directly | — |
What does it cost to buy property in Mazatlán?
| What | Cost | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Bank trust (fideicomiso) setup | US$2,000–3,000 | Aug 2026 |
| Federal permit | US$1,200–1,700 | Aug 2026 |
| Bank trust, per year | US$500–700 | Aug 2026 |
| Total closing costs | 6–10% of the purchase price | Aug 2026 |
| Notary fees in Mazatlán | collecting | — |
What does health cover cost once Medicare stops?
| What | Cost | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare outside the US | does not cover you | Aug 2026 |
| IMSS voluntary enrollment | US$450–1,200 per year, age-banded | Aug 2026 |
| Private major-medical cover | from around US$2,000 per year | Aug 2026 |
| Typical total at 60, in good health | US$2,000–4,000 per year | Aug 2026 |
| Dental crown, Mexico vs US | around US$250 vs US$1,000–3,000 | Aug 2026 |
| Full-arch implants, Mexico vs US | around US$8,100 vs US$24,000 | Aug 2026 |
| Dental prices at Mazatlán clinics | collecting — clinic by clinic | — |
What does it cost to live here month to month?
| What | Cost | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Season rental by neighborhood | collecting | — |
| Utilities in a typical condo | collecting | — |
| Internet | collecting | — |
Why are some rows empty?
The empty rows are the ones that matter most, and they are the reason this site exists.
National averages are easy to copy from somewhere else. What a specific dental clinic in Mazatlán charges for a crown this month, or what a season rental in Centro Histórico actually goes for, is not published anywhere in English — and it changes.
We are collecting those figures by asking directly, here. We would rather show you an empty row than a number we cannot stand behind. When each one lands, it lands with the date.
What to do now
- Use the verified rows to build your budget. They are ranges, not quotes — the range is the honest form of a national figure.
- For anything that touches your money, get a written quote before you commit. This index tells you when a quote looks wrong, which is its whole job.
- If you have a recent real number — what you actually paid, and when — send it. That is how the empty rows fill in.
Who handles this
Nothing is listed here until we verify it. That includes providers.
Get this index by email each month, with what changed and when it changed.
Where this comes from
- Mexican withholding rates for foreign landlords, fideicomiso costs, residency thresholds and health cover options, specialist sources consulted August 2026.
- Dental price comparisons, Mexican medical tourism sources, August 2026.
- Rows marked "collecting" are not published until we have asked local providers directly.
Figures verified August 2026. Rules change — if you spot something out of date, tell us and we fix it.