Minimum wage in Mexico 2026: MXN 315.04 a day

Two zones, and which one your hire falls in

Mexico has one minimum wage for most of the country and a higher one for the north. The Northern Border Free Zone (Zona Libre de la Frontera Norte, ZLFN) covers the municipalities along the US border in Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. Everywhere else, including Mexico City, is the general zone. The zone follows where the employee works, so check the municipality, not just the state.

The same resolution sets professional minimum wages for a list of occupations. If your hire's role is on that list, its rate is the floor, not MXN 315.04.

The rate is per day of work. There is no official hourly minimum, and Mexico's maximum ordinary week is falling: 48 hours in 2026, 46 in 2027, 44 in 2028, 42 in 2029 and 40 in 2030 under the 2026 labor reform. The daily wage stays the same as hours drop, so your cost per hour worked rises each year.

Other minimum wage rates in Mexico

Mexico minimum wage history

Per day, per month and per year

Mexican pay is quoted per day. To get a monthly figure, payroll teams multiply by 30.4, the average number of days in a month. The DOF resolution itself states only daily amounts, so treat the monthly number as a convention.

How the 2026 increase was set, and what comes next

CONASAMI's tripartite Council of Representatives (workers, employers and government) fixes the rates each December for January 1. For 2026 the general zone rose 13.0%, made up of a MXN 17.01 independent recovery amount plus a 6.5% increase. The border zone rose 5.0%, with no recovery amount.

The 2025 rates were MXN 278.80 (general) and MXN 419.88 (border), which match the 13.0% and 5.0% increases stated in the 2026 resolution. The 2022 to 2024 figures in the history table come from earlier DOF resolutions that we did not re-read for this update. The 2027 rate had not been announced when we checked on October 18, 2026; on the usual timetable it will be published in December 2026.

What a minimum-wage employee costs you

Mexico adds statutory costs on top of the daily wage. The aguinaldo, at least 15 days' pay, is due before December 20. The vacation premium is at least 25% of vacation pay, with 12 days of vacation after the first year. IMSS contributions run on the integrated contribution salary (SBC), which folds in the aguinaldo and vacation premium, so a MXN 315.04 wage has an SBC of about MXN 330.58. The IMSS fixed fee is charged per worker regardless of pay, which is why the on-cost is heavier at the bottom of the scale.

Outside Mexico City the state payroll tax differs, so the share moves a little. For a full worked example on a MXN 740,000 salary, where the on-cost is 31.8%, see the Mexico employer of record guide. To compare Mexico with other countries, use the employer cost index.

How to pay a Mexican employee compliantly

Without a Mexican entity, an employer of record can employ the worker, register them with IMSS and INFONAVIT, and pay the aguinaldo and payroll tax. Published fees run from $99 a month (Native Teams, whose help center says EUR 99) to $699 (Oyster), checked October 16 and 18, 2026. Remote lists from $599 and says it waives its deposit for startups. See EOR prices compared.

Ask about deposits before you sign. An employer hiring in Mexico through Deel wrote on Hacker News in January 2023, more than three years before our check, that it was required to fund mandatory severance up front. Get the deposit amount and refund terms in writing. At this pay level the provider fee is the biggest line: Remote's $599 list price is more than the general-zone minimum wage of about $521 a month.

Model your own hire with the employee cost calculator, or see where pay usually lands on the average salary in Mexico page.