In Mexico City, end-to-end management of an Airbnb apartment usually costs between 15% and 30% of lodging revenue. Where you land in that range depends on how much work the service covers.
What matters is what each percentage point pays for. A low fee with incomplete service can cost more than a higher one that covers the whole operation.
Your management fee in pesos
A percentage is easier to judge in pesos. Set your nightly rate and booked nights and you'll see what each fee level would cost in a month. The math uses your assumptions and doesn't promise any income.
Airbnb's fee is not your manager's fee
Many owners add these two charges together as if they were one. Airbnb charges for the platform; the manager charges for running the operation. In 2026 you need to track them separately, because Airbnb is changing its fee structure.
Until now there were two structures. Under the split fee, the host pays 3% of the subtotal and the guest pays between 14.1% and 16.5%. Under the single fee, which in Mexico is 16%, the host pays all of it.
In July 2026 Airbnb announced that every listing will move to the single fee. Hosts on the split model had until September 15, 2026 to adjust prices, and listings connected to property management software were scheduled to migrate on October 13, 2026.
If you set your nightly rate with the 3% in mind, you receive less for the same price after the switch. Airbnb gives its own example: a $100 price leaves $84.50 under the single fee.
That's why prices need to be recalculated, not just accepted as they are.
| Who charges | How much | On what base |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb, single fee (Mexico) | 16% | Subtotal: nightly rate + host charges, excluding taxes |
| Airbnb, split fee (being phased out) | 3% host + 14.1–16.5% guest | Booking subtotal |
| Individual co-host | 10–20% | Usually lodging revenue |
| Management company | 15–30% | Varies: gross, net or payout (always ask) |
We checked these figures in Airbnb's Help Center on August 10, 2026; the sources are at the end. To model the scenario, our full calculator already includes a 16% platform fee option.
The three pricing models
1. Commission on revenue (the standard)
The manager keeps a percentage of each booking. If you don't get paid, neither do they. It's the most common model in Mexico City and the one we use.
In the market it runs from 15% (partial management: listing and messages only) to 30% (full management with an on-site team).
Two profiles fit here. An individual co-host in Mexico City usually charges between 10% and 20% depending on the work, almost always without their own infrastructure. A company with a team charges 15% to 30%.
For the first profile, see how a co-host works (in Spanish).
2. Guaranteed fixed rent
The operator pays you a fixed monthly rent and keeps whatever is left. It sounds calm, but you're selling your variable income at a discount: nobody takes that deal unless they expect to earn well above what they pay you.
And you lose sight of how your property is used.
Mexico City has master-lease operators with hundreds of apartments on fixed rent. The model has also failed at scale: Casai raised 48 million dollars with it, stopped paying landlords and shut down in 2023.
A guarantee is only as good as the finances of whoever signs it. Who carries the risk, and when the model does make sense, is covered in guaranteed rent vs commission (in Spanish).
3. Hybrid or pay-per-service
A low base plus separate fees for cleaning, check-in or photography. It works for owners who want to run things themselves and delegate specific tasks, but it doesn't replace management.
This is where upfront charges show up. In international references, setup costs 100 to 500 dollars and photography 150 to 400. Ask which one-time fees apply. We don't charge setup or a fixed monthly fee.
Real fees: what Mexico City operators publish
By "real fees" we mean the ones you can verify. This is what Mexico City operators published on their websites as of August 10, 2026. Where there's no public rate, we use what the press documented.
| Operator | Published fee | Stated base |
|---|---|---|
| GoRent | 20% | Guest payment minus Airbnb's fee; includes cleaning |
| Hospeda Hoy | 10% or 15% depending on plan | Airbnb's payout |
| AdministraMiAirbnb | 15% or 20% + cleaning fee | Booking total |
| Mr. W (reported in the press, 2022) | 20% | Net revenue; furnishing, photos and maintenance extra |
| Roma Norte Host | 12% (Essential) or 20% (Full-Service) | Lodging revenue; no setup fee or fixed monthly fee |
Most operators in the city, including several that rank at the top of Google, don't publish their fee and quote per property. That's legal, but it leaves you comparing written proposals instead of landing pages.
The most confusing part: three "20%" fees can be three different prices. 20% of the booking total (with cleaning) is more than 20% of lodging. And 20% of the net after Airbnb starts from a smaller base, but usually comes with extra charges.
So ask for the calculation base first and the percentage second. Our guide to the management contract (in Spanish) explains how to put it in writing. Pricing changes, so check each rate on the operator's site before deciding.
What the fee should include (and what usually isn't)
| Usually included | Usually extra |
|---|---|
| Listing, photos and dynamic pricing | Cleaning (the guest pays it through the cleaning fee) |
| Guest communication and screening | Restocking and consumables |
| Check-in and cleaning coordination | Maintenance and repairs |
| Monthly revenue and expense report | Platform fee (Airbnb charges its own) |
| Incident follow-up | Furniture or initial setup |
The most common trap isn't the fee itself but the "extra" items with no written rule. Ask for a contract that says who approves expenses, above what amount and how they're documented.
If you haven't furnished yet, how much it costs to equip a short-term rental (in Spanish) has ranges by category.
