mexico manufacturing corridor benchmarks
eight corridors. wages, jobs, rent, vacancy and power, each on its public source. refreshed 15 october 2026.
These are the figures behind the operating cost estimator and the state comparison. There is no composite score: the weights depend on your operation, so the table gives you the data and you decide.
labour
| Corridor | Formal manufacturing jobs (IMSS, Sept 2026) | Manufacturing employment, formal and informal (ENOE, 2Q26, city) | Average daily manufacturing wage (IMSS, Sept 2026) | Remuneration per hour worked, all staff (EMIM, state) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MonterreyNuevo León | 666,609corridor | 542,705 | US$43.40MXN 799.31 | US$9.38 |
| SaltilloCoahuila | 192,190corridor | 192,586 | US$51.84MXN 954.68 | US$9.62 |
| QuerétaroQuerétaro | 242,691corridor | 125,876 | US$42.90MXN 790.13 | US$9.73 |
| San Luis PotosíSan Luis Potosí | 175,768corridor | 162,711 | US$43.51MXN 801.37 | US$9.12 |
| GuadalajaraJalisco | 415,398corridor | 441,899 | US$37.08MXN 682.85 | US$8.28 |
| TijuanaBaja California | 297,003corridor | 240,979 | US$43.16MXN 794.91 | US$10.45 |
| AguascalientesAguascalientes | 128,132corridor | 110,149 | US$36.32MXN 668.91 | US$9.24 |
| Mexico CityCDMX + Estado de México | 933,402state | 1,288,232 | US$38.32MXN 705.74 | US$8.63 |
The IMSS wage is the average daily contribution wage: it includes the year-end bonus and vacation premium and excludes employer contributions, INFONAVIT, state payroll tax and profit sharing. EMIM covers all staff over the 12 months to July 2026; INEGI does not expand state figures, so use them to rank, not as absolute levels. Mexico City is CDMX plus Estado de México, at state level.
2026 minimum wage: MXN 315.04 a day in the general zone and MXN 440.87 in the northern border free zone, which includes Tijuana.
industrial real estate (Newmark)
| Corridor | Asking rent, USD/sq ft/yr | USD/m²/mo | Vacancy | Net absorption, sq ft | Inventory, sq ft | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey | US$7.85 | US$7.04 | 8.50% | 1,100,000 | 125,800,000 | 2Q26 |
| Saltillo | US$7.70 | US$6.91 | 4.00% | 139,700 | 50,800,000 | 2Q26 |
| Querétaro | US$6.78 | US$6.08 | 4.72% | 800,000 | 88,100,000 | 2Q26 |
| San Luis Potosí | US$6.44 | US$5.78 | 6.00% | -182,783 | 38,600,000 | 1H26 |
| Guadalajara | US$8.11 | US$7.27 | 4.30% | -93,216 | 77,500,000 | 2Q26 |
| Tijuana | US$9.45 | US$8.48 | 11.30% | -215,335 | 92,500,000 | 2Q26 |
| Aguascalientes | US$7.06 | US$6.33 | 1.50% | 0 | 17,700,000 | 1H26 |
| Mexico City | US$12.84 | US$11.52 | 3.83% | 800,000 | 142,700,000 | 2Q26 |
One broker for every market, so the definitions match. Brokers measure differently: CBRE put Monterrey vacancy at 6.8% for 2Q26, the figure our articles quote, against Newmark’s 8.5%. Rent is shown in US dollars per square foot per year and in US dollars per square metre per month; both columns are the same rent.
electricity (CFE GDMTH, October 2026)
| Corridor | CFE division | Energy base / intermediate / peak, MXN/kWh | Capacity + distribution, MXN/kW-month | Model, USD/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterrey | Golfo Norte | 0.9904 / 1.5334 / 1.6634 | 386.39 + 57.74 | US$0.107 |
| Saltillo | Bajío y Golfo Norte (Bajío charges) | 1.0228 / 1.8108 / 2.0620 | 377.17 + 97.88 | US$0.120 |
| Querétaro | Bajío | 1.0228 / 1.8108 / 2.0620 | 377.17 + 97.88 | US$0.120 |
| San Luis Potosí | Golfo Centro | 0.9703 / 1.6358 / 1.8944 | 377.17 + 124.41 | US$0.115 |
| Guadalajara | Jalisco | 0.9834 / 1.7494 / 1.9675 | 377.17 + 160.25 | US$0.122 |
| Tijuana | Baja California | 0.5964 / 0.9221 / 1.2420 | 344.27 + 90.01 | US$0.084 |
| Aguascalientes | Bajío | 1.0228 / 1.8108 / 2.0620 | 377.17 + 97.88 | US$0.120 |
| Mexico City | Valle de México Norte y Centro | 1.0711 / 1.7563 / 2.0518 | 386.39 + 86.15 | US$0.119 |
CFE publishes charges by time band, not a single rate. The model assumes a flat 24/7 load on CFE’s summer schedule (base 56, intermediate 102 and peak 10 hours a week; Baja California intermediate 148 and peak 20) and spreads demand charges over 730 hours a month. It excludes the fixed charge, VAT, public-lighting levy and power-factor adjustments. Saltillo municipality is served by two CFE divisions, Bajío and Golfo Norte; the table uses the Bajío charges, and Ramos Arizpe, inside the corridor, is in Golfo Norte, on Monterrey’s charges.
how we measure
Every figure comes from a named public source, with the period it covers and the exchange rate used. Peso figures convert to US dollars at the Banco de México FIX rate on the refresh date.
Labour: the IMSS average daily contribution wage for manufacturing jobs in each corridor’s municipalities, and INEGI EMIM remuneration per hour worked. Jobs: formal manufacturing jobs registered with IMSS, and total manufacturing employment, formal and informal, from INEGI’s ENOE household survey.
Real estate: asking rent, vacancy and net absorption from one broker’s latest report for every market. Electricity: CFE’s GDMTH charges for the division serving each corridor in the current month; any single cost per kWh is a model, labelled with its load profile.
We refresh on each source’s own schedule: IMSS and EMIM monthly, ENOE quarterly, brokers quarterly or semiannually, CFE monthly.
Exchange rate: 18.4163 MXN per USD (FIX published in the DOF on 12 October 2026).
sources
- IMSS open data, workers and wages by municipality and sector, 30 Sept 2026
- IMSS bulletin 539/2026 on September 2026 employment and average wage
- INEGI ENOE microdata, 2Q 2026
- INEGI EMIM by state, open data
- Newmark Monterrey industrial 2Q26
- Newmark Saltillo industrial 2Q26
- Newmark Querétaro industrial 2Q26
- Newmark San Luis Potosí industrial 1H26
- Newmark Guadalajara industrial 2Q26
- Newmark Tijuana industrial 2Q26
- Newmark Aguascalientes industrial 1H26
- Newmark Mexico City industrial 2Q26
- CBRE Monterrey industrial 2Q26, reported by T21, 22 July 2026
- CFE GDMTH tariff, by division and month
- Banco de México FIX exchange rate, DOF 12 October 2026
- Diario Oficial: 2026 minimum wages
use your own numbers
The operating cost estimator applies these figures to your headcount and floor area, and at the bottom of the results you can request a comparison of a shelter, your own entity and contract manufacturing.
open the estimatorFor US and Canadian manufacturers deciding where and how to produce in Mexico.
Book a complimentary 30-minute callMarket Entry Readiness Diagnostic · 11 questions, about 3 minutes
Provide services to manufacturers entering Mexico? Introduce your firm