Leaving Florida for the Riviera Maya
An honest guide for the Quebec snowbird trading grey winters for sun, without getting burned. You stay the full beneficiary of the trust, you sign with an independent notario of your own choosing, and no deposit moves before that notario gives the green light.
Data as of June 2026
The math, in numbers
First-party figures, drawn from our own published inventory and the closing-cost calculator we use, with the sample size and date stated.
- Leaving Florida for Mexico: the math in Canadian dollars
- At an assumed 1.4 CAD per USD (June 2026), the median asking price of USD 370,735 is about CAD 519,000, and an entry condo near USD 143,100 is about CAD 200,000. Ongoing fideicomiso trustee upkeep runs roughly USD 700 to 850 a year. Rates fluctuate.
- What are closing costs for a foreign buyer in Mexico?
- For a foreign buyer in Mexico's coastal restricted zone, all-in closing costs on a resale run about 3.6 to 7.7 percent of the purchase price, including a one-time SRE permit of about USD 1,100 and a fideicomiso bank-trust setup of about USD 2,400 to 3,000. Source: MWH's closing-cost calculator, June 2026.
- How much sargassum does the Riviera Maya get?
- Across the 11 Riviera Maya neighborhoods Mayan Wealth Homes rates for sargassum as of June 2026, none carries a High exposure rating: 4 of 11 (36 percent) are rated Low and 7 are rated Moderate. MWH publishes a rating on every coastal listing.
- How much does Riviera Maya property cost?
- As of June 2026, Mayan Wealth Homes' 7 active for-sale listings across the Riviera Maya range from USD 143,100 to USD 2,067,000, with a median asking price of USD 370,735. The figures come from MWH's own published inventory, not a third-party index.
Why so many Quebecers are leaving Florida
The shift is real. More and more Quebec snowbirds are living through what many call the deuil de la Floride, the goodbye to Florida: home-insurance premiums climbing year after year, special condo assessments after every hurricane season, and a cost of living that erases the old advantage.
Add a tenser political climate for foreign visitors and increasingly hot summers. For many families the question is no longer whether they leave Florida, but where they go next.
The Riviera Maya answers the same craving, winter sun four hours by plane from Montreal, but with a lower cost of ownership and, crucially, full service in French. One real worry remains: buying inside a foreign legal system without getting burned. That is exactly what this guide addresses.
Florida vs the Riviera Maya: the math in Canadian dollars
Here is the math in Canadian dollars, at an assumed 1.4 CAD per USD (June 2026; rates fluctuate, so confirm the live rate). The USD amounts stay in USD, because that is the currency the trust and permit are billed in.
| Item | Riviera Maya (our inventory) | Florida (the pressures driving the move) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry condo (purchase) | CAD 200,000 | Comparable entry price, but without the spiking carrying costs |
| Median asking price (purchase) | CAD 519,000 | Varies by county and local market |
| Puerto Morelos home, median (purchase) | CAD 1,024,000 | The coastal equivalent is often pricier in Florida |
| Annual bank-trust upkeep | USD 700 to 850 | Often a fraction of one year's home-insurance premium |
| Annual property tax (predial) | Modest, a fraction of Florida | Property tax rising in several counties |
| Insurance and special assessments | Generally lower; ask for a quote on your property | The main driver of the move: premiums and assessments sharply up |
| Federal SRE permit (one-time, at purchase) | USD 1,100 | No equivalent |
The Riviera Maya figures come from our published inventory and the closing-cost calculator we use, at a clearly-labeled assumed exchange rate. We publish no Florida cost estimate: those costs vary too much from one situation to the next. Confirm your own situation and the live rate.
Owning safely: the fideicomiso is not a trick
The Quebec snowbird's first fear is that the fideicomiso is a trick, a way of not really owning. It is not. The fideicomiso is a bank trust, a safe and proven legal structure governed by Mexican law for decades.
An authorized Mexican bank acts as trustee, but you are the full beneficiary. You hold every owner's right: live in it, rent it, renovate it, sell it, and leave it to your heirs. The initial term is 50 years, renewable indefinitely, and no residency is required to buy.
In the coastal restricted zone (any land within 50 km of the coast, which covers every city we serve), the fideicomiso is the normal, legal path for a foreign buyer. Setup runs about USD 2,400 to 3,000, plus a one-time federal SRE permit of about USD 1,100 and annual upkeep of about USD 700 to 850. An existing trust can often be assumed, which avoids the setup cost.
Protecting yourself from fraud, step by step
Owning safely rests on architecture, not luck. Here are the rules we apply and that you can demand of any team.
- An independent notario of YOUR choosing verifies the title. In Mexico the notario is a state-appointed jurist; you are never required to use the seller's notario.
- No deposit moves before the notario's green light. Funds move through an escrow account, never a wire to a personal account.
- The property is checked for a registered escritura at the public registry, confirmed NOT to be ejido land, and confirmed in dominio pleno.
- You can bring your own lawyer. An honest team encourages it rather than discouraging it.
- You get an honest sargassum-exposure rating on any coastal property, never a promise of a perfect beach.
Go deeper
Guides to understand it fully
Calculate your real cost
The data and the listings
Frequently asked questions from Quebec buyers
- Can a foreigner really own property in Mexico?
- Yes. In the coastal restricted zone a foreigner holds title through a fideicomiso, a 50-year renewable bank trust in which you are the full beneficiary with every owner's right. No residency is required to buy.
- Is the fideicomiso a disguised lease?
- No. You are not a tenant: you are the full beneficiary of the trust. You can live in it, rent it, renovate it, sell it, and leave it to your heirs. The bank only acts as trustee; it is a safe, proven legal structure.
- What does buying cost, all in, for a foreign buyer?
- On a resale, closing costs run about 3.6 to 7.7 percent of the price, including a one-time SRE permit of about USD 1,100 and a trust setup of about USD 2,400 to 3,000. Source: our closing-cost calculator.
- What is that in Canadian dollars?
- At an assumed 1.4 CAD per USD, an entry condo near USD 143,100 comes to about CAD 200,000, and our median asking price of USD 370,735 is about CAD 519,000. Rates fluctuate.
- How do I avoid getting burned?
- Insist on an independent notario of your own choosing, pay only through an escrow account, and move no deposit before the notario's green light. Verify the registered escritura and that the land is not ejido. You can bring your own lawyer.
- Is the sargassum disclosure honest?
- We publish a sargassum-exposure rating on every coastal listing. Across the 11 neighborhoods we rate, none carries a High rating: 4 are rated Low (36 percent) and 7 are rated Moderate.
- Will I be looked after in French?
- Yes. Our team guides you in French at every step, and Maya, our AI concierge, replies in French in under 60 seconds, day and night. You can also reach us in English and Spanish.
Talk to an adviser in French
Leave us your details and a member of our team replies in French. No pressure, no obligation: we answer your questions and show you listings that fit.
Want an answer right now? Maya, our AI concierge, replies in French in under 60 seconds from the chat bubble at the bottom right of your screen.