Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,223 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Matamoros versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Matamoros $1,223
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,913 in Matamoros versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Matamoros $1,913
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,604 in Matamoros versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Matamoros $2,604
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 50% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matamoros is 10% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 MX$228

$17.59 €15.78

-30.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.10 MX$921

$67.5 €60.6

-27.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 MX$135

$13.53 €12.14

-46.71%

Cappuccino

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.19 €2.86

-4.70%

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

$1.24 MX$23.30

$2.91 €2.61

-57.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 MX$16.77

$1.89 €1.70

-52.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$42.44

$4.01 €3.60

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MX$75.6

$4.53 €4.06

-11.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.59

$1.31 €1.17

3.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 MX$42.26

$2.02 €1.81

11.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MX$31.13

$1.85 €1.66

-10.27%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$45.45

$4.83 €4.34

-49.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 MX$139

$16.74 €15.02

-55.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 MX$132

$9.12 €8.18

-23.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 MX$243

$19.64 €17.62

-33.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.81

$2.98 €2.67

-21.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$26.18

$2.02 €1.81

-30.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.97

$2.70 €2.42

-22.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.96

$2.80 €2.52

-45.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.18

$2.09 €1.87

-5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.71

$2.07 €1.86

-18.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 MX$26.69

$1.46 €1.31

-2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$0.94 €0.84

27.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$84.4

$6.87 €6.17

-34.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$194

$7.89 €7.08

31.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 MX$30.53

$1.41 €1.26

15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 MX$65.5

$2.54 €2.27

37.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.52

$3.14 €2.82

-78.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.10 MX$489

$25.45 €22.83

2.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 MX$48.64

$2.99 €2.68

-13.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 MX$31.21

$1.49 €1.34

11.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 MX$194

$33.37 €29.95

-68.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$23.30

$1.80 €1.61

-31.11%

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

$26.8K MX$502.6K

$33.2K €29.8K

-19.24%

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

$23.8K MX$446.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-24.92%

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

$60.0 MX$1,124

$180 €162

-66.77%

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

$23.23 MX$436

$13.84 €12.42

67.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.06 MX$470

$33.70 €30.24

-25.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.46 MX$665

$51.5 €46.22

-31.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 MX$374

$15.96 €14.32

24.94%

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 MX$85.2

$10.99 €9.87

-58.69%

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

$212 MX$3,979

$917 €823

-76.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,551 MX$85.3K

$16.5K €14.8K

-72.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,032

$87.0 €78.1

-36.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 MX$641

$38.51 €34.55

-11.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 MX$1,755

$106 €94.9

-11.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 MX$1,653

$120 €107

-26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 MX$11.5K

$1,699 €1,525

-64.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MX$8,912

$1,355 €1,216

-64.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 MX$20.4K

$2,603 €2,335

-58.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 MX$15.3K

$2,062 €1,851

-60.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,171 MX$40.7K

$6,915 €6,205

-68.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 MX$22.5K

$5,128 €4,601

-76.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,984

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

3.28

244.82%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$475 38.9%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 185% $880

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$250 20.4%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 28.7% $72

Eating Out

Matamoros

$183 15%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 46.1% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 10%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 29.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 8.9%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 111% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$45 3.6%

Barcelona

$74 3% 65% $29

Getting Around

Matamoros

$40 3.2%

Barcelona

$48 2% 22.2% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Matamoros and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Matamoros vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $322 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

13:41 1:41 PM

6 h ahead of Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Matamoros Barcelona 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
Barcelona

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

Matamoros vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,223 in Matamoros and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Matamoros is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,835 in Matamoros and $3,679 in Barcelona 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: $611 in Matamoros versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $212 in Matamoros versus $917 in Barcelona. 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 $49 versus $67 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Matamoros is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.