El Cuyo Land for Sale
A fishing village on the Yucatan's north coast, at the edge of the Rio Lagartos reserve, where land is still measured in hectares.
El Cuyo
The village
- A few hundred residents
- Sand streets and a lighthouse
- Working fishing fleet
- No resorts or chain hotels
Outdoors
- Long shallow Gulf beach
- Reliable wind, strong kitesurfing
- Río Lagartos biosphere reserve
- Flamingos and the pink lakes at Las Coloradas
Access
- Mérida about 3 hours
- Cancun about 4 hours
- Remote by design
Before you buy
- Reserve adjacency restricts building
- Confirm title, boundaries and access rights
- Budget for remote construction costs
El Cuyo is a small fishing village on the northern coast of the Yucatán peninsula, at the eastern edge of the Río Lagartos biosphere reserve. Both of our listings here are land, and they sit at opposite ends of the scale.
What it is like
El Cuyo is what people mean when they say the Yucatán coast has not been developed. A few hundred residents, sand streets, a lighthouse, a working fishing fleet and a long shallow beach on the Gulf side that is one of the best kitesurfing spots in Mexico because of the reliable wind.
The reserve beside it holds flamingos, crocodiles and the pink lakes at Las Coloradas. There are no resorts, no chain hotels and no beach clubs in the Tulum sense. What there is instead is a small, slow village with a growing number of foreign residents who came for exactly that.
It is remote. Mérida is around three hours away, Cancún around four. That distance is the reason the place still looks like this.
What is for sale
Two very different things. A fenced 261 m² building lot on Calle 14 in the village at $158,500 USD. And Natural Bio Reserve, two titled parcels totalling roughly 793.78 hectares with year round aguadas, from $9,980,000 USD.
The first is a plot to build a house on. The second is a conservation scale holding and a different conversation entirely.
Who it suits
The village lot suits someone who wants to build small in a place that has not been discovered yet, and who understands what living three hours from a city actually means day to day.
The reserve parcel suits a conservation buyer, a carbon or ecotourism project, or an institution. It is not a residential purchase.
What to watch
Remoteness is the whole proposition and also the whole risk. Services, medical care, construction labour and materials are all harder and more expensive here than in the Riviera Maya. Budget accordingly.
Land adjoining a biosphere reserve carries environmental restrictions on what may be built and how much may be cleared. Establish the position on the specific parcel with documents.
On a holding of this size, title, boundaries, access rights and any ejido history need verification by a lawyer who has handled large rural parcels in Yucatán before.
The figures on this page are asking prices from our own current listings. They are not closed transactions and they are not comparables.
El Cuyo
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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 Tulum 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 Tulum 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.
Tulum real estate agents estimate the average annual ROI to be between 6% and 10%. This depends upon location, amenities, rental rates and design. Our team of experts at Tulum Land & Property focus on finding properties that generate 10% to 20% ROI per year.
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). Buyers are able to repay their monthly loan payments with rental income from their vacation rental. During the high season in Tulum, a two-bedroom apartment can rent for up to $500 USD per night and villas can command over $1,000 USD per night. Financing in Mexico is typically 8%-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.
Tulum is safe. Recent data shows that the crime index is in fact lower in Tulum than in major cities of the United States, such as Miami (see here). Occasional violent incidents usually do not involve foreigners and tourists, but are rather restricted to disputes between cartels. As for every destination prized by tourists, the usual precautions do apply in Tulum when it comes to irregular activities and behaviour. Many tips are available on forums for first-time travellers to Mexico on how to avoid scams and theft (example here).
Many of the condos and villas sold in Tulum 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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