Housing Prices in Mexico

Traditional Mayan housing vs a beach mansion.

There are many different ways to live in Mexico, with homes to meet every budget. Above is an example of the extremes. In the Yucatan Peninsula many Mayan families live in traditional stick houses with palapa or tar paper roofs. While on the beach, you can find mega mansions.

We often get asked in the bookstore how much it costs to buy a house in Puerto Morelos. This is a bit of a loaded question. In our town you can buy an apartment for as little as $329,000 pesos (about $18,135 USD) or a beachfront villas in the millions of dollars. These prices are similar in other towns along the coast of Quintana Roo, such as Playa del Carmen, Puerto Adventures and Akumal. Here is an idea of what your money will get you.

The owners have added their own touch of colour to these homes in Villas Morelos Dos.

The first thing you should know about our town, is that it is divided into two areas, the port side and the colonia. The port side is next to the ocean, we are then divided by 2.5 kms of protected mangrove and the main highway. To give you a better idea take a look at our map. The closer you are to the beach, the more expensive the homes.

Appliances, tile, shelves and paint added by the owners.

Housing Prices in the Colonia

When you are buying “new construction”, you are basically buying a cement box. That means that there is no tile on the floors, no paint on the walls, no appliances, no kitchen cupboards, no window coverings, no light fixtures, etc. It is just a cement box with a toilet, plus utility sinks in the kitchen and bathroom. It is up to you to finish it the way you like. The cost of this is up to you and in addition to the prices listed.

This home has been turned into a business.

When you buy into an existing community, people have adapted their houses to meet their needs. This often means that a home is not just a house for a family to live in, but also a business. So you may have a great little taco stand or a convenience store or in this case, a vet, just a few doors down.

New apartments, waiting to be purchased in Villas la Playa.

The least expensive places available are in Villas la Playa, about 3 to 4km from the beach. They are 2 bedroom/1 bath apartments, 57m2 (meters squared) with a brochure price of $329,000 pesos (about $18,135 USD). Not sure why, but the web price is higher at $25,000USD.  Please note the pictures on the website are of finished apartments, which would be an additional cost.

Newly completed townhouses in Villas la Playa.

Next up is townhouse style homes in Villas la Playa called Coral Plus. The smallest and cheapest are advertised beginning at $390,000 pesos ( $21,500usd) and are new construction, 2 bedroom/1bath, 51m2. These two developments have an added bonus of having their own beach club on the main beach in Puerto Morelos.

Living room in Villas Morelos painted and tiled by the owner.

Villas Morelos and Villas Morelos Dos are older more established neighborhoods, so most of the homes have been lived in before. The advantage (or disadvantage) of this is that they are no longer new construction, so the floors are tiled, the kitchen completed and the walls painted.

Eating area in Villas Morelos home.

Some people have even added second levels to these houses or bought two side by side and combined them into one larger home.

Villas Morelos backyard with pool.

Some people have even put in pools. The price of these homes starts at about $750,000 pesos ($41,000USD) and go up from there. Most are 2 bedroom/1 bath town homes starting at 74m2.

Two homes in Palma Real.

Palma Real is new construction town homes that are two stories with 4 bedrooms/2 baths, 127m2 beginning at $1,199,000 pesos ($66,000 USD). This community has larger homes and is designed to be a little more upscale.

This is just a sampling of what is available. There are other communities in the colonia, as well as new developments along the highway, like Residencial Regatta or Puntavista, plus homes the Pescadores (fisherman’s village), but this will give you a good idea of some of the less expensive options for living in Mexico.

In Part Two of “Housing Prices in Mexico” will we explore what it costs to live closer to the beach.