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Akumal Real Estate for Sale
The turtle bay between Tulum and Playa del Carmen, and one of the few places on this coast where everything we list is already built.
Akumal
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Akumal real estate is the established, low rise, family end of this coast. The name means place of the turtles in Maya, and it is not marketing: green turtles feed on the seagrass in the bay year round and you can swim out to them from the beach.
What it is like
Akumal sits about twenty five minutes north of Tulum and twenty minutes south of Playa del Carmen, arranged around two bays. Akumal Bay is the main one, shallow and protected by reef, with the dive shops, the beach restaurants and the turtles. Half Moon Bay curves north from it and is quieter, more residential and where most of the private houses are.
The village has been here since the 1950s, which by Riviera Maya standards makes it ancient. That shows in the trees, the low building heights and the fact that nothing is under construction on the scale you see further south. It is a settled place rather than an emerging one.
Yal Ku lagoon at the northern end is a brackish inlet where fresh groundwater meets the sea, good snorkelling and calmer than the open bay. Aktun Chen and several cenotes are a short drive inland.
What is for sale
Most of what we list sits inside Bahía Príncipe, a gated resort community with its own golf course, where one and two bedroom condos start at $150,000 USD and the larger villas reach $1,500,000 USD. Outside the gate, on and around the bay, are the estates: oceanfront houses of up to nine bedrooms at up to $2,700,000 USD, and a jungle house on a 5,000 m² lot. The median asking price is $310,000 USD.
Every property we list in Akumal is finished, which is rare on this coast. It also makes Akumal two markets at once: lock and leave condos with resort amenities and golf, and large houses for groups and for families who want room.
Who it suits
Lock and leave owners who want resort amenities and a golf course without a construction site next door. Families and long stay owners, and group rental operators on the bay. It also suits anyone who wants to be on this coast without Tulum prices or Tulum construction noise.
What to watch
Akumal is a village, not a town. The restaurant and shop choice is limited and you will drive to Playa del Carmen or Tulum for anything substantial.
The turtles are protected and access to parts of the bay is regulated, with guides required in some areas and seasonal restrictions. That is a good thing for the place and worth understanding before you buy expecting unrestricted use of the water.
Inside Bahía Príncipe the community sets its own fees and its own rules on short term letting. Ask for both on the specific building before you rely on a rental figure.
Beachfront ownership means the federal maritime zone at the shoreline and, for foreign buyers, the fideicomiso, the bank trust through which foreign buyers hold property within fifty kilometres of the coast, with full ownership rights.
The figures on this page are asking prices from our own current listings. They are not closed transactions and they are not comparables.
Quick facts
Beach
Akumal Bay, walking distance from the village and from Bahia Principe
Town centre
Akumal pueblo, a few minutes; Tulum about 30 min by car, Playa about 25
Condo prices
Median $285,000 USD across 19 listings; the least expensive way onto this stretch of coast
Lot prices
One land listing on our book at present; ask us before assuming the market has none
Land tenure
Private titled land, condominium regime; foreign buyers hold through a fideicomiso
HOA fees
Set by each building. Most of our stock sits inside Bahia Principe, which carries a community fee as well; we quote both on each listing
Short-term rentals
Permitted; community and building bylaws apply; state registration and lodging tax required
Infrastructure
Resort services inside Bahia Principe. In the village itself, ask us what a specific property connects to
Who this area suits
Akumal suits the buyer who wants to walk through the thing they are buying. Thirty finished properties, in a region where a great deal of what is for sale is still a rendering: less choice, and no delivery date to worry about.
It suits anyone who wants an apartment on this coast for under $300,000 USD and does not need a town around it. It suits divers and families who will actually use the water, because the reef is at the end of the road rather than a boat ride away.
Two things to weigh honestly. Almost all our condo stock sits inside one development, Bahia Principe, so a condo buyer here is in practice buying into a single community with one fee structure and one resale market. And Akumal Bay is a protected marine area, not a private amenity: snorkelling with the turtles needs a licensed guide, a buoyed lane and a minimum distance, and on a good morning there is a queue.
It suits nobody who wants a night out, a wide choice, or a house under a million dollars. On healthcare the village has a clinic rather than a hospital, which matters if you have a condition that needs one.
Deciding between Akumal and Tulum? Our Tulum vs Akumal guide sets the two side by side, including what the bay’s protections mean for an owner and how renting out compares.
Rental and market data
Data as of September 2026. Asking figures are from our own live listings on 22 September 2026: 30 properties.
Every one of the 30 is finished. There is no pre-construction on our Akumal book at all. That is the single most useful fact about this market and it is true of nowhere else we sell.
