How much is it to build a house in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?

In the Lake Chapala – Ajijic area, you will spend somewhere between 6,000 to 12,000 pesos a square meter ($30 to $61 per square foot) to build a house, depending on the quality of the construction and the finishing. 

 

$30 a square foot would be for a minimum quality construction. Then when you start adding granite countertops, high-end plumbing fixtures, etc., the price would climb considerably.  For a basic tract house in the US where they...

In the Lake Chapala – Ajijic area, you will spend somewhere between 6,000 to 12,000 pesos a square meter ($30 to $61 per square foot) to build a house, depending on the quality of the construction and the finishing. 

 

$30 a square foot would be for a minimum quality construction. Then when you start adding granite countertops, high-end plumbing fixtures, etc., the price would climb considerably.  For a basic tract house in the US where they build a hundred at a time, you could build for anywhere $175,000 to $200,000 for a 200 square meters (2,152 square feet) house.

 

At the present time, it costs more to build a house in the Ajijic – Chapala area than it does to buy one that is already built.  The reason is that the cost of construction materials keeps rising; the cost of steel has gone up considerably in the last 5 years.  Here’s just one example.  I sold a house in Mirasol, a little community in Riberas, about 10 minutes from the village of Ajijic. The lot was 325 square meters, and the house was 213 square meters (about 2,300 square feet). It was 2-bedroom, 2 and a half bathrooms, it had a mirador (viewing area entertainment area on the top), an automatic garage door, parking for one car, a terrace on the front, a terrace on the back, and I sold it for $190,000. It would cost more to build than what I sold it for already constructed. It’s always been much less expensive to buy a home and remodel than it is to build.

 

(Homes in Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

  

 

 

 

The cost to build a house in Chapala and Ajijic depends on if you want to get a developer from Guadalajara or a developer from town. A developer from Guadalajara will charge you exactly what they will charge in Guadalajara plus the cost of coming here.

 

Let’s say you want to keep it cheap because you have the right connections and you’re using a developer here.  A 250 square meter house (around 2,700 square feet) would cost around $51,000...

The cost to build a house in Chapala and Ajijic depends on if you want to get a developer from Guadalajara or a developer from town. A developer from Guadalajara will charge you exactly what they will charge in Guadalajara plus the cost of coming here.

 

Let’s say you want to keep it cheap because you have the right connections and you’re using a developer here.  A 250 square meter house (around 2,700 square feet) would cost around $51,000 to build. That doesn’t include the land and there are no finishings; that is just to build the house. If we include the finishing, it would cost around $140,000 to build. Usually, when getting construction costs, we do not include the finishing because that would be up to the buyer. It depends on whether they want granite countertops or Formica, wooden cabinets or the Swedish-style ones. You could choose to have clay tiles or the ones that are made in big factories. You might want talavera, which are the traditional and very expensive ones because they are handmade. You might want the regular toilet seats like the ones you could get from Home Depot.

 

When building in Chapala and Ajijic, you can get real deals on construction materials since they are very affordable here in Mexico because they are manufactured here. The labor is going to be much less, especially if you hire someone locally. The house will also be made out of bricks and not just wood so this is a very high quality construction. We don’t know how to use prefab here.

 

One very important thing to consider is if you hire an architect or a designer here, he will charge you for the design, and the construction cost does not include that. For example, there is a very famous house designer here who would charge you $10,000 and up. If you didn’t want a designer house then the $530 per square meter ($50 per square foot) would be the ballpark price because the developer would tell you the things that they have built in the past but they will follow your instructions. Let’s say you want an arch put somewhere or you want a copula there, etc. Architecturally, there are many benefits that you can get here in Chapala and Ajijic besides the materials that I mentioned. We have architectural styles that you wouldn’t find in any other place.

 

(Custom home with interior courtyard fountain, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

I have typically priced the cost to build a house in the Chapala / Ajijic area in US dollars.   In the last couple of years, the US dollar has gone crazy compared to the Mexican peso, which throws everything off.  A very fundamental and cheaply built house could be built for about US $30 a square foot. You need to get up to $50 per square foot to get a quality house and $60 per square foot would be the cost for a superior house, which would have granite countertops,...

I have typically priced the cost to build a house in the Chapala / Ajijic area in US dollars.   In the last couple of years, the US dollar has gone crazy compared to the Mexican peso, which throws everything off.  A very fundamental and cheaply built house could be built for about US $30 a square foot. You need to get up to $50 per square foot to get a quality house and $60 per square foot would be the cost for a superior house, which would have granite countertops, nice fixtures in the bathrooms, and so on. Above that price, you would go into luxury homes and spend whatever you want to spend. This is with a UDS exchange of $1.00 USD to 19.5 pesos.

