Legal Clarity
Closing Costs in San Miguel de Allende by Purchase Price : What the Law Fixes, from MXN 2 Million to 30 Million
The question people actually ask is not what closing costs are in general. It is what they are on a house at their price. This page computes the part the law fixes, at eleven peso prices and six dollar prices, and says what is not in it.
Short answer
On a MXN 5 million home in San Miguel de Allende, the closing costs fixed by 2026 law come to MXN 212,720, or 4.3 per cent of the price: 162,007 of acquisition tax (ISAI), 39,440 for the notary at the tariff maximum with IVA, and about 11,273 in registry, certificate, appraisal and permit fees. The share runs from 3.7 per cent at MXN 2 million to 4.6 at 30 million. Negotiated fees come on top.
Most pages on closing costs give one percentage for every buyer. The law does not work that way. The acquisition tax is progressive and carries a fixed deduction, the notary tariff has a ceiling that falls as a share of price, and four of the lines are flat fees. So the share of price that the law fixes is different at every price.
This page computes that share at eleven peso prices and six dollar prices. It is the companion to the line-by-line account of closing costs, which explains each charge and where the published totals disagree.
The table
Every figure is in pesos and is computed from the 2026 statutes for a foreign buyer paying the full declared price. It is our arithmetic, not a published total. “Fixed by law” is the acquisition tax (ISAI), the notary at the tariff maximum with IVA, and the flat fees: the registry inscription, the lien certificate, the municipal appraisal and the foreign-buyer filing. Each is set out below the tables.
| Price (MXN) | Fixed by law | Share | ISAI | Notary, max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 million | 73,520 | 3.7% | 42,007 | 22,040 |
| 3 million | 119,920 | 4.0% | 82,007 | 27,840 |
| 4 million | 166,320 | 4.2% | 122,007 | 33,640 |
| 5 million | 212,720 | 4.3% | 162,007 | 39,440 |
| 6 million | 259,120 | 4.3% | 202,007 | 45,240 |
| 8 million | 351,920 | 4.4% | 282,007 | 56,840 |
| 10 million | 444,720 | 4.4% | 362,007 | 68,440 |
| 12 million | 537,520 | 4.5% | 442,007 | 80,040 |
| 15 million | 676,720 | 4.5% | 562,007 | 97,440 |
| 20 million | 908,720 | 4.5% | 762,007 | 126,440 |
| 30 million | 1,372,720 | 4.6% | 1,162,007 | 184,440 |
Three things to read off it. The share rises with price, from 3.7 per cent at MXN 2 million to 4.6 at 30 million, because the acquisition tax is the largest line and its fixed deduction matters less as the price grows. The notary line moves the other way: its ceiling is 1.10 per cent of the price at MXN 2 million and 0.61 at 30 million. And the flat fees are small at any price: the registry, the lien certificate, the appraisal and the foreign-buyer filing together are MXN 9,473 at 2 million and MXN 26,273 at 30 million.
If your price is in dollars
Homes in San Miguel de Allende are often priced in dollars, but every one of these charges is assessed in pesos. The table converts at 17.4601 pesos to the dollar, the European Central Bank reference cross for 23 July 2026, which this site uses on every page so that figures can be compared.
| Price (USD) | Fixed by law (USD) | Share | In pesos | Fixed by law (MXN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300,000 | 12,816 | 4.3% | 5,238,030 | 223,765 |
| 500,000 | 22,096 | 4.4% | 8,730,050 | 385,794 |
| 750,000 | 33,696 | 4.5% | 13,095,075 | 588,332 |
| 1,000,000 | 45,296 | 4.5% | 17,460,100 | 790,869 |
| 1,500,000 | 68,496 | 4.6% | 26,190,150 | 1,195,943 |
| 2,000,000 | 91,696 | 4.6% | 34,920,200 | 1,601,017 |
The dollar figure moves with the peso and the percentage barely does. On 2 October 2026 Banco de México’s FIX was 18.1903. At that rate a US$500,000 purchase is MXN 9,095,150 and the fixed costs are MXN 402,735, which is US$22,140 and 4.4 per cent. Recompute at the rate on the day you close.
