San Felipe closing costs and ISAI (2026)
Buying in San Felipe through a fideicomiso costs about 5.4% to 5.6% of the price in closing costs in 2026, before legal fees. San Felipe now sets its own ISAI as a separate municipality, and its wide low brackets give it the lowest effective ISAI of the four towns we track for most prices. The estimate at the top of this page calculates your own figure.
Written by Galarza Legal · Updated October 2026
Estimates only. Every fee, tax, cost and total on this page is an estimate for general information, based on the 2026 published government tables and typical quotes from banks, notaries and appraisers. What you actually pay is set by each office, bank, notary or provider when you pay it, and changes with the exchange rate, the appraisal and the details of your property. Galarza Legal confirms figures only in a written quote.
Use the estimator on this page (it runs in your browser) for a figure for your price and structure, or ask us for an exact quote.
What is ISAI?
ISAI (Impuesto sobre Adquisición de Inmuebles) is the buyer's tax on acquiring real estate, owed to the municipality where the property is. Its base is the highest of the price, the valor catastral in the catastro's records and the avalúo (appraisal); the notary works it out and usually pays it from funds the buyer gives the notary when the deed is signed.
Why does San Felipe have its own ISAI now?
San Felipe is its own municipality, and for 2026 it has its own Ley de Ingresos (income law). Article 5 of that law sets the ISAI for property in San Felipe. San Felipe's territory used to belong to Mexicali (and, in part, to Ensenada), and its 2026 ISAI brackets are the same as those in Mexicali's 2026 law, so long-time owners will recognise the scale.
What this means in practice: the ISAI, predial and catastral paperwork for a San Felipe property now belongs with San Felipe's municipal offices, and older unpaid taxes for the area are payable to San Felipe's Tesorería. If the predial account or the catastral record was opened under Mexicali or Ensenada, ask the notary early which office issues the current receipts and certificates. Sorting this out before the signing date avoids a last-minute delay.
What are San Felipe's ISAI brackets for 2026?
Eight brackets. The first is wide: 1.5% on the first MXN 800,000 (about USD 43,000), compared with MXN 500,000 in Rosarito and Ensenada. The top rate of 5% begins above MXN 6.4 million, about USD 346,000. Each fixed amount is the tax on all the brackets below, so the higher rate applies only to the part of the base inside your bracket.
Formula: ISAI = (base − bracket floor) × marginal rate + fixed amount. Dollar limits are rough conversions at 18.50 MXN per USD.
| Bracket | Base from (MXN) | Base up to (MXN) | About USD up to | Fixed amount (MXN) | Marginal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.01 | 800,000 | 43,243 | 0 | 1.5% |
| 2 | 800,000.01 | 1,500,000 | 81,081 | 12,000 | 2.0% |
| 3 | 1,500,000.01 | 2,300,000 | 124,324 | 26,000 | 2.5% |
| 4 | 2,300,000.01 | 3,100,000 | 167,568 | 46,000 | 3.0% |
| 5 | 3,100,000.01 | 4,000,000 | 216,216 | 70,000 | 3.5% |
| 6 | 4,000,000.01 | 5,000,000 | 270,270 | 101,500 | 4.0% |
| 7 | 5,000,000.01 | 6,400,000 | 345,946 | 141,500 | 4.5% |
| 8 | above 6,400,000 | — | above 345,946 | 204,500 | 5.0% |
Estimates only. Final amounts are set by each office, bank, notary or provider at the time of payment, and change with the exchange rate, the appraisal and the details of the property.
San Felipe worked examples at USD 200,000 to 800,000
A USD 200,000 home (MXN 3,700,000) is in bracket 5: (3,700,000 − 3,100,000) × 3.5% + 70,000 = MXN 91,000, or 2.46%. A USD 350,000 home (MXN 6,475,000) has just crossed into the top bracket, but only MXN 75,000 of its base is taxed at 5%: (6,475,000 − 6,400,000) × 5% + 204,500 = MXN 208,250, or 3.22%.
Totals are for a foreign buyer with a new fideicomiso, buyer's side, at 18.50 MXN per USD, excluding legal fees. On our comparison of the 2026 tables, San Felipe's effective ISAI is the lowest of Rosarito, Tijuana, Ensenada and San Felipe up to roughly USD 750,000; at USD 800,000 it is about level with Tijuana.
| Price (USD) | Base (MXN) | Bracket | Estimated ISAI (MXN) | Effective ISAI | Estimated Total buyer cost (MXN) | Estimated total (USD) | Estimated total % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200,000 | 3,700,000 | 5 | 91,000 | 2.46% | 206,305 | 11,152 | 5.58% |
| 350,000 | 6,475,000 | 8 | 208,250 | 3.22% | 348,426 | 18,834 | 5.38% |
| 500,000 | 9,250,000 | 8 | 347,000 | 3.75% | 503,552 | 27,219 | 5.44% |
| 800,000 | 14,800,000 | 8 | 624,500 | 4.22% | 802,031 | 43,353 | 5.42% |
Estimates only. Final amounts are set by each office, bank, notary or provider at the time of payment, and change with the exchange rate, the appraisal and the details of the property.
