A month in Mexico City
A month in a flat in Mexico City pays the same lodging tax as a single night, 5% of the total plus IVA, since no exemption for long stays was found in the tax articles. A month changes the paperwork: the days on the entry stamp, the host's folio and, for a lease, the Civil Code.
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What a month costs in taxes
No official source on monthly rents, deposits or utilities in Mexico City was found, so this guide gives no rent figures. The taxes are known. A flat or house booked as a stay pays the city's 5% lodging tax on everything paid for it, deposits and advances included. VAT (IVA) of 16% applies as well, because the exemption for renting a home does not cover furnished property or lodging.
Hotels, hostels and motels charge 3.5% instead of 5%. When a platform collects the payment for a flat, it pays the lodging tax to the city, and it must show the IVA separately or mark prices "IVA incluido". Mexican consumer law requires the total price, taxes and charges included, to be shown.
The areas that suit a month
Roma Norte and Condesa suit a month among restaurants, bars and Parque México, about 12 and 14 km from the airport by road, though Roma Norte and Hipódromo sit in the Roma-Condesa meter zone, where street parking is charged until 01:00 from Thursday to Saturday. Juárez suits a month between the Centro and Chapultepec; its street parking has its own operator.
Coyoacán, about 12 km south of the Zócalo by road, suits a month outside the central districts, among old plazas and narrow streets, and it is not in the meter zone list. These choices are editorial.
The paperwork
Visitors from the EU, the UK and the US need no visa for a tourist stay in Mexico. At the airport the immigration officer stamps the passport with the number of days granted, up to the legal maximum of 180, and the migration form (FMM) is issued in digital form, downloadable from the INM portal during the stay. The days written on the stamp, not the 180-day maximum, set how long the stay can last. Officers may ask for a return ticket, a hotel booking and proof of funds.
Visitors arriving by air pay a non-resident fee (DNR) of MXN 983 in 2026, which the airline collects. Tourists may not work in Mexico, paid or unpaid.
In the flat, the host must display the folio from the Padrón de Anfitriones with the city's emergency numbers, and must ask for an official ID at check-in.
What platforms and the law call a long stay
Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay: the first month is charged up front and later months 10 days before each period, under a long-term cancellation policy that generally asks for 30 days' notice of changes.
A residential lease is a different contract. Mexico City's Civil Code requires it in writing, sets one year as its minimum term unless the parties agree otherwise, limits the deposit to one month's rent, and since August 2024 asks the landlord to register the lease with the city within 30 days of signing. The texts read do not say at what length a stay becomes a lease, so ask which of the two is on offer.
A car for the month
Meter zones charge MXN 3.40 per 15 minutes in 2026, and residents' parking permits are only for cars with Mexico City plates, so a month with a car in the metered parts of Roma, Condesa or Polanco calls for a space in the building. Under Hoy No Circula, cars with a 1 or 2 hologram rest one weekday and some or all Saturdays by plate ending, and a company-owned rental cannot get the free tourist pass (via GetCar).
Pitfalls
Comparing monthly prices without the taxes. A flat adds 5% lodging tax and 16% IVA unless the price already includes them.
Booking a listing without a folio. The tourism law requires platforms to show one on every listing.
Leaving the car on a metered street for weeks. An unpaid car can be clamped, and removing the clamp costs MXN 340.
Staying past the stamp. The days the officer grants, not 180, are the limit.
Questions
Is the lodging tax charged on a month in Mexico City?
Yes, on a flat or house booked as a stay: 5% of the total, deposits and advances included, plus 16% IVA. No exemption for long stays was found in the tax articles.
How long can a tourist stay in Mexico?
Up to 180 days, but the immigration officer decides how many and writes them on the entry stamp. Those days are the limit.
Is a month in a flat a lease?
It can be either. A stay booked on a platform pays the lodging tax; a residential lease under the Civil Code is written, runs at least one year unless agreed otherwise and takes at most one month's deposit. Ask which one the host offers.
Which area of Mexico City suits a month?
Roma Norte or Condesa for restaurants, bars and Parque México, Juárez for a central base, and Coyoacán for a month away from the central districts. Roma Norte and Hipódromo have street meters, so ask for a parking space.
How does Airbnb handle a month?
Reservations of 28 nights or more are monthly stays: the first month is charged up front, later months 10 days before each period, under a long-term cancellation policy that generally asks for 30 days' notice of changes.