How each line is computed
- Acquisition tax (ISAI). The value of the property less ten annual UMAs, MXN 427,946.40 in 2026, under Article 338 fracción I of the Ley Hacendaria Municipal para el Estado de Guanajuato. On that base, Article 7 of the 2026 Ley de Ingresos for San Miguel de Allende charges MXN 39,125 plus 4 per cent of the amount above MXN 1,500,000. The table assumes the price is the highest of the three values the law compares: the price, the fiscal value and a certified appraisal less than a year old.
- Notary. The maximum of Guanajuato’s residual tariff, Article 21 fracción I of the Ley Arancelaria: 2 per cent of the first MXN 600,000 and 0.5 per cent of the rest, plus 16 per cent IVA. Article 2 of the same law applies the tariff only where notary and client have not agreed a fee, so this is a ceiling on the default and not on what you may be quoted.
- Registry inscription. MXN 2,460 filed electronically (MXN 2,574 in person), a flat fee per property under Article 10 fracción II of the state’s 2026 revenue law. It is not a percentage of the price.
- Certificate of freedom from liens. MXN 424 electronically (MXN 470 in person), fracción IX of the same article.
- Municipal appraisal. MXN 138.88 plus 0.6 per thousand of the appraised value where the Treasury makes the appraisal, Article 25 fracción II of the municipal law. Where an authorised private valuer prepares it, the municipality charges 30 per cent of that amount to authorise it, in place of the full fee, and the valuer’s own fee is set by no tariff.
- SRE filing. The convenio de renuncia a foreign buyer files, MXN 5,252.02 under Article 25 fracción XV of the Ley Federal de Derechos, payable rounded to MXN 5,250. A Mexican buyer does not pay it.
What the table leaves out
It is a floor, and a real closing costs more. Notary fees above the residual scale are the norm. Gestoría and handling, escrow, your own lawyer, the private valuer’s professional fee and translation are all negotiated, and no source publishes them for San Miguel de Allende from recorded transactions. The two no-debt certificates, MXN 262.77 together, are left out because no source says which party pays them. Lender charges are left out because most purchases here are made in cash.
Published all-in estimates for this market run from about 4 to 9 per cent of the price. The closing-costs briefing sets those estimates beside each other and names who publishes each. The distance between this page’s floor and the figure you are quoted is the negotiated part of your closing, and it is the part to ask about, line by line, before you sign.
Prices below MXN 2 million are not in the table. They fall into the lower brackets of the acquisition tax tariff, and we have not computed those here.
Computed on 8 October 2026 from the statutes in force for 2026. The UMA, the municipal revenue law and the state fee schedule all change each January.
