Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Montevideo

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,771 in Montevideo, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Montevideo
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Montevideo Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Montevideo

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Montevideo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,771 in Montevideo.

Matamoros $1,090
Montevideo $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,832 in Matamoros versus $2,740 in Montevideo.

Matamoros $1,832
Montevideo $2,740

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,573 in Matamoros versus $3,708 in Montevideo.

Matamoros $2,573
Montevideo $3,708

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 38% less than in Montevideo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matamoros is 19% below, Montevideo is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 MX$229

$15.16 UYU 609

-18.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.67 MX$696

$69.2 UYU 2,776

-45.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 MX$167

$14.65 UYU 588

-38.16%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MX$60.8

$4.46 UYU 179

-26.23%

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

$1.47 MX$27.18

$2.67 UYU 107

-44.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.40

$2.00 UYU 80.4

-47.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$41.81

$4.83 UYU 194

-53.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.8

$3.80 UYU 152

17.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$30.12

$1.36 UYU 54.8

19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 MX$44.43

$2.87 UYU 115

-16.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.43

$1.75 UYU 70.2

-2.86%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.54

$4.68 UYU 188

-45.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 MX$167

$13.88 UYU 557

-35.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 MX$144

$11.98 UYU 481

-34.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$11.97 UYU 480

-1.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MX$49.81

$2.78 UYU 111

-2.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.92

$2.74 UYU 110

-36.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$1.77 UYU 71.2

-5.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.92

$3.24 UYU 130

-36.73%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.01

$1.97 UYU 79.2

10.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.70

$2.07 UYU 83.1

0.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MX$29.73

$1.37 UYU 55.1

17.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.48

$1.88 UYU 75.3

-35.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 MX$87.2

$5.59 UYU 224

-15.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 MX$199

$8.78 UYU 352

22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 MX$37.32

$2.26 UYU 90.9

-10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 MX$58.8

$2.75 UYU 110

15.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$12.03

$1.53 UYU 61.5

-57.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.3 UYU 2,980

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 MX$50.0

$1.91 UYU 76.7

41.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.49

$0.40 UYU 16.18

462.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.47 MX$212

$10.33 UYU 415

11.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.72

$2.13 UYU 85.6

-37.09%

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

$23.5K MX$435.0K

$27.1K UYU 1.1M

-13.17%

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

$23.9K MX$441.3K

$36.3K UYU 1.5M

-34.14%

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

$56.2 MX$1,038

$188 UYU 7,557

-70.18%

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

$25.44 MX$470

$20.54 UYU 824

23.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 MX$492

$44.81 UYU 1,798

-40.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.88 MX$608

$54.0 UYU 2,166

-39.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 MX$414

$19.75 UYU 793

13.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 MX$82.7

$11.95 UYU 480

-62.51%

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

$223 MX$4,114

$634 UYU 25.5K

-64.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,650 MX$85.9K

$11.1K UYU 443.6K

-57.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$986

$102 UYU 4,099

-47.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 MX$711

$57.5 UYU 2,309

-33.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 MX$1,832

$127 UYU 5,079

-21.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MX$1,467

$128 UYU 5,131

-37.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MX$11.9K

$719 UYU 28.8K

-10.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 MX$6,220

$568 UYU 22.8K

-40.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$1,145 UYU 46.0K

-21.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.3K

$1,023 UYU 41.1K

-19.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 MX$37.7K

$3,392 UYU 136.1K

-39.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,054 MX$19.5K

$1,949 UYU 78.2K

-45.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 UYU 50.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.74

96.86%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montevideo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$337 30.9%

Montevideo

$568 32.1% 68.7% $231

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$269 24.7%

Montevideo

$332 18.7% 23.1% $62

Eating Out

Matamoros

$196 18%

Montevideo

$269 15.2% 37.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 11.2%

Montevideo

$186 10.5% 53.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 9.9%

Montevideo

$254 14.3% 134% $145

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$42 3.8%

Montevideo

$78 4.4% 86.2% $36

Getting Around

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5%

Montevideo

$84 4.8% 410% $68

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 $719 in Montevideo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Matamoros vs $69.0 in Montevideo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $332 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇺🇾 Montevideo

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

00:37 12:37 AM

2 h ahead of Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

1,319,108 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 40.14 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.12 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Matamoros Montevideo 8,040 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
Montevideo

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 Montevideo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Montevideo. 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 $2,656 in Montevideo 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 $719 in Montevideo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Matamoros versus $634 in Montevideo. 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 $69.0 in Montevideo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,771 in Montevideo, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Montevideo. 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.

Safety-wise, Matamoros and Montevideo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Montevideo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.