Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Monterrey

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,223 a month against $1,647 in Monterrey, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Monterrey
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Monterrey Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monterrey

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Monterrey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Matamoros versus $1,647 in Monterrey.

Matamoros $1,223
Monterrey $1,647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,913 in Matamoros versus $2,591 in Monterrey.

Matamoros $1,913
Monterrey $2,591

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,604 in Matamoros versus $3,536 in Monterrey.

Matamoros $2,604
Monterrey $3,536

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 26% less than in Monterrey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matamoros is 10% below, Monterrey is 21% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 MX$226

$13.45 MX$251

-9.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.10 MX$915

$48.43 MX$902

1.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 MX$134

$10.90 MX$203

-33.85%

Cappuccino

$3.04 MX$56.7

$3.82 MX$71.1

-20.42%

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

$1.24 MX$23.15

$1.67 MX$31.04

-25.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 MX$16.66

$0.98 MX$18.31

-9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$42.17

$2.35 MX$43.78

-3.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MX$75.1

$4.41 MX$82.2

-8.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.42

$1.80 MX$33.56

-24.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 MX$41.99

$2.79 MX$52.0

-19.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.93

$1.82 MX$34.00

-8.79%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$45.16

$2.51 MX$46.81

-3.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 MX$138

$12.09 MX$225

-38.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 MX$131

$9.41 MX$175

-25.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 MX$242

$12.71 MX$237

2.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.53

$3.21 MX$59.8

-27.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$26.01

$1.50 MX$27.90

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.72

$2.14 MX$39.95

-2.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$2.32 MX$43.25

-33.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.94

$2.20 MX$41.02

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.51

$2.60 MX$48.40

-35.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 MX$26.52

$1.44 MX$26.84

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.32

$1.17 MX$21.86

2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.9

$4.79 MX$89.2

-6.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$193

$13.22 MX$246

-21.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 MX$30.34

$1.94 MX$36.19

-15.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 MX$65.1

$2.89 MX$53.8

20.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.44

$0.87 MX$16.25

-22.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.10 MX$486

$31.14 MX$580

-16.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 MX$48.33

$1.66 MX$30.86

56.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 MX$31.01

$1.09 MX$20.37

52.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 MX$193

$10.67 MX$199

-2.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$23.15

$1.47 MX$27.45

-15.65%

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

$26.8K MX$499.4K

$24.2K MX$451.7K

10.56%

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

$23.8K MX$443.4K

$23.6K MX$438.8K

1.05%

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

$60.0 MX$1,117

$118 MX$2,196

-49.14%

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

$23.23 MX$433

$25.55 MX$476

-9.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.06 MX$467

$26.43 MX$492

-5.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.46 MX$661

$30.77 MX$573

15.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 MX$371

$21.07 MX$393

-5.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 MX$84.6

$5.09 MX$94.8

-10.81%

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

$212 MX$3,953

$694 MX$12.9K

-69.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,551 MX$84.8K

$11.3K MX$210.9K

-59.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,025

$72.5 MX$1,350

-24.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 MX$637

$41.51 MX$773

-17.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 MX$1,744

$110 MX$2,044

-14.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 MX$1,643

$115 MX$2,141

-23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 MX$11.4K

$1,056 MX$19.7K

-42.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MX$8,855

$721 MX$13.4K

-34.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 MX$20.3K

$1,999 MX$37.2K

-45.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 MX$15.2K

$1,435 MX$26.7K

-43.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,171 MX$40.5K

$4,219 MX$78.6K

-48.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 MX$22.3K

$2,731 MX$50.9K

-56.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,149 MX$21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.79

-4.07%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 27, 2026

Last update for Monterrey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$475 38.9%

Monterrey

$721 43.8% 51.7% $246

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$250 20.4%

Monterrey

$303 18.4% 21.4% $53

Eating Out

Matamoros

$183 15%

Monterrey

$217 13.2% 18.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 10%

Monterrey

$152 9.3% 25% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 8.9%

Monterrey

$170 10.3% 56.9% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$45 3.6%

Monterrey

$41 2.5% 8.1% $3.6

Getting Around

Matamoros

$40 3.2%

Monterrey

$42 2.5% 5.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Matamoros and $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Matamoros vs $48 in Monterrey. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $303, with Matamoros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇲🇽 Monterrey

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

1 h behind Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

1,142,994

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Monterrey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Monterrey. 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 $1,835 in Matamoros and $2,470 in Monterrey 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 $1,056 in Monterrey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $212 in Matamoros versus $694 in Monterrey. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Matamoros runs roughly 16% less than in Monterrey. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

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.