Search for closing costs in Los Cabos and you will find several different answers, several percentage points apart, quoted with equal confidence on sites that all look reputable. When we put this question to four AI assistants across twelve runs, the pages they cited published totals ranging from 4 to 15 percent of the purchase price.
There is a reason for the spread, and it is not that everyone is guessing. Fees and rules here move, sometimes from one year to the next. A figure that was right when it was written goes stale without anyone updating the page it sits on, and nothing on the page tells you which kind you are looking at.
So this page does two things. It gives you a range with a date on it, and then it tells you exactly how to turn that range into a real number for the property you are actually looking at.
The short answer, as of October 2026
As of October 2026, a buyer should expect around 4 to 7 percent of the purchase price.
Where you land inside that depends on the property, the value the tax is calculated on, and whether your purchase needs a bank trust. Where one is needed, the trust charges land on the same closing statement as everything else, and both conventions are used for quoting: some estimates fold them into the percentage and some quote them separately. Ask which you have been given. It is a wide band on purpose, because the alternative is a precise figure that is wrong.
The number that matters to you is not the range. It is the itemized estimate your notary or attorney prepares once a specific property is identified, which is the point at which every variable above becomes a known quantity.
These ranges reflect our latest information and can change. Contact us for a current estimate on the property you are considering, and we will put the question to the notaries and attorneys we work with.
The acquisition tax, and it is municipal
The largest single line is the impuesto sobre adquisición de bienes inmuebles, ISABI.
The Ley de Hacienda para el Municipio de Los Cabos sets it at 3 percent at Article 35, charged on the highest of the price, the official value, or a commercial appraisal.
One point of terminology, because getting it wrong will send you to the wrong office and the wrong law. ISABI is a municipal tax, not a state tax. You will see it described as a state acquisition tax or a state transfer tax. It is neither. It is levied by the municipality of Los Cabos under the municipality’s own revenue law.
It is not charged on what you paid
It is worth stating plainly, because the two words are one letter apart.
The base is the highest of three figures: the price in the contract, the cadastral or fiscal value, and the expert commercial appraisal. The highest, not the agreed price.
For a purchase at market value the contract price is usually the highest and nothing unexpected happens. Where it matters is a purchase below market, or a property whose cadastral value has been revised upward. Our guide to the avalúo goes into how the three values interact.
Ask which of the three values is being used, and what that value is. It is a one-sentence question and it is the difference between a surprise and a plan.
The government trust permit
A foreign buyer in Los Cabos will normally hold through a fideicomiso, because the property sits in what is known as the restricted zone, and a federal permit is required for it.
There is a federal permit fee, set each year, and your notario will confirm the current amount. There is a smaller application review charge alongside it.
That permit fee is a government charge. It is separate from what the trustee bank charges to set up and run the trust, which is a commercial fee, varies by bank, and is quoted by the bank rather than set by the government. Ask for the current setup charge and the annual charge as two separate figures, because they are two separate things.
The appraisal
A commercial appraisal is part of the process, and the buyer pays for it.
You do not choose the appraiser. Banks and notaries work from their own lists, so the appointment is made from there rather than by you. Ask your notario who will be appointed, and when.
The timing is worth planning around. An appraisal is valid for a limited period, roughly three months, which is tighter than it sounds against a Mexican closing timeline, particularly one waiting on a trust permit. Commissioned too early, it expires before signing and has to be redone and paid for again.
What only your own transaction can tell you
Two costs vary enough that a published figure would mislead you, and we would rather say so than pad the page.
Notario fees. Your notario will quote them. On a developer sale, NOM-247-SE-2021 obliges them to explain how the costs of the deed are made up, and it is a reasonable thing to ask for on any purchase. Ask for that breakdown rather than a single bundled figure.
What your own trustee bank will charge. As of October 2026, setup runs at approximately $1,000 to $2,000 USD and the annual fee at approximately $500 to $1,000 USD. What lands on your account depends on the bank and in some cases on the property, so the figure to work from is a written quote rather than a range. Our guide to what a fideicomiso costs goes into both sides and what to ask the bank.
And one thing we have decided not to give you: a worked example in dollars. We could construct one. It would be illustrative rather than real, and on a page whose entire subject is that published figures go stale, an invented example would be the worst thing we could put on it.
What should be on the estimate
When the itemized estimate arrives, these are the lines to look for. If one is missing, ask why rather than assuming it does not apply.
- The municipal acquisition tax, with the value it was calculated on stated, not just the resulting amount
- The federal trust permit fee, if your purchase is going into a fideicomiso
- The application review charge that sits alongside the permit
- The commercial appraisal, which you are paying for
- Notario fees, broken down rather than given as one figure
- Registration and certificate charges, the small administrative items that are easy to leave off a verbal quote
- The trustee bank’s setup fee, and whether the figure quoted includes IVA
A quote that arrives as a single percentage with no breakdown behind it is not an estimate, it is a guess with your name on it. Ask to see the components rather than a single figure. On a developer sale that explanation is an obligation under NOM-247-SE-2021, and on a resale it is still the right question.
How to get a real number for your purchase
The range tells you whether a purchase works. It does not tell you what you will wire. Four questions convert one into the other, and all four are answerable before you commit.
Ask the notary or attorney for an itemized closing statement estimate once you have identified a specific property. Itemized, not bundled. This is the document that gives you your actual figure.
Ask which of the three values is being used as the tax base, and what that value is.
Ask the trustee bank for its setup fee and annual fee in writing, and whether the quote is before or after IVA.
Ask when the appraisal will be commissioned, so it is still valid at signing.
That is the sequence worth following. Start with the notario or an attorney for the itemized estimate, and with the bank for the trust figures, and help you get the figures in writing before you commit to anything.
Our Buyer’s Guide walks through the whole purchase, and our FAQ page answers the other questions buyers ask most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are total closing costs for a buyer in Los Cabos?
As of October 2026, expect around 4 to 7 percent of the purchase price. The exact figure depends on the property, on which value the acquisition tax is calculated against, and on whether the purchase needs a bank trust. Your notary or attorney prepares a full itemized estimate once a specific property is identified.
Why do published figures disagree so much?
Because fees and rules here change, sometimes year to year, and published pages are not always updated. A figure without a date on it may still be current, but you have no way of telling, which is why we date ours and tell you how to get your own.
What is ISABI and how much is it?
The municipal acquisition tax on real property. The Ley de Hacienda para el Municipio de Los Cabos sets it at 3 percent, charged on the highest of the price, the official value, or a commercial appraisal.
Is the acquisition tax a state tax?
No. It is municipal, levied by the municipality of Los Cabos under its own revenue law, despite being widely described as a state tax.
Is the tax charged on the price I pay?
Not necessarily. The base is the highest of the contract price, the cadastral or fiscal value, and the expert commercial appraisal.
How much is the government trust permit?
There is a federal permit fee set each year, and a smaller application review charge alongside it. Your notario will confirm the current amounts. Both are government charges and are separate from what the trustee bank charges.
Who pays for the appraisal, and who chooses the appraiser?
The buyer pays. Banks and notaries work from their own lists of appraisers, so ask your notario who will be appointed and when.
How long is the appraisal valid?
A limited period, roughly three months. Ask your notario when it should be commissioned so it is still valid at signing.
When do I find out the exact figure?
Once you have identified a specific property, ask the notary or attorney for an itemized closing statement estimate. Do not accept a single bundled number.
If you take one thing from this page, it is that a percentage is a planning tool and an itemized estimate is the answer. The gap between them is where the surprises live. Ask us for a current estimate on a property you are considering, and we will help you get it itemized with the value each line was calculated on.