Our rates, published
Roma Norte Host has two plans, both on lodging revenue: Essential, at 12%, and Full-Service, at 20%.
Essential covers the listing, pricing and calendar, guest messages, booking screening and coordination with your cleaning team. You provide cleaning, laundry and key handling.
Full-Service adds cleaning and inspection with our own team, check-in and keys, coordinated maintenance, amenity restocking, registration and building rules, and a monthly revenue and expense report.
The proposal and contract spell out how cleaning, laundry, platform fees, taxes and other expenses are charged or passed through. We don't offer guaranteed rent. Each plan is broken down on Services.
Taxes aren't part of the fee (but come out of the same money)
Before the money reaches your account, the platform withholds taxes by law. That deduction has nothing to do with the manager's fee; keep them separate when you run the numbers.
If the individual owner has loaded their RFC (Mexican taxpayer ID) on the platform, Airbnb withholds 4% income tax (ISR) on gross revenue plus half of the VAT (IVA): 8 of the 16 points. Without an RFC, withholding rises to 20% ISR plus the full VAT.
Registering the RFC is the easiest thing to fix and the one you notice right away.
Since 2025, Mexico City's lodging tax is 5% on platform bookings. The guest pays it and Airbnb remits it directly, so it doesn't come out of your payout.
In tax regimes that allow deductions, the management fee is deducted like the platform fee, with an invoice and an accountant involved. The details are in Airbnb taxes in Mexico City.
We checked the rates on August 10, 2026 against sources from the SAT (Mexico's tax authority) and the Mexico City Tax Code (links at the end). The 2026 federal tax reform didn't change lodging withholding. Still, review your case with your accountant.
Mexico City compliance is part of the service too
Since May 22, 2026, operating a short-term rental (estancia turística eventual) in Mexico City requires registering in the official host registry (estanciaeventual.cdmx.gob.mx), showing the registration number in the listing, renewing every year and reporting occupancy every six months.
The cap of 50% of the year's nights (about 183) is still in the courts, with hundreds of amparo lawsuits and the first final injunctions in 2026. We don't assume a general suspension here; this describes the situation as of August 10, 2026.
Fines for hosts range from 25 to 100 UMA (the unit Mexico uses to set fines), plus suspension or cancellation of the registration, and platforms must block listings without a registration number.
In mid-2026, the press reported that only a few hundred of the city's more than 13,000 hosts had registered.
The registry file, the night count and the annual calendar are the manager's job and should be covered by the fee. In our Full-Service plan they're included.
The step-by-step is in how to register in the host registry, and the full framework in Mexico City's short-term rental rules (in Spanish).
Five questions to ask before signing with anyone (including us)
Use it as a working list. A question only counts as answered when the answer comes with evidence; a good pitch isn't enough.
- Can I see a real monthly report (anonymized) from another property you manage? A sample of the format is in what a monthly report looks like (in Spanish).
- How many nights has each property booked this year? If they don't know, they aren't tracking Mexico City's regulatory framework (in Spanish).
- Who responds on site when something breaks at 11 p.m., and how fast?
- How do I end the contract? An orderly exit (handing over the calendar, reviews and access) should be in writing from day one.
- Where is the evidence of your operation? Verifiable reviews are worth more than any presentation. Ours are on Results and on our guest brand, StayWork CDMX.
One more rule, beyond the five questions. The platform payout lands in your account and you pay the fee from there, never the other way around. If the operator collects first and "transfers later," you lose visibility and room to negotiate.
When is paying for management not worth it?
If you live in the same building, have a single property, enjoy running it and have the time, do it yourself. Management makes sense when your time, pricing mistakes or distance cost you more than the fee.
Our short-term vs long-term rental calculator runs that math; if the question goes deeper, use the 10-point evaluation checklist (in Spanish).
If your answer is "do it yourself," self-managing vs hiring a manager (in Spanish) shows how much work that involves.
Sources and verification date
- Airbnb Help Center: "Airbnb service fees" (article 1857) and Resource Center, "Simplifying service fees" (July 2026). Verified August 10, 2026.
- Airbnb, Inc.: 2025 annual report (10-K) filed with the SEC, on the start of the move to a single fee in October 2025.
- SAT: digital platforms tax regime and official FAQ on ISR and VAT withholding for lodging.
- Mexico City Tax Code, articles 162–164: 5% lodging tax on platform bookings, in force since January 1, 2025 and unchanged in 2026.
- Mexico City government: host registry portal estanciaeventual.cdmx.gob.mx, mandatory since May 22, 2026; press coverage from May 21, 2026 on the registration deadline.
- Operator rates in Mexico City: official websites of GoRent, Hospeda Hoy and AdministraMiAirbnb, checked August 10, 2026; Mr. W according to ContraRéplica (December 2022); Casai's closure according to trade press (2023).
- International references for co-host and setup fees: Lodgify (2026 guide), Hostaway and PriceLabs.
- Our linked guides on taxes, rules, registration, contracts, co-hosting and guaranteed rent, each with its own source review dates.
This is the English edition of our Spanish guide, written for owners who prefer to read in English.
