Mexico Manufacturing Comparisons: Countries, Models, Providers and States

Most Mexico entry decisions come down to four comparisons, made in order: the country, the operating model, the provider if a shelter wins, and the state. Each answer narrows the next one, so running them in sequence saves you from comparing options that an earlier answer has already ruled out.

This page collects every comparison on the site, with a line on what each one settles.

1. The country: Mexico against the alternatives

• Manufacturing in Mexico vs Canada: labour, employer contributions, rent, electricity, corporate tax and CUSMA, each on its official source.
• Mexico vs US manufacturing cost: labor per hour, productivity, industrial power, rent, the new US 100 percent factory write-off and tariffs, and when the US wins.
• Mexico vs China manufacturing cost: wages, tariff exposure and logistics, and how the math has moved in 2026.
• Mexico or the US for a Canadian manufacturer: what Section 338, Section 232 and USMCA origin do to each option.
• Tariffs on Canadian goods to the US: what applies as of October 2026, and a manufacturer's options from USMCA origin to a US or Mexican plant.
• Risks of manufacturing in Mexico: power, water, permits, customs, labor, security, trade policy, the courts and the peso, ranked by how much each can move a plant's timeline, and what to hold against each.

2. The operating model

• Shelter or your own entity: seven yes/no questions that settle it, the triggers to switch, and a phased transition plan.
• Shelter vs maquiladora vs contract manufacturing: what each term means in law, a decision matrix and five profiles.
• Contract manufacturing in Mexico: hubs by sector, IMMEX integration and how to find a partner.
• Entity structure options: the structures available to a foreign company and what to settle before you file.
• Moving a production line to Mexico: the order of steps, what customs charges on used machinery, power and safety before start-up, and who you hire at each step.

3. The provider, if a shelter wins

• Shelter companies in Mexico: how the model works and nine established providers.
• How to choose a shelter company: a weighted scorecard, 36 RFP questions, a reference-check script and red flags.
• What a shelter program costs: published 2026 fee ranges, pricing models and the full monthly cost stack.
• Alternatives to Tetakawi: eight established shelter providers sorted by region, real estate, scope and exit.
• Head to head: Tecma vs Tetakawi, IVEMSA vs Tetakawi, Prodensa vs Tetakawi and Entrada Group vs Tetakawi.

4. The state and the site

• Mexico manufacturing labor rate: what an operator costs per hour in 2026, line by line, state payroll tax by state, and what the 46-hour week adds in 2027.
• Corridor benchmarks: IMSS wages and jobs, Newmark rent and vacancy, and CFE tariffs for eight corridors, each with its source and date.
• Operating cost estimator: your headcount and floor area, costed across eight manufacturing corridors.
• Manufacturing costs by Mexican state: labour, industrial lease and electricity for two or three corridors side by side.
• State manufacturing incentives: payroll tax subsidies, land and infrastructure support, and the offices that grant them.
• Best states to manufacture in Mexico: Nuevo León, Querétaro, Guanajuato, Jalisco and the northern border.

How to use these comparisons

Run them in order, and stop when an answer rules out the rest of a branch. Two answers settle a lot on their own:

• Will you sell what you make to customers in Mexico? Article 183 of Mexico's income tax law bars a shelter client from selling Mexican-made products not covered by an export pedimento, so routine domestic sales point to your own entity or another structure.
• How long do you expect to stay? Providers estimate 12 to 18 months for a phased move from a shelter to your own entity, so a long horizon puts the exit terms on the table from the first conversation.

If you want the comparison run on your own numbers, the cost tools let you request one at the bottom of the results, and the Market Entry Readiness Diagnostic gives you a scored read in about three minutes.

The bottom line

Compare the country, then the model, then the provider, then the state, and let each answer narrow the next. If you would rather talk it through, a complimentary 30-minute call is a good place to start.