ISAI Property Transfer Tax by City: Riviera Maya 2026

What ISAI is and who pays it

ISAI stands for Impuesto Sobre Adquisición de Inmuebles, the tax on property acquisition. It is a Mexican municipal tax, not a federal tax: each municipality sets its own rate in its Ley de Hacienda municipal, enacted by the Quintana Roo state congress. The buyer pays ISAI, withheld and remitted by the notario at closing.

A caution about older sources: many generic guides still quote the superseded state-level law (the Ley del Impuesto Sobre Adquisición de Bienes Inmuebles de los Municipios, which set 2%). That law stopped applying to each municipality as it enacted its own Ley de Hacienda chapter, so 2% quotes for the Riviera Maya are out of date. Because the rate is municipal, two adjacent properties, one in Cancún (Benito Juárez municipality), one in Puerto Morelos (its own municipality since 2016), can carry different ISAI rates despite being kilometers apart.

Quintana Roo ISAI rates (2026, statute-verified)

Current ISAI rates by Quintana Roo municipality, verified against the consolidated municipal statutes served by the Quintana Roo Congress (verification date July 2, 2026):

Tulum (Tulum municipality): 4% (Ley de Hacienda del Municipio de Tulum, art. 50, as reformed December 2024)
Playa del Carmen (Solidaridad municipality, formally renamed Playa del Carmen): 4% for deeds executed on or after December 10, 2025 (arts. 23 Bis to 23 Undecies; it was 3% from 2020 to 2025 and 2% through 2019)
Akumal (part of Tulum municipality): 4% (Tulum's art. 50 applies)
Cancún (Benito Juárez): 3% (Ley de Hacienda del Municipio de Benito Juárez, art. 27)
Puerto Morelos (Puerto Morelos municipality): 3% (Ley de Hacienda del Municipio de Puerto Morelos, art. 27)
Bacalar, Cozumel, Holbox (Lázaro Cárdenas), and Mahahual / Costa Maya (Othón P. Blanco): not yet verified against the current municipal statute; budget within the 3-4% band and confirm the current rate with your notario before closing

How ISAI is calculated

ISAI applies to the highest of: (a) the agreed transfer price (what the deed records as the purchase price), (b) the cadastral appraisal no older than 180 days, or (c) an appraisal by a state-registered valuador or bank no older than 180 days. Benito Juárez and Playa del Carmen also include the last value declared by the seller in the comparison.

Practical implication: you can't reduce ISAI by under-declaring the deed price below the appraised value. If you declare $300K but the appraisal says $400K, ISAI is calculated on $400K. Foreign buyers occasionally try to reduce ISAI by negotiating a lower-declared price; the notario will refuse if the appraisal exceeds it.

Why Tulum and Playa del Carmen are now the highest

Tulum raised its ISAI to 4% in the December 2024 reform of its Ley de Hacienda (art. 50) and remains at 4% in the December 2025 consolidation. Playa del Carmen followed a year later: reform decree DE-167 raised its rate from 3% to 4% for operations from December 10, 2025. These two are now the highest ISAI markets on the coast.

Cancún (Benito Juárez) has charged 3% since it raised its rate from 2% around 2021; it is no longer the highest in the state. Puerto Morelos also charges 3% under art. 27 of its own Ley de Hacienda. An older story that Puerto Morelos adopted 2% to attract investment no longer matches the current statute.

The trend matters as much as the level: Quintana Roo municipalities have been raising ISAI in December reforms (Tulum in 2024, Playa del Carmen in 2025). Rates published anywhere, including here, should be re-verified each January and confirmed with the notario before a binding offer.

Worked example: USD 400K condo, four cities

Same hypothetical USD 400K condo in four different municipalities, ISAI alone:

Tulum: 4% × $400K = $16,000
Playa del Carmen: 4% × $400K = $16,000 (deeds from December 10, 2025)
Cancún: 3% × $400K = $12,000
Puerto Morelos: 3% × $400K = $12,000

How ISAI fits into total closing costs

ISAI is the largest single line item in foreign-buyer closing costs, typically 3 to 4 percentage points of the all-in total, roughly a third to a half of it. The other major components are notario fees (1.0-1.5%), fideicomiso setup (a USD 2,400-3,000 bank fee plus the MXN 21,650 SRE permit, roughly fixed), registry, appraisal, predial reconciliation, and HOA pre-payments.

Our per-city closing-costs guide and our Closing Costs Calculator both use the city-specific ISAI rate so the foreign-buyer total estimate is accurate to the municipality, not to a state average.

Frequently asked questions

Is ISAI deductible against future capital gains?

Yes, ISAI paid at acquisition becomes part of your cost basis (with proper factura/receipt). When you eventually sell, your basis includes original purchase price + ISAI + facturable improvements + closing-related costs. This reduces the gain on which Mexican capital gains is calculated under the 35%-on-net election.

Can ISAI be financed?

No, in practice. ISAI is due at closing in cash. Mexican mortgage financing is rare for foreign buyers and typically does not include ISAI. Plan to have the full ISAI cash on hand at closing.

Are there ISAI exemptions or discounts?

Limited. Some municipalities offer one-time discounts for certain property types (low-income housing, first-time buyers under municipal programs), these typically don't apply to foreign buyers in the residential market. Some states have homestead-style discounts; Quintana Roo's framework is straightforward without significant exemption pathways for foreign-buyer residential.

What if the appraisal comes in higher than the price I'm paying?

ISAI is calculated on the higher of declared price or appraisal. If the appraisal exceeds your declared price, ISAI is on the appraisal. This is rare in practice (appraisers in this market typically come in at or near the declared price), but it can happen on under-priced deals or off-market transactions.

Does the seller pay any ISAI?

No. ISAI is buyer's tax exclusively. The seller pays Mexican capital gains (withheld at closing by the notario), but the property-transfer tax is on the buyer side.