Three questions decide whether anything else matters: can you own it, does the register hold, and is your deposit protected. Here are the answers for Mexico, each with the law or source it rests on. The answers are written for EU and EEA citizens; where rules differ for other nationals, the ownership answer says so. As of September 2026.
The core answers
Can you buy property here as an EU citizen?
Full ownership, except in the restricted zone: 100 kilometres from land borders and 50 kilometres from the coast. There only through a bank trust (fideicomiso) or a Mexican company.
Legal basis: Mexican Constitution, Art. 27; Ley de Inversión Extranjera
Is your deposit protected by law?
No mandatory escrow for preventa; protection only through a voluntary fideicomiso and a PROFECO-registered contract (NOM-247)
Source: factorinmobiliario.mx · 2026
Residence
Residente temporal also through debt-free property ownership from MXN 10.76 million (approx. USD 598,000), otherwise proof of income
Source: mexperience.com
First thing to check
- Whether the property lies in the restricted zone and how the fideicomiso is structured. Term, bank and running costs need checking.
All 24 dimensions
Scale 0 to 100, higher is better. Each value shows where it comes from: tied to a published index, own research with a source on file, or approximated from comparable countries.
Law and register
| Dimension | Score | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Property rights | 30 | Index |
| Register | 52 | Research |
| Deposit protection | 25 | Research |
| Rule of law | 23 | Index |
| Freedom from corruption | 23 | Index |
| Political stability | 44 | Index |
Money and market
| Dimension | Score | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase costs | 30 | Index |
| Tax burden | 36 | Index |
| Entry price | 62 | Index |
| Rental yield | 48 | Research |
| Short-term rental | 55 | Research |
| Price development | 77 | Index |
| Demand pipeline | 45 | Index |
Residence and access
| Dimension | Score | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | 65 | Research |
| Exit | 85 | Index |
| Currency | 36 | Index |
| Accessibility | 24 | Research |
Place and building stock
| Dimension | Score | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Climate | 57 | Index |
| Natural hazards | 8 | Index |
| Utilities | 32 | Index |
| Build quality | 58 | Research |
| Construction cost | 38 | Research |
| Quality of life | 43 | Index |
| Healthcare | 71 | Index |
Researched individually
These entries do not come from an index but from research for this country. The source is given with each.
Residence
Residente temporal (temporary resident status) also available via debt-free property ownership from MXN 10.76 million (approx. USD 598,000), otherwise proof of income
Source: mexperience.com · 2026
Deposit protection
No mandatory escrow for preventa (pre-construction sale); protection only through a voluntary fideicomiso (trust) and a PROFECO-registered contract (NOM-247)
Source: factorinmobiliario.mx · 2026
Accessibility
9,847 km great-circle distance from Munich
Source: Grosskreisentfernung Muenchen-Hauptstadt · 2026
Build quality
BQCI 11,66/15 (WB Doing Business 2020) + WGI Government Effectiveness 47,06 (2024), Gewicht 35/65
Source: archive.doingbusiness.org · 2019
Place and building materials
What to check in Mexico
Derived from the four weakest dimensions of this country - statistically, that is where buyers lose money.
- Natural hazards. Exposure to earthquake, storm, flood and wildfire at the specific site, not the national average.
- Rule of law. Whether you can actually enforce a contract in a dispute and how long that takes.
- Freedom from corruption. Whether permits are granted by rules or by connections.
- Accessibility. How often you can realistically get there - and whether a site inspection is possible in one day.
Developers and projects in Mexico
The developer index records 28 projects and 10 developers in Mexico without rating them, each entry with source and retrieval date. An excerpt:
| Project | Place | Developer | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalina Los Cabos | Cabo San Lucas | Gufex Desarrollos | planned |
| Lucca Tower | Cabo San Lucas | Gufex Desarrollos | planned |
| Maralta | Cabo San Lucas | Gufex Desarrollos | under construction |
| Maria Tower | Cabo San Lucas | Gufex Desarrollos | sold out |
| Sonni | Calle 22 y 24 | Ekasa Desarrollos | on sale |
| Torre Insignia Cancún | Cancún | ENALTO | planned |
| Agustina | Mérida | Kapúa Desarrollos | planned |
| ENSO Apartments | Mérida | ENALTO | planned |
| Erudita | Mérida | Kapúa Desarrollos | planned |
| Insolita | Mérida | Kapúa Desarrollos | planned |
| Madreceiba | Mérida | Ekasa Desarrollos | on sale |
| Ninfa | Mérida | Kapúa Desarrollos | planned |
Individual project pages are currently in German; they contain the recorded data, the source and the retrieval date.
All 28 projects and 10 developers in Mexico
What the guide cannot do
A country can look good in all three columns and the specific property can still be a total loss. The reverse is also true: in a country with a weak register, a cleanly titled plot can be entirely unproblematic. The guide tells you what the environment looks like. Whether this one property holds up is decided by the review.