Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guadalajara and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,297 in Guadalajara, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index

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Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Guadalajara and in Matamoros

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Guadalajara and in Matamoros actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,297 in Guadalajara versus $1,090 in Matamoros.

Guadalajara $1,297
Matamoros $1,090

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,086 in Guadalajara versus $1,832 in Matamoros.

Guadalajara $2,086
Matamoros $1,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,875 in Guadalajara versus $2,573 in Matamoros.

Guadalajara $2,875
Matamoros $2,573

Living in Guadalajara is roughly 19% more expensive than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Guadalajara 4% lower, Matamoros 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.46 MX$249

$12.38 MX$229

8.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.54 MX$805

$37.67 MX$696

15.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.11 MX$168

$9.06 MX$167

0.55%

Cappuccino

$3.83 MX$70.9

$3.29 MX$60.8

16.41%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 MX$31.01

$1.47 MX$27.18

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 MX$22.44

$1.05 MX$19.40

15.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MX$49.40

$2.26 MX$41.81

18.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 MX$90.5

$4.48 MX$82.8

9.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 MX$33.28

$1.63 MX$30.12

10.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 MX$47.53

$2.40 MX$44.43

7.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 MX$30.17

$1.70 MX$31.43

-4.12%

Eggs

$2.47 MX$45.72

$2.57 MX$47.54

-3.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.84 MX$163

$9.01 MX$167

-1.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 MX$178

$7.82 MX$144

22.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.43 MX$211

$11.74 MX$217

-2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MX$51.2

$2.70 MX$49.81

2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.71

$1.73 MX$31.92

-4.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.89

$1.67 MX$30.82

22.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 MX$34.01

$2.05 MX$37.92

-10.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.84

$2.17 MX$40.01

-8.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 MX$32.89

$2.09 MX$38.70

-14.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 MX$27.95

$1.61 MX$29.73

-6.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 MX$19.96

$1.22 MX$22.48

-11.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 MX$86.5

$4.72 MX$87.2

-0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 MX$196

$10.79 MX$199

-1.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 MX$35.70

$2.02 MX$37.32

-4.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 MX$61.1

$3.18 MX$58.8

4.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 MX$11.62

$0.65 MX$12.03

-3.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.17 MX$558

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 MX$41.17

$2.71 MX$50.0

-17.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 MX$24.77

$2.25 MX$41.49

-40.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.26 MX$227

$11.47 MX$212

6.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$27.85

$1.34 MX$24.72

12.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.6K MX$399.2K

$23.5K MX$435.0K

-8.22%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.7K MX$437.2K

$23.9K MX$441.3K

-0.93%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$48.89 MX$903

$56.2 MX$1,038

-12.93%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.32 MX$413

$25.44 MX$470

-12.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.24 MX$577

$26.61 MX$492

17.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.26 MX$522

$32.88 MX$608

-14.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.12 MX$205

$22.40 MX$414

-50.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.73 MX$124

$4.48 MX$82.7

50.22%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$258 MX$4,776

$223 MX$4,114

16.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K MX$201.8K

$4,650 MX$85.9K

134.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 MX$1,070

$53.3 MX$986

8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.83 MX$736

$38.50 MX$711

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$1,989

$99.1 MX$1,832

8.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 MX$1,521

$79.4 MX$1,467

3.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 MX$15.7K

$646 MX$11.9K

31.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 MX$9,049

$337 MX$6,220

45.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 MX$28.3K

$901 MX$16.7K

70.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 MX$18.4K

$826 MX$15.3K

20.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,068 MX$56.7K

$2,039 MX$37.7K

50.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,898 MX$35.1K

$1,054 MX$19.5K

80.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.68

11.3

3.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Guadalajara

$490 37.8%

Matamoros

$337 30.9% 31.3% $153

Groceries & Markets

Guadalajara

$276 21.3%

Matamoros

$269 24.7% 2.6% $7.1

Eating Out

Guadalajara

$216 16.6%

Matamoros

$196 18% 9.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Guadalajara

$129 10%

Matamoros

$122 11.2% 6% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guadalajara

$102 7.9%

Matamoros

$108 9.9% 5.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Matamoros

$42 3.8% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Guadalajara

$42 3.2%

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5% 60.2% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $848 in Guadalajara and $646 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44.00 in Guadalajara vs $38.00 in Matamoros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $276 vs $269 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h ahead of Guadalajara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,385,629

510,739

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Guadalajara Matamoros 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Guadalajara
Matamoros

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Guadalajara vs Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Guadalajara. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,945 in Guadalajara and $1,635 in Matamoros to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $848 in Guadalajara versus $646 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $258 in Guadalajara versus $223 in Matamoros. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Matamoros – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $44.00 in Guadalajara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,297 in Guadalajara, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Guadalajara. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Matamoros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,090 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Matamoros hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Guadalajara. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.