Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,223 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $660 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Matamoros versus $1,278 in Phuket.

Matamoros $1,223
Phuket $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,913 in Matamoros versus $2,216 in Phuket.

Matamoros $1,913
Phuket $2,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,604 in Matamoros versus $3,154 in Phuket.

Matamoros $2,604
Phuket $3,154

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 4% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Matamoros 10% lower, Phuket 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 MX$226

$4.47 ฿151

172.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.10 MX$915

$32.41 ฿1,092

51.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 MX$134

$8.81 ฿297

-18.16%

Cappuccino

$3.04 MX$56.7

$2.83 ฿95.3

7.42%

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

$1.24 MX$23.15

$0.87 ฿29.37

42.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 MX$16.66

$0.49 ฿16.64

81.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$42.17

$2.56 ฿86.2

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MX$75.1

$3.68 ฿124

9.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.42

$1.66 ฿55.9

-18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 MX$41.99

$1.46 ฿49.25

54.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MX$30.93

$1.50 ฿50.4

10.67%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$45.16

$2.09 ฿70.4

15.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 MX$138

$19.07 ฿642

-61.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 MX$131

$3.30 ฿111

112.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 MX$242

$10.91 ฿368

18.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.53

$2.93 ฿98.7

-20.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$26.01

$1.69 ฿56.9

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.72

$2.25 ฿75.7

-7.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.77

$2.08 ฿70.0

-25.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$36.94

$1.51 ฿50.9

31.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.51

$1.38 ฿46.47

22.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 MX$26.52

$1.07 ฿35.91

32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.32

$0.52 ฿17.49

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$83.9

$4.20 ฿142

7.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$193

$18.79 ฿633

-44.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 MX$30.34

$1.82 ฿61.4

-10.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 MX$65.1

$2.84 ฿95.7

22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.44

$1.45 ฿48.93

-53.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.10 MX$486

$56.7 ฿1,909

-53.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 MX$48.33

$3.02 ฿102

-14.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 MX$31.01

$1.02 ฿34.29

62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 MX$193

$3.69 ฿124

180.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$23.15

$1.47 ฿49.70

-15.65%

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

$26.8K MX$499.4K

$26.8K ฿902.4K

0.10%

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

$23.8K MX$443.4K

$26.7K ฿899.5K

-10.83%

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

$60.0 MX$1,117

$96.4 ฿3,247

-37.78%

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

$23.23 MX$433

$11.26 ฿380

106.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.06 MX$467

$16.85 ฿568

48.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.46 MX$661

$67.2 ฿2,266

-47.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 MX$371

$10.73 ฿361

85.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 MX$84.6

$7.50 ฿253

-39.47%

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

$212 MX$3,953

$476 ฿16.0K

-55.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,551 MX$84.8K

$11.3K ฿379.6K

-59.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,025

$62.4 ฿2,102

-11.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 MX$637

$28.41 ฿957

20.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 MX$1,744

$94.3 ฿3,178

-0.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 MX$1,643

$85.8 ฿2,892

2.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 MX$11.4K

$716 ฿24.1K

-14.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MX$8,855

$491 ฿16.5K

-3.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 MX$20.3K

$1,927 ฿64.9K

-43.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 MX$15.2K

$1,431 ฿48.2K

-42.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,171 MX$40.5K

$4,175 ฿140.7K

-48.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 MX$22.3K

$3,045 ฿102.6K

-60.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

5.57

103.05%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 27, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$475 38.9%

Phuket

$491 38.4% 3.3% $16

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$250 20.4%

Phuket

$266 20.8% 6.5% $16

Eating Out

Matamoros

$183 15%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 33.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 10%

Phuket

$122 9.5% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 8.9%

Phuket

$124 9.7% 15% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$45 3.6%

Phuket

$82 6.4% 84.6% $38

Getting Around

Matamoros

$40 3.2%

Phuket

$71 5.5% 77.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Matamoros and $716 in Phuket. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Matamoros vs $32 in Phuket. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $266, with Matamoros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

17:41 5:41 PM

12 h ahead of Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

79,308

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.63 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.79 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Matamoros Phuket 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Phuket. 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 $1,917 in Phuket 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 $716 in Phuket. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Phuket – a meal for two runs $32 versus $49 in Matamoros. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,223 per month in Matamoros versus $1,278 in Phuket – Matamoros is about 4% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.