Sources
- H. Congreso del Estado de Guanajuato — Ley de Ingresos para el Municipio de San Miguel de Allende 2026, Arts. 4, 5, 7, 25, 31 fr. II, 33 fr. IX, 49 and 50 (predial tariff, cadastral values, ISAI tariff, avaluo fees, municipal and SAPASMA no-debt certificates, discounts, exemptions) · Fiscal year 2026; published Periodico Oficial No. 260, 21a Parte, 30 December 2025
- H. Congreso del Estado de Guanajuato — Ley Hacendaria Municipal para el Estado de Guanajuato, Arts. 42 (ISAI assessed on the highest of registered fiscal value, transaction value or certified appraisal), 338 fr. I and 339 (value reduced in every operation by ten times the annual UMA, once per unit or operation) · Decreto 202, published Periodico Oficial No. 135, Tercera Parte, 8 July 2026; in force 9 July 2026
- INEGI, Comunicado de Prensa 1/26 — value of the UMA for 2026 (MXN 42,794.64 a year), used for the ten-UMA ISAI reduction of MXN 427,946.40 · Published 8 January 2026; values in force 1 February 2026 to 31 January 2027
- H. Congreso del Estado de Guanajuato — Ley de Ingresos del Estado de Guanajuato para el Ejercicio Fiscal de 2026, Art. 10 (Public Property Registry fees and certificates) · Fiscal year 2026; published Periodico Oficial No. 260, 50a Parte, 30 December 2025
- Ley Arancelaria para el Cobro de Honorarios Profesionales de Abogados y Notarios y de Costas Procesales para el Estado de Guanajuato, Arts. 2 and 21 (Poder Judicial de Guanajuato) · Ultima reforma Periodico Oficial No. 105, 1 July 2016; still the governing arancel
- Camara de Diputados — Ley Federal de Derechos, Arts. 25 fr. XV, 25 fr. V and 26-A (SRE convenio de renuncia fee, fideicomiso permit fees, rounding rule) · 2026 amounts; ultima reforma DOF 7 November 2025, updated per Resolucion Miscelanea Fiscal 2026, DOF 28 December 2025
- European Central Bank reference rates — the euro crosses that give 17.4601 pesos to the US dollar, the conversion this site uses on every page · 23 July 2026
Common Questions
How much are closing costs on a US$500,000 home in San Miguel de Allende?
The part fixed by law is about US$22,096, or 4.4 per cent. US$500,000 is MXN 8,730,050 at 17.4601 pesos to the dollar, the reference rate for 23 July 2026. On that price the 2026 statutes give MXN 311,209 of acquisition tax (ISAI), MXN 61,074 for the notary at the maximum of the residual tariff with IVA, and about MXN 13,511 in registry, certificate, appraisal and foreign-buyer permit fees: MXN 385,794 in all. That is a floor. Notary fees above the tariff, handling, escrow and your own lawyer are negotiated and come on top, which is why published all-in estimates run from 4 to 9 per cent.
Is the acquisition tax (ISAI) 2 per cent in San Miguel de Allende?
No. Two per cent is only the first bracket of a progressive tariff. Under Article 7 of the 2026 municipal revenue law the top bracket is MXN 39,125 plus 4 per cent of the taxable value above MXN 1.5 million, and Article 338 of Guanajuato's municipal finance law first deducts ten annual UMAs, MXN 427,946.40 in 2026, from the value. The result is 2.10 per cent of the price at MXN 2 million, 3.24 at 5 million, 3.62 at 10 million and 3.87 at 30 million. How the San Miguel treasury applies the deduction in practice we have not confirmed.
What is not included in these closing cost figures?
Everything that is negotiated rather than set by a tariff: the notary's fee above the residual scale, which the scale itself allows whenever notary and client agree one; gestoría and handling charges; escrow; your own lawyer; the private valuer's professional fee; translation; and bank or lender charges if you finance. No source publishes those for San Miguel de Allende from recorded transactions. Published all-in estimates run from about 4 to 9 per cent of the price, and the distance between this page's floor and those estimates is the negotiated part.
Does a Mexican buyer pay less at closing than a foreign buyer?
By MXN 5,250 for each foreign buyer on the deed, and nothing else in the statutory lines. A foreigner buying in San Miguel de Allende files a convenio de renuncia with the foreign ministry, at MXN 5,252.02 under Article 25 fracción XV of the Ley Federal de Derechos, payable rounded to MXN 5,250. San Miguel is outside the restricted zone, so no bank trust is needed and none of its fees apply. The acquisition tax, the notary tariff, the registry fee and the appraisal are the same for everyone.
Free quarterly report · Q3 2026 edition
Every statute and fee on this site, in one document.
The SMA Wealth Intelligence Report, 80 pages, free. What homes actually closed for and how long they took, supply at 1.6 to 2 times what this market calls normal, six neighbourhoods, the full cost of buying, holding and selling, the law, and a briefing for your situation. It opens with a digest you can read in ten minutes. No commission agenda, because we do not earn one.