What rental yield is realistic in the Riviera Maya
The 8% to 12% in circulation is gross, and it is published by people who sell. Here is what measured occupancy and the costs almost no brochure subtracts actually say.
The 8% to 12% range is everywhere, and tracing each source leads to the same kind of publisher every time: an agency, a brokerage or a realtor association. None publishes occupancy or costs beside the number, and no independent provider publishes a net yield for these markets.
Measured occupancy is the first correction. Over the last twelve measured months (Jul 2025–Jun 2026), median short-stay occupancy was 37% in Cancún and Playa del Carmen, 32% in Puerto Morelos and 26% in Tulum, at average rates of USD 129 to 196 a night. Over the same period revenue per unit fell in three of the four markets — 5.2% in Cancún, 6.5% in Playa and 15.9% in Tulum — while supply grew 13% to 16%. Only Puerto Morelos grew, by 2.9%.
Costs are the second correction, and the heaviest one is almost never shown: non-resident income tax is 25% of GROSS income, with no deductions. On top of that come lodging tax (6%), VAT (16%), the per-night sanitation duty, property tax and management (20–30% of rent). An 8% gross does not survive that list intact.
The practical rule does not change, but now it has figures behind it: ask for the net breakdown, the occupancy it assumes and the period it comes from. A yield quoted without those three is not an estimate, it is a brochure. And if the rental model does not cover the cost of the financing, the asset has to stand on what using it is worth to you, not on the arithmetic.
Informational content only; it is not financial, tax or legal advice. Confirm every detail with an Arano Investments Group advisor before deciding.
