The upfront total
Budget for three things before you have keys: the first month, the deposit, and the guarantee.
| Item | On a $45,000 MXN apartment | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First month's rent | $45,000 | Paid on signing |
| Deposit | $45,000 | One month is standard, refundable |
| Póliza jurídica | $10,800 to $27,000 | 2-5% of the annual contract |
| Agent commission | $0 | Paid by the property owner, not you |
| Total to move in | $100,800 to $117,000 | Roughly 2.2 to 2.6 months |
In Mexico City the rental commission is paid by the property owner or the listing agency, not the tenant. If someone asks you for a finder's fee on a standard residential lease, ask why. It is one month's rent and it is not supposed to come from your side.
Rent by neighborhood
Asking rents from every Inmuebles24 apartment listing in the five areas most expat renters search, September 2026, with Condesa including Hipódromo and Hipódromo Condesa. The 1 and 2 bedroom columns show the middle half of the market; the premium column is the upper half of two-bedroom listings, from the median to the 90th percentile. Polanco one-bedrooms are a thin sample. Below these numbers you are usually trading location, light or building condition; above them you are paying for a renovation or an address.
| Neighborhood | 1 bedroom | 2 bedroom | Premium 2 bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roma Norte | $24,000 to $32,000 | $32,000 to $55,000 | $43,000 to $60,000 |
| Condesa | $22,000 to $35,000 | $39,000 to $59,000 | $49,000 to $70,000 |
| Polanco | $35,000 to $65,000 | $57,000 to $92,000 | $70,000 to $110,000 |
| Juárez | $27,000 to $40,000 | $32,000 to $54,000 | $38,000 to $64,000 |
| Cuauhtémoc | $19,000 to $34,000 | $30,000 to $45,000 | $35,000 to $58,000 |
Furnished carries a premium, typically ten to twenty-five percent, and the supply skews furnished in the areas foreigners favour.
The foreigner premium is real, and negotiable
Pricing in the most expat-dense pockets of Roma Norte and Condesa runs above what the same apartment would fetch two streets outside them. That is not a rumour, it is how the market has responded to demand that arrives with fewer options and less local knowledge.
Two things help. Knowing the range before you walk in, which is what the table above is for. And not being visibly out of options, which is what having your documents and a póliza already sorted does for you.
Monthly costs beyond rent
- Maintenance in a building with shared areas, often $500 to $2,500 MXN, sometimes already included.
- Electricity, billed every two months by CFE. Modest without air conditioning.
- Water and gas, frequently folded into maintenance.
- Internet, roughly $400 to $700 MXN for fibre.
Ask which of these are included before signing. It is a normal question and the answer changes the real monthly figure more than most people expect.
One cost that is not money
Good apartments in Roma Norte and Condesa are gone within hours or days. Roughly half of what is listed on the big Mexican portals at any moment is already unavailable. The cost of arriving unprepared is not measured in pesos, it is measured in the places you lose while assembling documents you could have had ready.