Median asking price $309,500 USD across all types. Condos $285,000 (19 listings), houses $1,399,000 (9), beachfront $1,950,000 (5).
Asking price per square foot, built about $289 USD, against Tulum's $262. So the cheaper headline median is an artefact of a book that leans to apartments. Measured by what you actually get, Akumal is the dearer market.
We do not publish short term rental figures for Akumal because the trackers we use do not break it out, and we will not estimate one. These are asking prices. They are not closed transactions and they are not comparables.
Where it is
Nearby areas
Tulum, about 30 minutes south: fourteen times the book, cheaper per square foot, a real town, and a market where a great deal of what is for sale has not been built yet.
Puerto Aventuras, about 20 minutes north: a gated marina community, dearer again per foot, and half of it still under construction.
Soliman Bay and Tankah, between here and Tulum: quieter still, almost entirely houses, and very little ever comes up.
Akumal
The draw
- Green turtles feed in the bay year round
- A settled village since the 1950s, low rise throughout
- Beachfront on this coast without Tulum prices
What you get
- Every listing finished and ready to view
- Bahía Príncipe condos from $150,000 USD
- Villas and estates on the bay up to $2,700,000 USD
On the doorstep
- Akumal Bay and quieter Half Moon Bay
- Yal Ku lagoon and Aktun Chen
- Beach restaurants and dive shops
Getting around
- Tulum about 25 minutes
- Playa del Carmen about 20 minutes
- Cancun airport about an hour
Villa AK | Iconic Beachfront Estate on Akumal Bay, Riviera Maya
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Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about our properties, services, and buying process. If you need more help, feel free to reach out to us
Yes. Foreigners can own property in Mexico via a “fideicomiso”: a trust with a Mexican bank facilitated by a notary. The bank acts as a trustee and follows instructions from the property owner. Via this arrangement, foreigners can have all rights to use, occupy, lease, build, improve, and sell their property. On average, it takes 60 to 90 days to complete a property purchase. Tulum Land & Property works closely with a trusted team of lawyers and notaries who ensure that all legal processes proceed smoothly. Another way of owning property in Mexico is by creating a Mexican corporation. This is recommended when investors plan to own several properties.
Most pre-construction properties require a refundable deposit of $5,000 USD to secure the unit. Our properties are in high demand so this deposit secures the unit while contracts are drafted. Typically buyers make a down payment of 30% but larger down payments lead to larger discounts. The rest of the payments are made according to negotiable payment plans spreading the cost over the construction time, allowing investors to enjoy better liquidity before delivery.
It depends on the property, the street, how it is furnished and how it is run, so we do not quote a single return figure for any market. Where we hold published short term rental data for an area, such as AirDNA's occupancy and nightly rate figures, it appears in the market data on that area's page, attributed to its source. Where a seller or developer supplies figures for a specific home, we tell you whose figures they are and suggest you verify them independently.
For foreigners investing in Mexico, the best way to obtain finance is to do so at home. In the US, you may take a Home Equity Loan or Home Equity Line of Credit (click here). Many pre-construction developments also offer payment plans that spread the cost over the construction period. Financing in Mexico is typically 8% to 9% plus fees and involves a lengthy process.
Closing costs are typically 7% of the property value. This includes the acquisition tax, recordation fee, certificate of no liens, municipal appraisal, legal and closing fees, and public notary fees. The yearly property tax in Mexico is typically 0.1% of the property value. HOA fees typically start from $2.5 USD per square meter per month depending on the amenities included. The cost of furniture and appliances must also be considered in your budget. Our team of experts can help you understand these costs, schedule a call with us to get started (click here).
To ensure a property has a clear title, conduct a title search through a reputable notary or legal professional. This process verifies that the seller has legal ownership and that there are no liens or encumbrances on the property. Working with experienced local professionals can help navigate this process.
Our markets are generally safe places to visit and to live. On Numbeo, whose crime index is built from residents' and visitors' own reports, Tulum currently scores lower than many large US cities, Miami among them. Like any busy tourist destination the region has occasional serious incidents, and these rarely involve visitors or residents going about their day. The usual travel precautions apply, as they would anywhere popular with visitors, and forums for first time travellers to Mexico carry plenty of practical advice on avoiding scams and petty theft.
Many of the condos and villas we sell come with amenities, depending on the location. Usual amenities include: pool, spa, rooftop, fitness and yoga centre, co-working space, etc.
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Tulum, about 30 minutes south: fourteen times the book, cheaper per square foot, a real town, and a market where a great deal of what is for sale has not been built yet.
Puerto Aventuras, about 20 minutes north: a gated marina community, dearer again per foot, and half of it still under construction.
Soliman Bay and Tankah, between here and Tulum: quieter still, almost entirely houses, and very little ever comes up.