Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Guadalajara

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.

55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Guadalajara
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Guadalajara Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Guadalajara

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,297

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Guadalajara

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 Guadalajara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Matamoros $1,090
Guadalajara $1,297

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

Matamoros $1,832
Guadalajara $2,086

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

Matamoros $2,573
Guadalajara $2,875

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 16% less than in Guadalajara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 MX$229

$13.46 MX$249

-8.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.67 MX$696

$43.54 MX$805

-13.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 MX$167

$9.11 MX$168

-0.55%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MX$60.8

$3.83 MX$70.9

-14.10%

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

$1.47 MX$27.18

$1.68 MX$31.01

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.40

$1.21 MX$22.44

-13.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$41.81

$2.67 MX$49.40

-15.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.8

$4.90 MX$90.5

-8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$30.12

$1.80 MX$33.28

-9.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 MX$44.43

$2.57 MX$47.53

-6.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.43

$1.63 MX$30.17

4.29%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.54

$2.47 MX$45.72

4.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 MX$167

$8.84 MX$163

1.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 MX$144

$9.61 MX$178

-18.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$11.43 MX$211

2.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MX$49.81

$2.77 MX$51.2

-2.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.92

$1.66 MX$30.71

4.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$2.05 MX$37.89

-18.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.92

$1.84 MX$34.01

11.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.01

$1.99 MX$36.84

9.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.70

$1.78 MX$32.89

17.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MX$29.73

$1.51 MX$27.95

6.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.48

$1.08 MX$19.96

12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 MX$87.2

$4.68 MX$86.5

0.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 MX$199

$10.63 MX$196

1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 MX$37.32

$1.93 MX$35.70

4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 MX$58.8

$3.31 MX$61.1

-3.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$12.03

$0.63 MX$11.62

3.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.17 MX$558

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 MX$50.0

$2.23 MX$41.17

21.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.49

$1.34 MX$24.77

67.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.47 MX$212

$12.26 MX$227

-6.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.72

$1.51 MX$27.85

-11.26%

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

$23.5K MX$435.0K

$21.6K MX$399.2K

8.95%

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

$23.9K MX$441.3K

$23.7K MX$437.2K

0.94%

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

$56.2 MX$1,038

$48.89 MX$903

14.85%

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

$25.44 MX$470

$22.32 MX$413

13.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 MX$492

$31.24 MX$577

-14.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.88 MX$608

$28.26 MX$522

16.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 MX$414

$11.12 MX$205

101.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 MX$82.7

$6.73 MX$124

-33.43%

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

$223 MX$4,114

$258 MX$4,776

-13.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,650 MX$85.9K

$10.9K MX$201.8K

-57.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$986

$57.9 MX$1,070

-7.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 MX$711

$39.83 MX$736

-3.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 MX$1,832

$108 MX$1,989

-7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MX$1,467

$82.3 MX$1,521

-3.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MX$11.9K

$848 MX$15.7K

-23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 MX$6,220

$490 MX$9,049

-31.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$1,534 MX$28.3K

-41.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.3K

$994 MX$18.4K

-16.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 MX$37.7K

$3,068 MX$56.7K

-33.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,054 MX$19.5K

$1,898 MX$35.1K

-44.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$750 MX$13.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

11.68

-3.25%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Last update for Guadalajara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$337 30.9%

Guadalajara

$490 37.8% 45.5% $153

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$269 24.7%

Guadalajara

$276 21.3% 2.6% $7.1

Eating Out

Matamoros

$196 18%

Guadalajara

$216 16.6% 10.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 11.2%

Guadalajara

$129 10% 6.4% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 9.9%

Guadalajara

$102 7.9% 5.3% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$42 3.8%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5%

Guadalajara

$42 3.2% 152% $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 $646 in Matamoros and $848 in Guadalajara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

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

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇲🇽 Guadalajara

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

1 h behind Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

1,385,629

💱 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

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Between locations

Matamoros Guadalajara 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
Guadalajara

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 Guadalajara: 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 $1,635 in Matamoros and $1,945 in Guadalajara 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: $646 in Matamoros versus $848 in Guadalajara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Matamoros versus $258 in Guadalajara. 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.