 

A $1,500 square foot home with three bedrooms and two or three bathrooms, with double carport would cost around $100,000 to $110,000, only for the house. If you buy a lot to go with that house, the price for the lots varies tremendously. If you buy in town, lots could cost $10 to $15 per square foot and if you buy in the prime areas, it would be $200 per square meter or around $44 per square foot. Right now, in Riberas, which is an area between Chapala and Ajijic that has pretty flat land and where lots are fairly small at 300 meters or 3,300 square feet, you can buy completed houses from $120,000 to $150,000 with varying quality but that is a pretty standard house and a pretty good price. 

 

Since the US dollar has become so strong relative to the Mexican peso, if you go to a Mexican builder, you could probably get the same house for $90,000 because when they do the exchange rate, we are back to $80,000 or $90,000 and he still has a profit margin because he gets paid ultimately in pesos. For years, I have been saying that a superior home costs $70 per square foot but now that the dollar is so strong, I am shifting it down to $50 per square foot. There is such confusion between pesos and dollars because the rates are floating all the time. Historically, the cost to build was $70 per square foot but right now, given the exchange rate and other things, it could easily be $50 or even $45 per square foot.

 

The price of some building materials is inflated because they come from the United States. Most of the brick and other materials are local and the labor is local so most of the costs for these are in pesos.

 

(Home in Riberas del Pilar, lake Chapala ,Mexico, pictured.)

The cost to build a house in the Chapala and Ajijic area ranges from 8,000 pesos – 12,000 pesos per square meter (US $39 - US $59 per square foot) without the lot, depending on the quality of construction you want. 

 

You can build a comfortable, well-built house on a flat lot for 8,000 – 8,500 pesos per square meter ($39 to $42 per square foot) using granite and aluminum. Entry-level homes with granite and half-decent furnishings cost over...

The cost to build a house in the Chapala and Ajijic area ranges from 8,000 pesos – 12,000 pesos per square meter (US $39 - US $59 per square foot) without the lot, depending on the quality of construction you want. 

 

You can build a comfortable, well-built house on a flat lot for 8,000 – 8,500 pesos per square meter ($39 to $42 per square foot) using granite and aluminum. Entry-level homes with granite and half-decent furnishings cost over 8,000 pesos per square meter ($39 per square foot). For 10,000 pesos - 12,000 pesos per square meter ($49 to $59 per square foot, you’ll get a home with better foundation. 

 

Depending on the size of your house, there’s a big difference in preparation and finishing. For example, floor tile can cost anywhere between 126 pesos - 560 pesos a square meter ($.62 to$2.75 per square foot). Another example would be aluminum windows- you can choose between basic and better quality aluminum.  

 

(Thatch palapa  roof over the veranda in a resort- like home, near Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

If you want to build a non-luxurious house in Chapala and Ajijic, but of good quality, it's going to be between 9,000 to 10,000 pesos per square meter ($46 to $51 per square foot).

 

Here in Chapala and Ajijic, the construction system is very different than in the United States, for example. In Chapala and Ajijic, you have rock formations; mortar, a mix of cement with sand and rocks; and then, you have rebar slabs with concrete. 

 

If you want to build a non-luxurious house in Chapala and Ajijic, but of good quality, it's going to be between 9,000 to 10,000 pesos per square meter ($46 to $51 per square foot).

 

Here in Chapala and Ajijic, the construction system is very different than in the United States, for example. In Chapala and Ajijic, you have rock formations; mortar, a mix of cement with sand and rocks; and then, you have rebar slabs with concrete. 

 

The foundation is the same.  The walls are made with bricks, which could be solid clay or cement bricks; and then, the walls are plaster and then painted. Then you have another concrete slab and metal beams on top of the walls. We use clay bricks for ceilings; or you can have concrete ceilings with rebar and big, empty lightweight blocks. 

 

The difference in construction cost and quality lies in the finishing and carpentry. You can get high quality carpentry using solid doors or panel doors. You can buy tile for 120 pesos per square meter ($0.60 per square foot) or 500 to 700 pesos per meter ($2.50 to $3.50 per square foot). You can have granite countertops, as well as light, faucet, and bathroom fixtures of different qualities.

 

For 10,000 pesos per square meter ($51 per square foot), you can have tile for 170 to 200 pesos per square meter ($0.85 to $1 per square foot); hollow panels, not solid for doors; and, use the MDF material for the kitchen. Even expensive houses nowadays are using MDF instead of real wood, which is good because you would have problems with termites in Chapala and Ajijic if you used wood and MDF is good for that. The faucets and light fixtures are of not luxurious, but of good quality; countertops could be granite because they have lowered the price of granite here in Chapala and Ajijic; single-pane windows using other materials like aluminum and simple glass; and, no more than nine feet high from floor to ceiling.

