manufacturing cost comparison by mexican state
2026 comparison tool
select 2-3 locations to compare
Monterrey
Nuevo León
$43.40/day
$7.85/sq ft/yr
$7.04/m²/mo · newmark 2q26
$0.107/kWh
667K
Automotive, appliances, steel, aerospace
Kia, Caterpillar, Ternium
Road and rail to the Laredo crossing
$132,015
Saltillo
Coahuila
$51.84/day
$7.70/sq ft/yr
$6.91/m²/mo · newmark 2q26
$0.120/kWh
192K
Automotive, auto parts, metalworking
Stellantis, General Motors, Magna
Road and rail to Laredo through Monterrey
$157,677
Querétaro
Querétaro
$42.90/day
$6.78/sq ft/yr
$6.08/m²/mo · newmark 2q26
$0.120/kWh
243K
Aerospace, automotive, food processing
Bombardier, Safran, Airbus
Central Bajío, on the Highway 57 corridor north to the border
$130,499
monthly labor cost estimate
adjust headcount to see the monthly wage bill per location (imss average wage × 365 days ÷ 12, before employer on-costs)
100 employees
Monterrey
$132,015
Saltillo
$157,677
Querétaro
$130,499
wages: imss average daily contribution wage for manufacturing jobs in each corridor's municipalities, 30 september 2026 (mexico city: cdmx + estado de méxico), converted at the banxico fix of 18.4163 mxn/usd published in the dof on 12 october 2026. it includes the year-end bonus and vacation premium and excludes employer imss contributions, infonavit, state payroll tax and profit sharing. industrial rent: newmark asking rent in us dollars per square foot per year, 2q26 (san luis potosí and aguascalientes 1h26). electricity: a model on cfe's october 2026 gdmth charges for a flat 24/7 load, excluding the fixed charge and vat; cfe publishes charges by time band, not a single rate. jobs: imss formal manufacturing jobs, 30 september 2026. sectors, companies and border access are descriptive. sources and method: corridor benchmarks page. refreshed 15 october 2026.
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understanding manufacturing costs across mexico
Labor rates, industrial rent, electricity pricing and workforce depth vary by state, and the right location depends on your sector, your supply chain and your distance to customers. A medical device company weighing regulatory infrastructure and US border access will reach a different answer than an automotive supplier weighing labor cost and supplier density. This tool sets those differences side by side for eight of Mexico's most active manufacturing corridors, on 2026 data.
On IMSS data for September 2026, the average daily wage for manufacturing jobs runs from about $36 in Aguascalientes to about $52 in the Saltillo corridor, before employer contributions. Industrial rent follows its own map: Newmark's latest asking rents run from $6.44 per square foot a year in San Luis Potosí to $9.45 in Tijuana and $12.84 in Mexico City. Electricity runs against the rent: in October 2026, CFE's Baja California division, which serves Tijuana, had the lowest energy and capacity charges of the divisions tracked here. What an operator costs per hour once social security, housing and payroll tax are added is in our manufacturing labor rate guide. For how these costs compare with the US and Asia, see the Mexico vs US manufacturing cost comparison, our contract manufacturing guide and our analysis of the cost of doing business in Mexico.
Location is one variable among several. Entity structure, IMMEX certification, labor compliance and supply chain logistics all shape what it costs to operate in Mexico. Our state-by-state manufacturing guide adds context on sector clusters, infrastructure and investment by state. For workforce models, our hiring guide covers employer-of-record structures, profit sharing and the main obligations under Mexican labor law.
Every figure above carries its source and date: IMSS wages and formal jobs (30 September 2026), Newmark asking rents (2Q26; 1H26 for San Luis Potosí and Aguascalientes) and CFE's October 2026 tariff charges, with electricity modelled for a flat load and pesos converted at the Banxico FIX rate of 18.4163 published in the DOF on 12 October 2026. The method and the full source list are on the corridor benchmarks page. Actual costs vary by facility type, contract terms and negotiated rates.