Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matamoros and Santiago

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,090 a month against $1,190 in Santiago, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Santiago outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

55

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Santiago
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Santiago Living Index

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Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,090

/mo nomad

Santiago

🇨🇱 Chile

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Matamoros and in Santiago

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,190 in Santiago.

Matamoros $1,090
Santiago $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,832 in Matamoros versus $1,892 in Santiago.

Matamoros $1,832
Santiago $1,892

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,573 in Matamoros versus $2,595 in Santiago.

Matamoros $2,573
Santiago $2,595

Living in Matamoros costs roughly 8% less than in Santiago, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Matamoros 19% lower, Santiago 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.38 MX$229

$10.37 CLP 10.2K

19.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.67 MX$696

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

-27.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.06 MX$167

$8.94 CLP 8,805

1.34%

Cappuccino

$3.29 MX$60.8

$3.26 CLP 3,211

0.92%

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

$1.47 MX$27.18

$1.67 CLP 1,640

-11.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 MX$19.40

$1.23 CLP 1,212

-14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 MX$41.81

$3.98 CLP 3,914

-43.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 MX$82.8

$4.54 CLP 4,465

-1.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 MX$30.12

$1.28 CLP 1,263

27.34%

White Bread (500g)

$2.40 MX$44.43

$1.85 CLP 1,817

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 MX$31.43

$1.59 CLP 1,567

6.92%

Eggs

$2.57 MX$47.54

$4.10 CLP 4,031

-37.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 MX$167

$11.41 CLP 11.2K

-21.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.82 MX$144

$6.69 CLP 6,586

16.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.74 MX$217

$10.81 CLP 10.6K

8.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MX$49.81

$1.94 CLP 1,905

39.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 MX$31.92

$1.52 CLP 1,497

13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 MX$30.82

$1.60 CLP 1,577

4.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.92

$1.69 CLP 1,668

21.30%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 MX$40.01

$1.10 CLP 1,084

97.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 MX$38.70

$1.52 CLP 1,500

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 MX$29.73

$1.18 CLP 1,164

36.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 MX$22.48

$1.08 CLP 1,061

12.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 MX$87.2

$5.07 CLP 4,995

-6.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.79 MX$199

$5.95 CLP 5,858

81.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 MX$37.32

$1.49 CLP 1,470

35.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 MX$58.8

$2.38 CLP 2,342

33.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 MX$12.03

$0.83 CLP 821

-21.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.14 CLP 39.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 MX$50.0

$0.40 CLP 393

577.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 MX$41.49

$0.91 CLP 897

147.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.47 MX$212

$11.63 CLP 11.5K

-1.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MX$24.72

$1.51 CLP 1,486

-11.26%

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

$23.5K MX$435.0K

$17.6K CLP 17.3M

33.93%

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

$23.9K MX$441.3K

$22.0K CLP 21.6M

8.63%

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

$56.2 MX$1,038

$151 CLP 149.0K

-62.92%

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

$25.44 MX$470

$12.34 CLP 12.1K

106.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.61 MX$492

$18.73 CLP 18.4K

42.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.88 MX$608

$33.71 CLP 33.2K

-2.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.40 MX$414

$11.80 CLP 11.6K

89.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 MX$82.7

$7.45 CLP 7,334

-39.87%

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

$223 MX$4,114

$430 CLP 423.7K

-48.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,650 MX$85.9K

$10.8K CLP 10.6M

-56.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 MX$986

$49.65 CLP 48.9K

7.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.50 MX$711

$28.94 CLP 28.5K

33.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 MX$1,832

$65.7 CLP 64.6K

50.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 MX$1,467

$80.7 CLP 79.4K

-1.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 MX$11.9K

$559 CLP 550.4K

15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 MX$6,220

$384 CLP 377.8K

-12.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 MX$16.7K

$1,004 CLP 988.4K

-10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 MX$15.3K

$780 CLP 767.9K

5.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,039 MX$37.7K

$2,640 CLP 2.6M

-22.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,054 MX$19.5K

$2,546 CLP 2.5M

-58.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$804 CLP 791.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

5.39

109.65%

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

Last update for Matamoros: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santiago: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matamoros

$337 30.9%

Santiago

$384 32.3% 14% $47

Groceries & Markets

Matamoros

$269 24.7%

Santiago

$236 19.8% 12.4% $33

Eating Out

Matamoros

$196 18%

Santiago

$189 15.9% 3.3% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Matamoros

$122 11.2%

Santiago

$101 8.5% 16.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matamoros

$108 9.9%

Santiago

$182 15.3% 68.7% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Matamoros

$42 3.8%

Santiago

$49 4.1% 16.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Matamoros

$17 * 1.5%

Santiago

$48 4.1% 193% $32

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 $559 in Santiago. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38.00 in Matamoros vs $52.0 in Santiago. Groceries flip the comparison at $269 vs $236, with Santiago cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🇨🇱 Santiago

🕒 Local time

22:39 10:39 PM

00:39 12:39 AM

2 h ahead of Matamoros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

510,739

6,139,087 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Matamoros Santiago 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Matamoros
Santiago

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 Santiago: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Santiago. 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 $1,785 in Santiago 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 $559 in Santiago. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Matamoros versus $430 in Santiago. 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 $52.0 in Santiago. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,090 in Matamoros versus $1,190 in Santiago, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Matamoros but tight or insufficient in Santiago. The gap between the two cities makes Matamoros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Matamoros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Santiago. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.