 

For 12,000 pesos per square meter ($61 per square foot), you can get a very nice tile that costs between 400 to 500 pesos per square meter ($2 to $2.50 per square foot); good granite or marble in the kitchen and bathrooms; good quality faucet and light fixtures; double-pane windows in PVC, which is the better material; and high ceilings at three meters (10 feet) or more from floor to ceiling.

 

Most PVCs in Mexico that are of very good quality are made in Germany and sold by some companies in Guadalajara. There is a company that does high quality construction in Cabo San Lucas. The clients in Cabo San Lucas demand quality work so the construction has to be good because they construct hotels and big residences there. This company sometimes gives me some work here in Ajijic and we use PVC for double-pane windows for expensive houses. 

 

Having a second story in your house would be the same price per square foot to construct and not add to costs.

 

These prices given above assume that the land is basically level and is rough grade without any problems. 

 

When we talk about topography, the additional cost to build a house if the land is not flat would depend on the slope gradient and the variations in design. 

 

Some houses in the Raquet Club are built on stilts and you walk over a little bridge to the house from the street because the lot goes straight down. These houses are more expensive because you are contouring and working around the topography. 

 

If the land is sloping, the easy way is to build the main level above street level, which can have the kitchen, living room, and maybe a master's bedroom or den; and then, the lower level can be the night area and have the other bedrooms. However, if you want the main area to be at street level, it can be done by putting a retainer wall with a beam on top; or just put concrete columns and build from street level up. There will be some restrictions though because of height restrictions and laws of the fraccionamiento (housing development).

 

(Custom home designed by Roberto Millan, near  Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

The cost for building a house in Chapala and Ajijic varies depending if you actually hire an architect to design your home and provide all the material, or just hire contractors with no architects are needed. The architect charges you more for the design, getting all the materials, and overseeing everything. A contractor, on the other hand, will require you to oversee everything a little bit more, especially the details.

 

You can build a really nice...

The cost for building a house in Chapala and Ajijic varies depending if you actually hire an architect to design your home and provide all the material, or just hire contractors with no architects are needed. The architect charges you more for the design, getting all the materials, and overseeing everything. A contractor, on the other hand, will require you to oversee everything a little bit more, especially the details.

 

You can build a really nice two-bedroom house of 1,200 - 1,500 square feet for $80,000 - $150,000. For $80,000, you can get tile tops but not granite countertops, and instead of marble floors, you’ll have the typical tile flooring. You’ll also have a shower curtain and not a glass door in the bathroom.

 

You can do a lot of research by going to Guadalajara and getting places that will provide these things for a much better cost than locally. If you source it from Chapala and Ajijic, you’ll get your products from the locals, who buy them from Guadalajara anyway. There’s another layer in the retail chain if you get it from Chapala and Ajijic as opposed to from Guadalajara, plus there’s less competition.

 

I support the locals of Chapala and Ajijic. I’ll go nine times out of ten to my little corner store than I will go to an OXXO (a large chain similar to 7-Eleven) because I want to support my local stores. If it’s a big purchase and you want more selection, you just need to do a lot more research and homework. What I would suggest is finding a good contractor.

 

You’ll find beautiful blown glasswork, stained glass windows and murals made of tiles that you can place in a nice courtyard. Chapala and Ajijic have stone workers who do beautiful work. As an example, Federico from town does amazing stone art, from tables to floors to waterfalls. Ajijic alone has great local artists with original artwork at very reasonable prices.

 

Guadalajara is an interesting place where you’ll find Home Depot and areas that sell all kinds of tiles. You can spend an entire day in a whole neighborhood full of tile stores in Guadalajara, and another day in a neighborhood full of plumbing fixture stores. To find them, I would recommend hiring a concierge service in town or just through word of mouth.

 

If you’re hiring a guy with a team to build your house, you could tell him you want to have options available, and they’ll know where to take you in Guadalajara. This way you’ll get a really good range of prices that are reasonable. A 1,200-1,500 square foot. house in Chapala and Ajijic can cost  $50-$100 a foot.

 

 

For $100 a square foot, you can get houses that are on the higher end. This price excludes the lot and still also depends where you’re sourcing the materials. For expats coming to Chapala and Ajijic and as a result of having a house built, I would suggest hiring a home inspector first to perform a check on the land area and the ground’s percolation, which refers to the ground’s ability to absorb water. The home inspector will also be able to advise them on the kind of foundation they’re going to need, depending on the house they’re getting built.

 

Water absorption is an important factor to consider because there are areas around Chapala and Ajijic where land tends to move a little bit more, which requires a better foundation. At times, retaining walls are even necessary. As an example, the Raquet Club uses retaining walls. These walls provide a better foundation.

 

My personal choice for foundation is cinder block. I  prefer cinder block because of its little to no effect on the environment, unlike bricks which need to be cooked, making it a strong environmental hazard.

 

(Custom home built into the hillsides above Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)