Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living costs are similar in Matamoros and in Playa del Carmen: $1,223 and $1,204 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,223 in Matamoros versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Matamoros $1,223
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,913 in Matamoros versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Matamoros $1,913
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,604 in Matamoros versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Matamoros $2,604
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Monthly costs are close between Matamoros and Playa del Carmen; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Matamoros 10% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 MX$228

$10.92 MX$205

11.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.10 MX$921

$43.37 MX$813

13.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 MX$135

$11.78 MX$221

-38.79%

Cappuccino

$3.04 MX$57.1

$3.81 MX$71.4

-20.21%

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

$1.24 MX$23.30

$1.28 MX$24.04

-3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 MX$16.77

$0.78 MX$14.68

14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$42.44

$3.17 MX$59.4

-28.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 MX$75.6

$4.93 MX$92.5

-18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 MX$25.59

$1.41 MX$26.37

-3.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 MX$42.26

$2.22 MX$41.57

1.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 MX$31.13

$1.42 MX$26.57

16.90%

Eggs

$2.42 MX$45.45

$2.52 MX$47.30

-3.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 MX$139

$7.26 MX$136

1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.01 MX$132

$7.70 MX$144

-8.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.98 MX$243

$12.69 MX$238

2.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 MX$43.81

$2.78 MX$52.2

-15.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 MX$26.18

$1.37 MX$25.65

2.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.97

$2.55 MX$47.83

-18.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 MX$28.96

$2.12 MX$39.81

-27.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 MX$37.18

$1.94 MX$36.34

2.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 MX$31.71

$1.89 MX$35.36

-10.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 MX$26.69

$1.15 MX$21.50

23.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MX$22.46

$1.18 MX$22.11

1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 MX$84.4

$4.30 MX$80.5

4.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.37 MX$194

$9.95 MX$187

4.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 MX$30.53

$1.58 MX$29.69

3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 MX$65.5

$2.67 MX$50.1

30.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 MX$12.52

$0.55 MX$10.37

21.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.10 MX$489

$26.62 MX$499

-1.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 MX$48.64

$4.97 MX$93.2

-47.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 MX$31.21

$3.33 MX$62.5

-50.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.36 MX$194

$5.36 MX$100

93.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 MX$23.30

$1.44 MX$27.07

-13.89%

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

$26.8K MX$502.6K

$20.7K MX$387.5K

29.71%

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

$23.8K MX$446.3K

$23.5K MX$440.0K

1.43%

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

$60.0 MX$1,124

$84.8 MX$1,590

-29.30%

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

$23.23 MX$436

$23.41 MX$439

-0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.06 MX$470

$28.66 MX$537

-12.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.46 MX$665

$57.1 MX$1,070

-37.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 MX$374

$28.91 MX$542

-31.03%

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 MX$85.2

$5.14 MX$96.4

-11.67%

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

$212 MX$3,979

$207 MX$3,873

2.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,551 MX$85.3K

$3,927 MX$73.6K

15.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 MX$1,032

$43.35 MX$813

26.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 MX$641

$41.44 MX$777

-17.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 MX$1,755

$74.2 MX$1,391

26.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 MX$1,653

$89.3 MX$1,673

-1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 MX$11.5K

$980 MX$18.4K

-37.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$475 MX$8,912

$381 MX$7,140

24.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 MX$20.4K

$1,708 MX$32.0K

-36.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 MX$15.3K

$1,075 MX$20.2K

-23.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,171 MX$40.7K

$3,943 MX$73.9K

-44.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,200 MX$22.5K

$6,158 MX$115.5K

-80.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.31

11.45

-1.22%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 27, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$475 38.9%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 19.9% $94

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$250 20.4%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 1.9% $4.7

Eating Out

Matamoros

$183 15%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 10.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 10%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 8.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 8.9%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 26.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$45 3.6%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 51.1% $23

Getting Around

Matamoros

$40 3.2%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 27.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $611 in Matamoros and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $49 in Matamoros vs $43 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries flip the comparison at $250 vs $255, with Matamoros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

Same time as Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

149,923

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Matamoros Playa del Carmen 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,835 in Matamoros and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen 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 $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $212 in Matamoros versus $207 in Playa del Carmen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Playa del Carmen – a meal for two runs $43 versus $49 in Matamoros. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Playa del Carmen gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.