Who gets paid on a USD 350,000 San Felipe purchase?
The same USD 350,000 purchase, grouped by who receives each payment. The buyer pays each one directly. Bank fees use the firm's reference figures for BIM (Banco Inmobiliario Mexicano), USD 650 setup and USD 550 for the first year; the bank quotes its own fees. Amounts are rounded.
| Paid to | What for | Estimated MXN | Estimated share of closing costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality of San Felipe (through the notary) | ISAI, Ley de Ingresos de San Felipe 2026, Art. 5 | 208,250 | 60% |
| Notaría | Notary fees under the Arancel de Notarios del Estado de B.C. (firm estimate), plus IVA 8% if the notary applies the border incentive | 68,643 | 20% |
| SRE | Fideicomiso permit MXN 21,648.83 and examination MXN 596.29 (Ley Federal de Derechos, Art. 25) | 22,245 | 6% |
| Trustee bank | Setup and first annual fee | 22,200 | 6% |
| Appraiser | Avalúo (firm reference fee) | 14,000 | 4% |
| RPPC (through the notary) | Document analysis, preventive notice, trust inscription (Ley de Ingresos del Estado de B.C. 2026, Art. 12) | 13,089 | 4% |
| Total | 348,426 | 5.38% of the price |
Estimates only. Final amounts are set by each office, bank, notary or provider at the time of payment, and change with the exchange rate, the appraisal and the details of the property.
New trust, trust takeover or direct purchase in San Felipe?
The structure of the purchase changes the San Felipe total at the same USD 350,000 price. ISAI of MXN 208,250 is due in all three cases; what changes is the federal permit and the bank. The figures below are worked from the firm's 2026 estimate and rounded.
A takeover is cheaper on paper, but only if the existing trust is in order: the right beneficiaries, a term with years left and a bank you are willing to keep. If any of that needs fixing, the savings can disappear.
| Structure | SRE (estimate) | Trustee bank, first year (estimate) | Estimated Total buyer cost (MXN) | Estimated total % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New fideicomiso (foreign buyer) | Permit 21,649 + examination 596 | Setup + annual, about 22,200 | 348,426 | 5.38% |
| Cesión de derechos (taking over the seller's trust) | None (the bank reports the assignment to the SRE) | Assignment + annual, about 22,200 | about 326,181 | about 5.04% |
| Direct title (Mexican national) | None | None | about 303,981 | about 4.69% |
Estimates only. Final amounts are set by each office, bank, notary or provider at the time of payment, and change with the exchange rate, the appraisal and the details of the property.
What should San Felipe buyers check locally?
San Felipe lies on the coast of the Gulf of California, inside the restricted zone set by Article 27 of the Constitution, so foreign buyers hold residential property through a fideicomiso with a Mexican bank as trustee. If the home is already held in a fideicomiso, that raises its own checks:
- Existing trust or new trust? Taking over the seller's fideicomiso (cesión de derechos) needs no new SRE permit and no permit modification; the bank reports the assignment to the SRE in its annual report. ISAI is still due. Review the trust's remaining term and bank first.
- Land status. Confirm the lot is private property. Ejido land is governed by agrarian law, and a civil lawsuit or a private contract does not make it private.
- Federal maritime zone. On beachfront lots the 20-meter strip from the high-tide line is ZOFEMAT, federal land usable only under a SEMARNAT concession.
- Predial, water and HOA. Get current receipts from the office that now issues them.
- Courts. San Felipe's civil courts are scheduled to start applying the new national procedure code (CNPCF, oral trials) to new cases on 31 March 2027 (state Congress declaratoria, Periódico Oficial, 30 January 2026); until then new cases follow the old Código de Procedimientos Civiles.
How Galarza Legal can help in San Felipe
Galarza Legal has an office in San Felipe as well as its main office in Playas de Rosarito. Lic. Pati Claudia Galarza (Cédula Profesional 15176510) and her bilingual team review the title and land status, decide with you between a new trust and a cesión, coordinate the notary, the SRE and the trustee bank, and check each invoice against the 2026 tables. You pay the notary, the bank and the government yourself; the firm does not receive or hold those funds.
For tax questions in your home country, ask a U.S. or Canadian tax professional. Call +1 619-568-2424, email info@galarza.mx or book a consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Is San Felipe a separate municipality from Mexicali?
How much is ISAI in San Felipe in 2026?
What are total closing costs in San Felipe for a USD 350,000 home?
Is San Felipe cheaper to close in than Rosarito?
Does Galarza Legal have an office in San Felipe?
Do I have to pay ISAI if I take over the seller's trust?
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Related guides
- Baja California closing costs overview
- Galarza Legal in San Felipe
- Fideicomiso in San Felipe
- Transferring an existing fideicomiso
- Beachfront property and the federal zone
- Our offices
- Book a consultation
Galarza Legal — Playas de Rosarito · San Felipe · info@galarza.mx · +1 619-568-2424