Mazatlán Condominum, Apartment, and House Rentals
There are lots of condominium, apartment, and house rentals for weekly, monthly, or long stays in Mazatlán.
We will discuss how you can go about renting a place, what kinds of rentals are available in each of the main locations of Mazatlán, what you should look for in a rental, and what the approximate costs to rent would be.
Hopefully, all this information will help you to find the right rental at the right price for your visit to Mazatlan!
How to rent in Mazatlán?
There are a number of ways to find a rental condominium, apartment, or house in Mazatlan. You can contact a real estate agency, rental agency, or property management agency. They are typically top price, but a safe way to rent.
If you are looking for a rental agent, we highly recommend Katia Rios Luevanos. She has a few properties that she acts as the agent for. One in particular is a 4 bedroom house just off of the Malecon. She speaks decent English so you can communicate with her in English. Her email is: kluevanos13@gmail.com Her phone is: 669-918-2159 on regular phone or WhatsApp. She is really nice and would help you find a place...obviously for a commission.
There are groups on Facebook for Mazatlan rentals and snowbirds that you can join to inquire and see rentals available.
Another approach to finding a rental in Mazatlan is to come to Mazatlan and stay in a hotel for a few days. Then, when you are there you can walk around the neighbourhood and find a place to rent. We used this approach and found an apartment that we ended up renting for over 20 years until the building got sold off! If you use this approach it helps to speak spanish or have someone who speaks Spanish to help you out because a lot of times there will be just local phone numbers to call to inquire about a place that you see. Also, be sure to do this on weekdays because there may be knowone available on weekends.
What you should look for in a rental in Mazatlán?
When you are looking at a rental in Mazatlan, there are number of things that you need to consider such as location, price, and the amenities provided with the rental.
The number one thing to consider is the location. Is it on or close to the beach? Do you want a quiet location or more action? Is the neighbourhood safe? See below our description of the locations of Mazatlan.
The second thing to consider is price. See below for our discussion of the cost of renting in Mazatlan.
As for amenities, we think air-conditioning is a requirement, even during winter, because it can get hot in Mazatlan. Be sure to define what is included in the rent. For example, long-term rentals may not include utilities and utilities such as electricity are very expensive in Mazatlan.
Additionally, ensure that the rental is furnished. You don't want to show up to an empty place! In spanish furnished apartment is: "Departmentos amueblados".
Other amenities to consider in a rental are:
- utilities (electric, gas) included
- water
- hot water
- air-conditioning
- furnished or unfurnished
- swimming pool
- refrigerator(small/large)
- stove or hotplate
- number of beds
- linens included
- balcony
- patio
- elevator
- internet access
- wifi
- television
- security (deadbolt)
- washer and dryer
- maid service
- parking space
- smoking or not smoking
- pets allowed or not
- child friendly
- security: none, 24hr, or gated community
- gym/fitness facilities
Be sure to get photos of the rental from the rental agent to confirm that indeed all the amenities appear to be as stated. Any reputable rental agent will send you photos.
Where in Mazatlán should you rent?
We recommend that you rent in the areas of Mazatlan that are within a kilometre of the beach and marina. This is the area of Mazatlan that most Americans/Canadians rent in. Each area of Mazatlan has it's own type of rental stock. We will describe the rentals available in each area.
Golden Zone rentals
The Golden Zone is the most popular area to rent in. It is the main tourist area and has the most popular beaches. It is mainly hotels along the beach except for a few condominiums right on the beach. There are a number of apartment buildings and houses in the adjoining neighbourhoods. The Lomas neighbourhood has very nice homes, but it is a short walk to the beach. The other neighbourhoods such as Gaviotas have older, but still nice homes a short walk from the beach. &bnsp;Within the Golden Zone is the El Cid resort which has a gated community of houses and few condominiums. Rent in the El Cid neighbourhood is more expensive. The Golden Zone has many restaurants and shops.
Be careful about renting right on Avenida Camaron Sabalo as it can be really noisy with the traffic and music played by cars driving by!
Centro Historico rentals
One of the most popular places for Americans/Canadians to rent is in the Centro Historico (historical old town). These are primarily apartments and houses that are in buildings as old as 500 years in this old part of town! This area is walkable to the downtown and Olas Altas with its beach. There are hundreds of restaurants and shops nearby. It is more of an older, artsy, fine dining crowd that stays in this area.
