Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Montreal

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $2,018 in Montreal, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
99

Cost of Living Index in Montreal
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Montreal Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Montreal

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Montreal

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,090 in Matamoros versus $2,018 in Montreal.

Matamoros $1,090
Montreal $2,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,832 in Matamoros versus $3,085 in Montreal.

Matamoros $1,832
Montreal $3,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,573 in Matamoros versus $4,152 in Montreal.

Matamoros $2,573
Montreal $4,152

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 46% less than in Montreal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Matamoros is 19% below, Montreal is 49% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 MX$229

$18.82 CA$26.61

-34.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.67 MX$696

$70.3 CA$99.4

-46.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 MX$167

$10.66 CA$15.06

-15.01%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MX$60.8

$3.84 CA$5.43

-14.32%

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

$1.47 MX$27.18

$1.92 CA$2.71

-23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.40

$1.54 CA$2.18

-31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$41.81

$6.23 CA$8.81

-63.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.8

$7.10 CA$10.03

-36.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$30.12

$2.31 CA$3.27

-29.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 MX$44.43

$3.14 CA$4.44

-23.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.43

$3.21 CA$4.54

-47.04%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.54

$3.52 CA$4.97

-26.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 MX$167

$12.81 CA$18.11

-29.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 MX$144

$11.46 CA$16.20

-31.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$13.39 CA$18.92

-12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MX$49.81

$3.14 CA$4.43

-14.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.92

$1.44 CA$2.03

20.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$3.47 CA$4.91

-51.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.92

$3.07 CA$4.34

-33.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.01

$1.90 CA$2.69

14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.70

$1.77 CA$2.50

18.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MX$29.73

$2.34 CA$3.31

-31.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.48

$1.55 CA$2.19

-21.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 MX$87.2

$11.38 CA$16.09

-58.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 MX$199

$10.63 CA$15.03

1.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 MX$37.32

$2.27 CA$3.21

-11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 MX$58.8

$2.82 CA$3.99

12.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$12.03

$2.66 CA$3.76

-75.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.3 CA$109

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 MX$50.0

$3.20 CA$4.53

-15.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.49

$1.48 CA$2.09

52.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.47 MX$212

$32.88 CA$46.48

-65.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.72

$1.34 CA$1.90

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

$23.5K MX$435.0K

$28.2K CA$39.8K

-16.39%

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

$23.9K MX$441.3K

$19.6K CA$27.8K

21.67%

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

$56.2 MX$1,038

$76.0 CA$107

-26.08%

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

$25.44 MX$470

$33.95 CA$48.00

-25.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 MX$492

$42.31 CA$59.8

-37.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.88 MX$608

$29.76 CA$42.07

10.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 MX$414

$20.28 CA$28.67

10.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 MX$82.7

$11.15 CA$15.77

-59.82%

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

$223 MX$4,114

$507 CA$717

-56.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,650 MX$85.9K

$16.1K CA$22.7K

-71.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$986

$57.6 CA$81.4

-7.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 MX$711

$37.58 CA$53.1

2.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 MX$1,832

$91.9 CA$130

7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MX$1,467

$110 CA$155

-27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MX$11.9K

$1,260 CA$1,782

-48.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 MX$6,220

$948 CA$1,340

-64.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$2,137 CA$3,021

-57.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.3K

$1,614 CA$2,281

-48.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 MX$37.7K

$4,960 CA$7,011

-58.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,054 MX$19.5K

$3,838 CA$5,425

-72.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,827 CA$3,997

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

4.48

152.23%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Last update for Montreal: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$337 30.9%

Montreal

$948 47% 182% $611

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$269 24.7%

Montreal

$346 17.2% 28.7% $77

Eating Out

Matamoros

$196 18%

Montreal

$288 14.3% 46.9% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 11.2%

Montreal

$133 6.6% 9.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 9.9%

Montreal

$152 7.5% 40.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$42 3.8%

Montreal

$52 2.6% 24.5% $10

Getting Around

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5%

Montreal

$99 4.9% 496% $82

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 $1,260 in Montreal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Matamoros vs $70.0 in Montreal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $346 per month, with Matamoros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇨🇦 Montreal

🕒 Local time

23:17 11:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

1 h ahead of Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

1,762,949

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Matamoros Montreal 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
Montreal

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 Montreal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Montreal. 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 $3,027 in Montreal 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 $1,260 in Montreal. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Matamoros versus $507 in Montreal. 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 $70.0 in Montreal. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $2,018 in Montreal, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Montreal. 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 Montreal 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 85% less than in Montreal. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.