The question is almost never what it costs to build the store, but what it costs to keep it running. The build is a one-time payment; the platform, the payment gateway and shipping get charged every month and on every sale. Here are the real price ranges in Mexico in 2026, without the low starting price that grows later.
The three paths and what they cost
| Path | Initial build | Monthly | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform with a template | $8,000 to $20,000 | From $500 | Small catalog, you want to validate demand |
| Customized platform | $25,000 to $60,000 | From $800 | Established brand, real catalog |
| Custom-built store | $60,000 and up | From $1,000 | Your own business rules or high volume |
| Marketplace | Almost zero | Commission per sale | Test demand without investing |
Amounts are in Mexican pesos (MXN) and reflect the build work in the Mexican market. They vary by catalog: loading 30 products is not the same as loading 3,000 with sizes and colors.
The cost almost nobody quotes: the commission
Every sale pays a toll. Payment gateways in Mexico charge around 3.6% plus a fixed fee per transaction, plus VAT. If you also use a subscription platform and not its own gateway, many add an extra percentage per sale. And if you sell on a marketplace, the commission per product sold is on another scale entirely: that's where your margin goes.
Run the numbers with a real average order value. On $500 MXN sales, a 3.6% commission plus the gateway fee comes to about $25 MXN per order. That sounds small until you hit two hundred orders a month and it's $5,000 MXN nobody put in the budget.
Subscription platforms: the dollar detail
International platforms charge their subscription in dollars even though you sell in pesos and get paid in pesos. Their entry plan runs around 19 to 25 dollars a month, so the cost in pesos moves with the exchange rate and is worth checking before you commit. Paying annually usually comes with a discount, but it locks you into twelve months on a platform you may not yet know you need.
Fixed expenses that show up later
- Domain: between $200 and $500 MXN a year.
- Security certificate: included in almost any serious plan, but verify it.
- Product photography: the expense new catalogs underestimate the most.
- Extra apps: reviews, invoicing, shipping, each with its own monthly fee.
- Electronic invoicing: if you sell to businesses, the connector to the SAT (Mexico's tax authority) isn't always included.
Your own store or a marketplace
A marketplace lends you traffic. You pay that loan back with a high commission and by not owning your customers' data: you can't write to them later or build a brand. Your own store flips the investment, putting the cost up front and leaving more margin on every sale, but it requires you to bring the visitors.
The route that works best for small businesses is to start on a marketplace to test what sells, and build your own store once you know which three products move. At that point the investment stops being a gamble.
What to check before signing a quote
- How many products the catalog upload includes and what each additional one costs.
- Whether product photos are included or billed separately.
- Which payment gateway gets connected and at what commission.
- How shipping is calculated and whether it connects to the carrier you already use.
- Who can edit prices and products after delivery, and whether they teach you how.
If you're still deciding between a store and an informational site, the full range for a website is in how much a professional website costs in Mexico.
At Elevalia
We build online stores with the catalog loaded, payments connected and shipping configured, and we hand you control so you can change prices and products without depending on anyone. Learn more about our professional website design service.