Cerritos rentals
Cerritos is an area in the north part of Mazatlan known for its beautiful beach. There are some newer beautiful condo buildings here and a few smaller older places. One of the main surf spots is near Cerritos point. This is a quiet area in Mazatlan. Cerritos beach is not too busy. There are not really any stores or many restaurants nearby, you have to travel 5-20 minutes by vehicle to get to them.
Marina Mazatlan rentals
One of the newest areas of Mazatlan is the Marina Mazatlán. There are thousands of condominiums built around a Marina. These are nice, newish condominiums. The one drawback is that not all really walkable to the beach. There is a large shopping mall and Walmart close by. There are some restaurants in this neighbourhood, but may not all be walkable depending on the location of the condominium. It is more of a snowbird, long-term rental crowd in this area.
Malecon rentals
There are lots of large, nice condominiums along the Malecon that can be rented. They are all across the main street (Avendida del Mar) from the beach. This street is very busy and can be a bit noisy, but is not unreasonable. There are also some houses for rent in the neighbourhoods behind the Malecon which are much quieter. It is primarily locals that live in the houses in this neighbourhood. There are a number of new condominium towers being built along the Malecon in 2021 so there may be construction noise.
Sabalo Country Mazatlan Historico rentals
Sabalo Country is a neighbourhood north of the Golden Zone which is growing fast. It is primarily large hotels on the beach with a residential neighbourhood around it. There are lots of houses, houses with apartments, and some apartments for rent in this neighbourhood. There are lots of restaurants in this area and there is beach access.
Los Pinos rentals
Los Pinos is a neighbourhood on the south side of the main bay of Mazatlan. It consists of mainly of houses owned by locals. There are some apartments and houses for rent in this area. This area is not right next to the beach and is primarily a residential area. There are a few new condominium towers being built in this neighbourhood. It is walkable to playa norte beach and olas altas with it's restaurants and beach!
Stone Island rentals
There are a few rentals on Stone Island. There are no luxury condominums. It is primary small mexican homes. It is very quiet and remote on Stone Island and there are very few stores nearby so we don't particulary recommend that you rent here except if you are a very experienced Mazatlan traveller. However, the beach here is really nice, wide, flat, and swimmable!
So, we recommend that you put some thought into where in Mazatlan that you rent.
How much does it cost to rent a condo/apartment/house in Mazatlán?
It depends on the time of year, area of Mazatlán you are renting in, the type of rental(condo, apt, or house), duration of your stay, and what ammenities the property has. The lower end of price would be somewhere around MX$10,000 (US$500) up to MX$50,000 ($US2500) for a premium condo on the beach.
Duration of stay is becoming more important. Many listings are asking for a 4 or 6 month lease minimum.
The busiest and most expensive times of the year are when the Canadians/Americans vacation from November through April. It is now busy with Mexican nationals during Carnival week (usually in February or March), and in July and August when they have summer vacation. It is always busy during Christmas through New Years.
The area of Mazatlan that you are renting in also factors into the price that you will pay. The cost to rent generally is most expensive in the Golden Zone and Centro Historico followed by the Marina Mazatlan, Malecon, Sabalo Country, Cerritos and Los Pinos.
Obviously, the type of rental factors into the cost. The lowest being a room in a house, then local apartment, then condo, then house.
If you are staying all winter or year long you can usually get a reduced rate. If you are staying only one week, you are paying the most per night.
Obviously, you are paying the most for a premium condo on the beach with a pool. We recommend that you always get a place with air-conditioning because it can still get quite warm even on the winter days. The cost for air-conditioning is usually included in the cost if you are a short-term renter. Electricity costs are expensive in Mazatlán so that factors into the cost. The list of ameneties varies greatly between properties available for rent and should factor into your rental decision.
Who should rent in Mazatlán?
If you are not an experienced traveller and are only going for a few days or a week, it probably is not worth your while to rent in Mazatlán. There are many hotels that probably would meet your needs.
However, if you are planning on coming for a long time (e.g. you are a snowbird), have special requirements (e.g. large family sharing house, want to cook your meals), or are an experienced traveler that wants more of local experience without all the hassles of a hotel then you could consider renting in Mazatlán.